Busy Bee Cafe

Hope:   Sunday morning was just as crappy looking as the previous day, but as luck would have it, by time 9 am rolled around, we both had big appetites for food and riding. Our riding was fast and furious—we flew down the 126, exited at California Street in Ventura, and headed to Main Street. It was still early and parking was a breeze, so we found a spot right outside the restaurant and proceeded to turn back the clocks to the 50s…

The Busy Bee Café is definitely a 50s diner…everything from the red and white checkerboard tile to the juke boxes on each table, and the waitress’ uniforms. I had to make sure Arnold and Ritchie Cunningham from Happy Days weren’t behind the counter!!

We were enthusiastically greeted by the owner/manager and grabbed a booth. Mind you, we would have opted for our usual counter seats, but the juke box was only in the booths, not at the counter. The outside window displayed several breakfast specials (as well as dinner specials) in addition to the pretty comprehensive menu. We started off with tea and coffee while pondering our food choices…

Gary:    This place has good coffee! The menu was pretty extensive and it was hard to choose just one breakfast entrée. I went with the pastrami omelet, home fries, and biscuit and gravy. Hope had one of the blackboard specials, machaca and eggs with home fries, English muffin, and country gravy.  Our waitress was attentive, very friendly, and took very good care of us. (Truth be told, I inquired about the corned beef hash and she very diplomatically directed me to order something else.)

Breakfast arrived and looked picture-perfect! The portions were generous and smelled wonderful. It took a lot of willpower to refrain from grabbing our forks and diving in, as we first needed to take pictures for our audience! My pastrami omelet must have had at least ½ pound of yummy pastrami throughout. In fact, I think it had more pastrami than egg!

Hope:   My machaca and eggs were amazing…flavorful, moist, and tender. The potatoes were great and the country gravy was tasty, although its appearance wasn’t so great. I finished everything on my plate, only praying for more room so I could order one of their homemade apple dumplings on their dessert counter. Upon mentioning this to the waitress, I was informed it was services with a warm cinnamon sauce and two scoops of (real) vanilla ice cream. Unfortunately, although the eyes said yes, the stomach said no…

Gary:    This place was a real surprise, admitting my skepticism when we entered. As Hope said, the service was impeccable and we noticed the owner/manager enthusiastically greeted every customer that entered this establishment. Our waitress was busy, busy, busy, but my coffee cup was never empty and we never had to wait for anything. Would we return? DEFINITELY! And when you’re done eating, downtown Ventura offers an array of clothing stores, thrift/antique shops, and gift boutiques.
Busy Bee Cafe
478 E. Main St.
Ventura, CA 93001
805.643.4864

 

 

 

The Golden Egg Cafe

Hope:       Ok, so admittedly, the inclement weather we’ve had the past few weekends put a bit of a damper on our riding. However, rest assured, we continued to eat and critique food, although we did it in the car and merely returned to two of our very favorite restaurants-Allison’s Country Café and Pete’s Breakfast House. Both weekends, we made a point of stopping by Allison’s to stock up on their amazing cinnamon buns; to the point where both Gary & I have gained a good 5 pounds (each) since we last blogged about our adventures!

Gary:  This is a fact about the gaining weight that Hope just mentioned. I am going to make it a point that during the week I eat just veggies or something just so I can continue to get my damn pants on. I refuse to go to another size up because if I do that there is no return.

Hope:   The week before last was Pete’s—I ordered an omelet with Ortega chile, onion, and cheese with a side of fruit and of course, an English muffin. The omelet was fluffy and very flavorful, the fruit plate was filled with sliced strawberries, bananas, melon, and oranges. The coffee was superb (I’m a dedicated tea drinker, but I LOVE the coffee at Pete’s), as was the service and of course, the food.

Gary:    I ordered one of the blackboard specials—the Poli: a split toasted English muffin topped with avocado, grilled tomato, grilled ham, jack cheese, and poached eggs with a side of grilled Italian sausage. The coffee was as Hope said, superb.  This meal was great. The thing that trips me out is that no matter what I order at Pete’s, it is always excellent; their consistency in everything is amazing. I don’t know about Hope, but I am starting to feel like family at Pete’s. That’s how well we are treated and I really appreciate that.

