Pete’s Breakfast Place
Hope A few months ago, Pete’s was recommended to us by when Gary talked about the delicious corned beef hash he ordered at Café 126. I’m not a big corned beef hash person, but when I tried it at Café 126, I couldn’t imagine it being better anywhere else. And being creatures of habit made it even more difficult. Let’s face it—once you find something good, you usually stick with it. We finally agreed to give Pete’s a try and I have to tell you, while the food was wonderful, as was the coffee and service, the entire ‘event’ was a sitcom in the making.
Pete’s sits just a few minutes from downtown Ventura close to Ventura High School. From what we heard, the place has been there for awhile and changed hands over the years, the last owner (Dave or Dan or some other name that starts with a ‘D’) moving to Montana or Wyoming, or something like that.
Anyway, we pull up on our bikes and find a spot right in front of the front door and we see there’s a line to get in. We ask if the counter is available and grab a cup of coffee from the help-yourself counter just inside the door. Within a few minutes, we are seated. We look around and notice how quaint and pretty it is…lots of tables inside with lots of yummy-looking food on everyone’s plates.
I opt for scrambled eggs with bacon and sausage, English muffin, fruit and a side of country gravy. Gary ordered his usual (and yes, he’s such a creature of habit that I often order for him) 2 eggs over-easy, corned beef hash, potatoes with onions and peppers, and sour dough toast.
Gary A few minutes later, an elderly woman sat down at the corner next to Hope and we both looked at each other and started to chuckle; we knew this was going to be trouble! A waitress walked by and asked us if we wanted to move to a table, but we graciously declined. After all…sitting at the counter and interacting with other patrons is part of the experience, right?
Almost immediately, we realize this is going to one dining experience we will be laughing at for a very long time. This woman (we refer to her as Jupiter) is, well, not all there. She’s talking to herself as well as anyone who momentarily walks by and has a very strange accent where she draws out the end of every word. We’re not being mean, but we really can’t keep straight faces at this point.
After the woman gets her order, she begins announcing how she is meeting the other ladies at the church at 1:00 (it is now 12:35) but has to take a cab because she couldn’t find her flat shoes and she’s in heels. I mean, everyone knows that you want to wear your flat shoes, they are nowhere to be found, right?
Hope I’m trying to eat and concentrating on keeping the food in my mouth while laughing at the same time, but it’s getting difficult. I then made the mistake of sneaking a peek at her shoes and was punished by also being able to see her feet and her toes. Since this is a blog about food, I will refrain from sharing with you what I saw but let’s just say it wasn’t pretty!
Gary Anyway, Jupiter continues to announce that she needs a cab and now one of the waitresses is frantically looking through a mountain of business cards to find the phone number for a taxi service. After 10 minutes of this and laughing so hard I thought Hope was going to puke, I got out my cell phone to see if I could help. The first listing, for Ventura Taxi, informed us they have no cabs in the Ventura area (go figure). The second listing was out of business (more laughter). Finally, the third said they’d be at Pete’s in the next 10 minutes.
Hope By this time, we’re laughing so hard we’re crying and trying not to let on why. The commotion at the counter is beyond description and in the middle of everything, Gary knocked his glass of ice water into his lap. The waitress, Olivia, rushes over with a towel and kindly explains he can use the towel, but can’t offer to help him clean up the mess. We are now besides ourselves and in jeopardy of not being able to catch our breath!
The cab arrives and Jupiter exits, giving the waitress a very generous $1.00 tip. Gary is now talking to the owner who isn’t sure whether he should charge us double or comp our meals. We just want out!!!
In retrospect, the service was magnificent and the food and coffee were excellent. Gary gave his breakfast the thumbs up and mine was equally as good. Pete’s also has homemade strawberry preserves that are to die for. We are still laughing about Jupiter and the grand finale being Gary’s spill…and can’t wait to go back!
Pete’s Breakfast House 2055 E Main St
Ventura, CA 93001
805-648-1130
