Gary: I woke up this morning ready to ride. I walk outside and notice it is drizzling. Man, not another Sunday of damn rain. So I text Hope with options; Ride, shine it, or cage it. She, with her way with words, reminded me that she is not a sissy. So, not to be outdone by a ‘girl,’ I got on my bike and headed north. When I left Northridge, it had stopped drizzling but as soon as I approached Valencia it was lightly raining. At this point, the bike I just spend hours detailing is now getting wet. Damn it, I had to keep telling myself, I am not a sissy, I am not a sissy. I arrived at Fillmore a little after nine and Hope was ready to go. We are bikers so weather is just an annoyance, not a deal breaker. We ride to eat and we were both hungry in spite of the weather.
Hope: Our ride started out quite miserably, for a Southern California day. Temperatures were supposed to reach 70, but they were still in the 50s when we left Fillmore. A few miles down the road, it started misting. Misting turned into heavier misting, and by the time we reached Ventura, I was riding by Braille, as my glasses were completely fogged up and the rain hitting my eyeballs was downright painful. My jeans were wet from the knee down, as was my facemask (thank god I wore one).The roads were miserable and well, the ride just sucked. We found the place easily and walked into another world….
Gary: When we arrived our only agenda was parking the bikes, getting inside and having some breakfast. Of course, it is never that easy. There is a hotel next to the restaurant, so we both tried to negotiate parking under the eve by the entrance of the hotel. The lady inside wasn’t buying our story so we just did a little u-turn and parked on the restaurant side under the eve. It turned out to be no problem and no one bothered the bikes but on a nice day there is ample parking on the street and in the parking lot. I was still concerned about my detail job on my bike, like it mattered anymore. Upon entering the restaurant Hope heard this…..
Hope: “Wake up and be happy,” were the words of wisdom offered by our exceptional waitress, Sharon, at The Vagabond Coffee Shop. The Vagabond Coffee Shop boasts, “Home of the BEST breakfast,” in the Ventura County Star and well, I’d have to agree with them!
This place is huge! It’s a big L-shaped restaurant which offers 2 long counters! So, we headed through and claimed our area. Sharon greeted us and did me a favor and reprimanded Gary, who was already acting a-fool. As we watched all the activity in this place, it was remarkably well run, like a well-oiled machine. Waitresses as well as kitchen staff were not only smiling and laughing, but joking with the customers and each other. Our waitress has been there 13 years, and compared to some of the others, she’s a newcomer! Some have been there 35+ years!
Gary: Sharon actually smacked me in the kisser to straighten me out. It was a love tap mind you and it made me really laugh. Sharon is quite the character and I really enjoyed the ‘motherly’ attention. The owner of this place, Jolene, has been running this place for 35 years. Her husband, who is no longing with us, used to manage the place for the original owners, who gave him free hand at running it like it was his. He must have done a great job for them because he eventually wound up owning it. Jolene has taken the reins and I must say this place is fantastic. She is quite the lady and super nice.
Hope: Everyone was friendly and obviously having a good time. Being Easter Sunday morning, there were the regulars, tourists, and people just looking for good eats on a holiday morning. The volume of food churned out by the kitchen staff was remarkable. It was non-stop Again..this is a huge place, probably seating 200 people. Accommodating a party of 20 or so would be a piece of cake!
Gary: Hope is right, this place can accommodate any large group for breakfast and the way the staff hustles, there would be no problem getting good service. I marveled at the old school way of how the waitress’s handled the plates of food. No trays here. They stacked the plates on their arms and these are no kids doing this. These are experienced waitresses that take pride in their jobs. What a pleasure to see.
Hope: There is the regular menu, a separate menu for breakfast specials and more specials posted on the dry erase board by the entrance. We chatted, goofed around, and did our ordering. I settled on chicken-fried steak, home fries, scrambled eggs, and (you guessed it) an English muffin. Our food arrived and we continued to be doted on by Sharon and the others. The chicken-fried steak was really chicken-fried and fork-tender! The potatoes were seasoned, crisped and yummy. The eggs were scrambled perfectly and served with some very good homemade salsa as well as a couple of fried yellow jalapeno peppers. The English muffin was buttered (with real butter). My only problem was that I knew there was no way I could fit all this food into my belly.
Gary: I ordered the T-bone steak with over easy eggs (you get 3 here), country potatoes and rye toast. The steak was 16 ounces of delicious meat, cooked just the way I like it, the eggs were close to over-easy but you know what? I didn’t give a shit; this place was just too much fun and they were close enough for me to be perfectly happy. I have to really point out that because of the service, the joking, the care, the constant refilling of the coffee for me and the tea for Hope, there are some things that are not that important to be picky about. The way the eggs were cooked was one of those things.
Hope: Looking around, the place was decorated by ‘40’ pin-ups and when I asked what it meant, I was told the restaurant is over 40 years old, but they couldn’t find any plus signs! The waitress told us, “We’ll be 40 ‘til we’re 50” and at the rate they’re going, they will have no problem reaching that milestone.
As if the fun, laughter, and full stomach weren’t enough, Gary finished his breakfast and went in search of what the restaurant had for dessert. We were informed by the owner, Jolene, they used to serve homemade pie, but now only offer cobbler. I am very hesitant to order dessert, as I’m really picky. I do not consume pie filling out of a can! However, Jolene informed us it is homemade and it is made from real fruit, not the gloppy stuff sold in a can! True to her word, it is real fruit topped with a flaky crust dusted with sugar, served warm and with real whipped cream. It is out of this world.
Gary: I loved the cobbler. Hope was real hesitant because of what she just stated but I knew if it was good we would be battling for the last bite. She won. In fact, she actually scoured the dish with her spoon so well that I don’t think the dishwasher had to clean it. I loved this place and would go back anytime.
Hope: Two hours later, with my jeans still wet from the knees down (and fitting a bit more snug than when we started out), we finally said our goodbyes and thanked everyone for a wonderful time. I got a hug goodbye from Jolene and we promised to return! Great service, great food, and despite the crappy weather, this place was FUN! I HIGHLY recommend The Vagabond Coffee House!!!
The Vagabond Coffee Shop
760 E. Thompson Blvd.
Ventura, CA
(805) 643-1390