Hope:   Last week, we again braved the inclement weather in Gary’s car (which in of itself, is an experience) and headed to Allison’s. I had an omelet with onion, Serrano chiles, and cheese with a bowl of berries (strawberries, blueberries and blackberries), and an English muffin. Hope:   Mind you, I took much of it home, but we definitely rolled out of there full and happy!

Gary:  When Hope says braved, she means it. I am not a very good ‘cage’ driver.  I don’t do it often enough to gain many skills or patience, although I did amaze her by successfully parallel parking on the first shot (I got lucky). My car is 12 years old and has only 60,000 miles on it because the only time I use it is when it rains, about 5000 miles a year.  Anyway, I ordered eggs benedict with home fried potatoes and we split an order of their deluxe biscuits and gravy (and you wondered how we each gained 5 pounds…lol…).

Hope:     Despite the fact that the last three (work) days have been in the high 80s to low 90s, today started off in the high 60s with promises of gaining only a few more degrees through the course of the day. Partly cloudy skies were above with a breeze that only seemed to make it feel colder. But hey--we’re bikers, right? The initial plan was for Gary to meet me at my place between 8:30 and 9:00, but it’s already 9:05 and he’s not here. Shocking, I know! The worst part is, I am h-u-n-g-r-y!! No doubt he’ll have an excuse like oversleeping, having to take care of a sick turtle, or loosing track of time. That’s ok..because he’ll tell me he saw a lot of people getting traffic tickets and I’ll freak him out by riding 80 mph!! Gary arrived at 9:10 and said something about running out of mascara or some shit like that (yes, I’m kidding). Rather than indulge him in wasting more time, I fired up my beast and we were off to a new place—The Golden Egg Cafe.

Gary:  I actually got up early and was excited that the rain was finally gone and I get to ride today. I got there at 9:05AM (her stomach was telling time and was a bit fast) and it wasn’t because of some lame excuse (although in the past I have given some) but rather, because we decided to try to put our riding and eating experiences on video, so this was a test run. You will have to wait to see the ‘pilot’ to understand why I was late (LOL).

Hope:   We jumped on the 126 and exited at 10^th street in Santa Paula, hanging a left onto Santa Barbara Street and a right onto Dean Street. After a quick left onto Santa Paula Street, we were immersed in orange and avocado orchards with no other vehicles. We took a right on Cummings and were on Foothill in a few minutes. After another 20-25 minutes of beautiful scenery and smells, we turned left onto Seward and a right onto Main Street; The Golden Egg Café is about 3 or 4 doors west of Pete’s Breakfast House.

The Golden Egg Café is simply decorated with small indoor tables as well as large patio tables outside. Because it was on the chilly and overcast side in Ventura, we opted for an indoor table. We were greeted, ordered tea and coffee and started looking around at the décor as well as the menu. The first thing I noticed was a bottle of 100% real maple syrup on each table. Yes, REAL maple syrup! There were a few specials on the board, but I opted for a bacon, cheese and avocado omelet, home fries, and an English muffin.

Gary:  I went with my usual corned beef hash, eggs over easy, and sourdough toast. Add a side of country gravy and some banana bread, and I was well on our way to feeding my tremendous appetite.

Hope:  Being such a small place, the noise level was a bit too much for me. Factor in a difficult child (who belonged to the owners) and my patience was growing thin. Mind you, if this had been another customer’s child, that’s one thing; but when the owners opt to bring difficult/young children to work with them, supervised only by another child, I’m not happy. After all, I didn’t sign up to eat at Daycare Restaurant. The food came and I was famished. I was unimpressed that they initially served our eggs without the toast/muffin.

