Gary: Ok, so daylight savings time has arrived, which of course put me an hour behind on top of my usual molasses pace; arriving in Fillmore at 10am. This week, we were only able to do our Breakfast for Bikers ride on Sunday because of my union obligation on Saturday. The next time that comes up, I’m going to Fillmore on Saturday night so I get to sleep without the stress of getting my slow ass moving in the morning.
For the first time… and I mean the first time, Hope gave me a choice of a couple of places and to my utter surprise, we actually went to the place I chose… what is the world coming to? It was Henri’s Café in Oxnard at the intersection of Oxnard Blvd, Saviers Road, and Wooley Road. I informed Hope that on my way to Fillmore, I saw a lot of cops on Hwy 126 and suggested we take it easy. Surprise, surprise--It went in one ear and out the other. She decided to ride faster than everyone else on the damn rode and I had to play catch-up. Fortunately we didn’t get pulled over and had we, with my luck, I would have gotten the ticket and she would have talked her way out of it.
Hope: Yea, o.k. I admit it…I usually give Gary a couple of choices but in the end, I make the decision as to where we’re going despite what he’s decided. A bit controlling, maybe…lol…
I woke up this morning with a smashing headache for reasons unknown, but was able to get a lot accomplished and by the time Gary pulled up, I was dressed and my bike was ready to go. Little did he realize, I also wiped my bike down, a real rarity for me. We hopped on the bikes and jammed down the 126, despite his warning of seeing several police cars looking for financial victims! What can I say???..I like to ride it like I stole it!!! We turned off at Wells Road and headed to Vineyard where we took a right and crossed over the 101, turning left onto Oxnard Boulevard. Being on bikes, parking wasn’t a problem although it was obvious this place was pretty busy this morning.
Gary: We go inside and there are plenty of customers, but this place has a counter so we sit right in front of the grill, marveling at the speed and efficiency of the two cooks. I order, guess what? Your right, corned beef hash and eggs with country potatoes. I also added a side of hot links. The eggs were over-cooked and the homemade hash was just ok. The chef did make me new eggs and they came out perfect this time. The potatoes were fresh but needed to be cooked more and they needed help in the spice area. The sourdough toast was store bought and the jam was Smucker’s. The links were tasty though and they use real butter and fresh local eggs. The service is ok but could be better. The coffee is good and when asked, they did refill.
Hope: I had a hard time deciding what to order but after staring at the grill and the amazing chefs for a few minutes, I decided on a ham, onion, and jalapeno omelet with home fries. Unlike most places that prepare omelets with the tasty ingredients in the middle, this place scrambles them in with the eggs and cooks them flat and then folds them into an omelet before serving on the plate. They also use fresh eggs that are cracked individually for each order and not mixed with milk or cream. The potatoes were previously baked but weren’t anything to write home about, as they had no onions, peppers, or even salt or pepper. They were pretty bland and not at all crispy. I also ordered a side of country gravy that was thick and creamy with chunks of sausage.
Gary: All in all, it was an o.k. breakfast with some bright spots. There prices are reasonable and there is ample parking. The ride there can be great from anywhere you live. Henri's is a stone's throw from PCH, Channel Islands, or Ventura.
Hope: I agree with Gary on the food—it was ok, but nothing special. For me, the highlight was watching these two amazing chefs working in such close proximity to each other that it looked like a symphony. When Gary realized his eggs were over-cooked, we didn’t bother to wait to flag down a waitress. We just told one of the cooks the eggs were over-cooked and within minutes, Gary had three perfectly-cooked over-easy eggs on his plate. The hash was a big disappointment for me, as it was virtually tasteless. Mind you, I’m comparing it to the outstanding hash we’ve have had at Café 126, Allison’s Country Café, and Pete’s Breakfast House, which pretty much sets the bar for corned beef hash.
Normally after we eat breakfast, we are FULL, but not this time. Neither of us finished all the food on our plates as it wouldn't have been worth the discomfort! Would I go back? Probably not. The best part of the day was heading to Ventura and enjoying some dark chocolate and raspberry sorbetto at Palermo's and enjoying the beautiful music of a sidewalk performer and of course, the fact that daylight savings time gave us an extra hour of daylight......
Henri’s Cafe 1060 South Oxnard Boulevard Oxnard, CA 93030 805.486.2303
