Hope: A friend had warned me of the nuptial-insanity that was going to wreak havoc on the Santa Barbara/Montecito area when you factor in all the people that feel entitled to try to catch a glimpse of the festivities. Not liking crowds to start with and not looking forward to a day of lane-splitting and stupidity on the roads, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to stay in town for one more ‘Breakfast for Bikers’ meal. The truth is, there are still plenty of local restaurants we haven’t yet visited, so we weren’t without plenty of choices.
Gary: Now, I actually arrived not only on time, but early; Go figure. Even though on Friday, after a long conversation about the weekend, I was informed from Hope that, and I quote, “Sunday AM is fine. I don’t need an early start”. Well, OK, if that’s the way you want it, cool. Well, Sunday rolls around and at my phone is making that annoying text sound which I tried to ignore but it keeps doing it until you look. So I get up and there is a text from Hope saying “Good Morning. Its , do you think you can be here by ?” Hmmm, what happened to ‘I don’t need an early start’? Women....
So I stayed up and got my ass moving. It was a beautiful morning out so the riding today was g oing to be outstanding.
Hope: When you read Gary’s part of the blog, keep in mind he’s a guy and looks forward to all those little opportunities to try to blame everyone else for his own short-comings. Mind you, we do this at approximately the same time each and every weekend, so why would this weekend be any different? I mean, if he arrives around 9:30, we get to where we’re going by 10:30 or 11:00 and depending on how crowded the restaurant is, that means not eating our first meal of day until 11:30 or 12:00. I am not one of those people who can eat “a little something’ to tide me over. If I’m hungry, I eat til I’m full, end of conversation! And knowing we were going to Mrs. Olson’s for breakfast (don’t tell Gary that I already decided our morning’s venture location), there was no way I was going to put anything in my stomach before I arrived in Hollywood Beach…which made for one very hungry little biker girl!
We did a fast blast up the 126 to Victoria and headed south, crossing the 101 and heading toward the Channel Islands. Take a right onto Channel Islands Boulevard West and go over the bridge. Take a left to stay on Channel Islands Boulevard West, and take a left onto Sunset Lane and a quick right onto Los Altos Street. You’ll see the crowd to get in as soon as you turn the corner! Drive slow as there are lots of people hanging out in the street while they wait for their name to be called.
Gary: Mrs. Olson’s Coffee Hut is a very cool place and a lot of people must feel that way because the line to get in was very long. We were at the beach, so who really cares. And we both enjoy people watching, so Hope grabbed us a couple of cups of coffee and we just hung out.
Hope: Mrs. Olson’s is a literal hole in the wall. Once you see the amount of people waiting to get in, you wonder if you’ll be able to eat before they close (they close at 2:00 pm daily). Fortunately, the looks are somewhat deceiving, as they also have an outdoor patio in the back. White sand covers the road and the ocean can be spotted the equivalent of a half block away. This is local place that I have no doubt gets most of their business from the locals and for those brave enough to wait in line. But I assure, their food is well worth the wait!
Gary: My club is involved with our own version of ‘The Biggest Losers’ so I had to watch what I was eating. There is about $600 bucks at stake and I want to win but man, the aroma in this place was overwhelming and I knew ordering was g oing to difficult. We sat at our usual spot at the counter real close to the kitchen. This place was humming and the heat coming from the kitchen was at first nice, but after a while it became like a sauna. Next time, we sit on the other side of the counter. I was watching the chef cook and noticed that each meal was cooked individually so I thought, ‘this is g oing to be a long wait’. After looking at the menu, I picked an unusual breakfast for a change called ‘Bangers and Eggs’. It consists of English Sausage with bubbles & squeak (fresh mashed and grilled English style potatoes with cabbage and green onions) and two poached eggs (2 minutes) with rye toast. While waiting for this to come I was watching the chef and spotted some of their potatoes on the grill that were slightly overdone. They use red potatoes, which are delicious, and I had to have some. I ordered a side order for us to munch on while waiting (they were outstanding) and a good thing I did. The wait here can be long, so get an appetizer of some sort to tide you over. Hope and I nibbled on these while they were cooking things up.
Hope: For the first time in a very longtime, I really had a hard time ordering, as I thought it best not to indulge with one of everything! Gary might be motivated to cut down on his food intake with the attraction of $600 but I do it so I can continue to fit into my favorite blue jeans! The things that caught my eye were crab cakes benedict, blackened catfish, chicken-fried steak (of course) and chorizo and huevos (I’ve been on a chorizo and huevos kick lately and just haven’t had my fill yet). I’m not even a pancake person and their pancakes looked scrumptious! After interrogating our waitress, I opted for the blackened catfish after I was assured it was fresh, not frozen. With that came two eggs (scrambled with onion), their infamous seasoned red rose potatoes (large chunks but perfectly cooked), and an English muffin (and a side of country gravy). On a side note, their country gravy looks more like paste. It is a fabulous thick, thick, thick concoction of gravy with LOTS of meat.
The coffee was great, the service slow (as Gary said, each meal is made to order and grill space is VERY limited, so the chefs have to work REALLY close together). The food is off the charts and yes, not only was the blackened catfish fresh, but the piece was h-u-g-e (probably a filet of the entire fish) and was the BEST blackened catfish I have ever tasted! Remember--It gets mighty warm at the small counter area where we sat, so if that bothers you, opt for the other counter area or a table.
Gary: My breakfast was great and because I am watching what I eat, I had enough leftovers to have for my Monday morning breakfast. The eggs were perfect. The bangers are delicious and the bubbles & squeak was out of this world. Even the rye toast was g reat. Hope picked a winner here. The service was great but remember, they take their time making your meal so if you’re in a hurry, I don’t know what to tell you.
Hope: After waddling back to our bikes with lots of leftovers (and by the way, my leftover blackened catfish was just as good the next day), we headed to a local art show and farmer’s market across the way at the Channel Islands Harbor. As if we hadn’t already eaten to the point of being F-U-L-L, we sampled peaches, plums, dried fruits, nuts, olives, baby beets, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and grapes.
If your taste buds are craving some really wonderful food, do yourself a favor and get to Mrs. Olson’s Coffee Hut at 117 Los Altos Street, Oxnard (in the Hollywood Beach community), CA 93035, (805) 985-9151. You won’t be disappointed!