Gary:  This is an issue for me because I need the toast to eat my over easy eggs and I won’t start eating them until I can start dunking.  Not only that, when Hope is hungry she gets cranky so between the kids, no toast, and the noise level, it was not a pleasant experience. The acoustics were poor and the noise level was quite high, even for me, and my hearing sucks. My meal was good and everything was prepared the way I ordered it but the hash was not great, so I wasn’t impressed with that. The owner was a nice enough lady but again, it seemed like a day care center so if I was to go back, I would put in earplugs and Pete’s and Allison’s would have to be closed or like Hope told me, ‘burned down’. LOL

Hope:   My omelet was ok, the potatoes were very good, and the country gravy was excellent but Gary’s (homemade) corned beef hash tasted like it had come right out of a can. Staff service continued to be good but again, the noise level killed it for me. After eating as much as we could, I ordered a cinnamon roll to see how it compared to Allison’s. Unfortunately, it didn’t even come close. Made from biscuit mix, it lacked the consistency and flavor one would associate with a good cinnamon roll, so it got tossed. Would I eat there again? Considering it’s a few doors from Pete’s and a few miles from Allison’s? I don’t think so…..

Gary: This place is o.k. if you’re looking to bring your 3 year old and let them run around and cry. However, if you’re looking for a good place for breakfast to start your day, I wouldn’t recommend it (unless you bring extra bungee cords to keep the children outside…lol)…   

The Golden Egg Cafe

2009 E. Main Street

Ventura, CA

805-641-2866

Safe riding!

H & G                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Henri's Cafe

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

Pete's Breakfast House, Part 2

Hope: Last Saturday, we visited a new restaurant, The Worker Bee Cafe, so on Sunday, Gary and I decided to return to a favorite, Pete's Breakfast House. Gary spent the night at my place which made it much easier to get ready and take off at a decent hour. We again chose to ride through the two-lane back roads that offer amazing views of Ventura County's finest farmland and mountains. Ventura County also seems to be the antique car capital of the world!!!


When we arrived at Pete's, we found parking right out front and Gary promptly ran inside and told Lyndsay we wanted to sit at the counter. We grab our coffee and begin harassing the locals (kidding) outside on the wonderful benches they have to accommodate their devoted customers waiting for a table.


A few minutes go by and we are seated, seemingly in front of people who have been waiting much longer than us, but hey-I'm not complaining! While studying the menu and blackboard (actually dry-erase) specials, Lyndsay (the owner) says she’s glad to see us return and mentions, “Jupiter.” My eyes lit up like someone just told me I won the lottery! How in the hell did she know anything about THAT???  I turn to Gary puzzled and confused  and Lyndsay tells us she read our blog review on her restaurant and loved it! Well, that certainly explains things! Now if you don’t know the story behind “Jupiter,’ you need to back and read the first blog on Pete’s.


Gary orders the last of the salmon special with scrambled eggs (with onion and jalapenos), home fries, and sourdough toast. I was soooo impressed with the corned beef hash during our last visit, I ordered that with scrambled eggs (with onions), home fries, and English muffin. Z, our waitress (yes, that’s her name), is running all over the place but taking very good care of us and we have the benefit of front row seats!


Our food arrives and again, everything is perfect. Pete’s also serves beans (which normally comes with the corned beef hash, as it already has potatoes in the mix) and I give them a try…and they are AWESOME. Gary’s salmon is tender and well seasoned, his eggs are fluffy and filled with onions and jalapenos and the home fries are perfectly crispy. My corned beef hash is tender and crispy and my eggs are cooked to perfection. The only problem we have is how we are going to finish everything on our plates! We continue to eat, and eat, and eat…all the while enjoying good conversation with Lyndsay.


With our stomachs full and feeling the need to ride (and lose 30 pounds), we ask for the check. Z leans over the counter and shows it to us and in the lower left hand corner, she writes, “Thank-you, Jupiter” we are now looking at each other and rolling in laughter! OUR FIRST COMPLIMENTARY MEAL!! Big thank-yous to Lyndsay and Z…you are awesome!


I don’t have anything but great things to say about this place…and am already looking forward to returning!!!

The Worker Bee Cafe

Gary:      After a long week at work, I was certainly ready for this weekend. I actually got up at a reasonable time, made some coffee, was in the bathroom getting ready when the phone starting ringing, and ringing. I got to the phone and the messages were from Hope. It seems she was ready, been gardening, feeding animals and again waiting for me and I thought I was doing well. So I get my shit together, pack a bag, decide to ride the Dyna and got my ass on the bike. I arrive in Fillmore at 9:45am and guess who is in her pajamas? Yep, your right, Hope is. Ha, ha, I got her but it is no biggy, because I am never in a rush when I am not working and she got ready in just a few minutes. She is totally not your typical chick.

Since I wanted to get to Fillmore fast this morning I just took the 5 north to the 126 west.

Hope:      My first call to Gary was at about 8:20 am, the second at 8:30 am. Damn it—it was already beautiful outside and I wanted to ride. I had already spent close to two hours doing yard work and I wanted to get on the bike and go. Knowing how slow he is in the morning and that he still had to take a shower, get dressed, and ride to Heritage Valley, I continued weeding the garden and was content to do so in my jammies. I guess I lost track of time because at 9:45, he pulled into my driveway and I stood on my porch still in my jammies! Yikes! Luckily, it was only about 15 minutes before I was dressed and out of the house and ready to roll.

Gary:      After gassing up and cursing at the current prices of fuel, we headed west on the 126 and it led us onto the 101 north. After several miles of magnificent ocean views, we exited at the 150 in Carpinteria, turned left and followed the service road into town. We took a left onto Linden Avenue and parked the bikes.

Hope:      I had been to ‘The Worker Bee’ years ago, but had forgotten what a tiny place it was. You enter through a screen door that opens into a tiny dining area filled with tables and chairs. The first thing you notice is how small and quaint the place is and all the walls are decorated like my grandmother’s house. Gary and I headed to the counter, which was practically empty and ordered tea for me and coffee for him while we started studying the menu.

Gary:      This is a pretty nice little place owned by Oscar & Jamie Beaulieu; two very cool people who take real pride in their establishment. It is decorated with all sorts of stuff that would be in your grandmother’s house. Rob, the counter guy, was moving a mile a minute between refilling coffee/tea, bringing food to customers, and keeping everything running smoothly.

I had something different today, rib eye steak and eggs with country potatoes, biscuit and coffee. The service was very good and the food was just as good.  Everything was cooked exactly how I asked for it. To me this gives 'The Worker Bee' extra points. The steak was a good cut of beef and the country potatoes were very tasty but a bit too salty for me. Like a dummy, I added salt before I tasted them so maybe they would have been fine.

Hope:      I ordered chicken fried steak, eggs scrambled with onions, home fries (Gary calls ‘em country potatoes), and an English muffin. While giving my order, they asked me if I wanted my eggs scrambled easy, medium, or hard…damn! This place really knows how to cater to their customers!! In about 10 minutes, our food arrived and looking down at my plate, I realized I had a LOT on my plate. No worries—nothing goes to waste with Gary around! 

The chicken fried steak was tender on the inside and crispy on the outside and the eggs were cooked to perfection. The home fries were a bit salty for my taste, but they were crispy and flavorful and delish none-the-less.  

Gary:     What can I say? I'm Italian and when I eat, I always hear my mother's voice in my head, "Gaary--It’s a sin to waste food." Now, you also have to remember that my ‘mudda’ is THE typical Italian mother who is 5’ tall, and 5’ round. Maybe I better start sinning a little before I am 5’ round!!

Anyway, the owner, Oscar, who is also the cook, comes out of the kitchen to check on his customers, how the food is, are you cool with everything. How many cooks/owners do that? All in all this was a great day, the weather was so bitchin', and so was the food and the riding (especially the ride back). Let’s face it--It doesn't get any better than that.

The Worker Bee Cafe                                                             973 Linden Avenue                                                                 Carpinteria, CA                                                                  805.745.1828

BG's Cafe

BG's Coffee Shop & Deli

428S ‘A’ Street
Oxnard, CA 93030

(805) 487-0700

Gary    This is when you know you’re a biker to the core and in need of breakfast. I arrived at Hope’s about 10:30AM (yea, another late start. I am working on it, damn it) and the sky and the weather forecast was calling for rain to start about 2PM. It was cold, cloudy and windy but we looked at each other and said, if were going to do this ‘ride 2 eat’ thing, let’s get on our bikes and go. Plus I was hungry so not much stands in the way of a good meal.

Hope   Waiting for Gary is often a true test of my patience; it’s no wonder his pet of choice is a turtle!! Once he pulls up, he informs me of the 2:00 forecast and my first thought is to go to the closest restaurant as by this time, I am so hungry that I feel my stomach lining eating itself! Once we’re flying down the 126, my thoughts turn to really wanting to try out a new restaurant. I look to the sky and it’s cloudy in one direction and not so cloudy in another. Since I am always the one who leads, it’s up to me to make the decision…new food/get rained on...what to do, what to do… to hell with it...let’s ride!!

Gary    In spite of the weather, the ride was nice. Of course, when I am on my bike that is where life is always good.  Plus, Hope is the best road captain when it comes to the back roads of Ventura County. I don’t know how she does it but I don’t really care. The scenery is always very cool and I don’t have to think. I am a road captain with my club so I think enough with them plus following a chick on a bike is the really ‘nice’ part of the scenery.

Hope   I tell Gary we’re about a half hour away from breakfast..and we’re headed to Oxnard. He brags how he has a windshield, leg guards, blah, bah, blah. I don’t have any of that shit or rain gear, and I‘m still not chickening out. Besides, what’s the worst that can happen?  I get rained on, catch pneumonia, and spend a month in bed eating soup?? Screw it!!

We follow the 126 to Wells Road and head south through Saticoy. We turn right at Vineyard and take a left on Oxnard Boulevard. After a quick right onto 4^th street and a let onto A Street, we’ve arrived. We park right in front and begin the arduous task of wrestling out of our leathers.

I walk inside and for a minute, I thought I was invisible. I’m standing in front of the hostess and it’s as if she’s staring blankly into space. Not a good sign. After she snaps back to reality, she leads us through the restaurant (the place is massive) and sears us in a big corner booth.

Gary    Once inside of BG’s, we noticed they still had Valentine’s Day balloons tied to the tables. Ahhh, that was two weeks ago. Anyway, I thought that was a little strange but we didn’t have to wait. They don’t have a counter, but we got a huge booth and sat down.

We didn’t wait that long before a waitress showed up. We ordered coffee, looked at the menu and noticed they had a mixture of American & Mexican breakfast dishes. Since I am such a creature of habit and I am on this quest to find the best corned beef hash around, I ordered the usual. I did ask if it was homemade because if its not, whats the point. I was told it was. Hmmmmm....

Hope   The décor had a lot to be desired but I figure—we’re here for the food, not the art work but still…it would have been nice if it were more inviting. The Valentine’s Day decorations weren’t doing it for me for several reasons. I HATE VALENTINE’S DAY. As Gary says, “It’s an annoyance and it makes people feel guilty about doing something they should be doing all the time.” If you love/care about someone, do NOT wait until February 14th to let them know! And don’t feel obligated to follow society’s rules of flowers, chocolates, etc. Once upon a time, someone insisted in getting me a Valentine’s Day gift and well, being a bit more practical and not caught up the materialistic game, I opted for new tires for my bike. Now there’s a real present!!

Gary    While we were waiting, we were checking the place out and on the wall across from our table there was a clock on the wall that was backwards. Pretty cool actually, but I am glad I don’t indulge in my old habits anymore or I would have thought I was tripping. While we were waiting our coffee cups became empty and since now we are spoiled by our other adventures, our patience level is nill. So Hope had to get the coffee pot and refill us. Now you can imagine what that puts in Hope’s head. I will let her tell you.

Hope   My coffee cup needs to be refilled and there is not a waitress in sight. Several minutes go by and now I’m getting irritated. So, I walk over to the coffee machine and grab the pot. On the way back to our booth I also fill the cups of other diners. I am not impressed with this place!!

Gary    Now I have told you before that I am a pain in the ass when it comes to my eggs. When I say over easy, that is what I mean... Well, these weren’t over easy, they were over medium, the potatoes were medicore at best and I don’t care what they say, the corned beef hash was not homemade even though the waitress repeated it many times. If it is they have the canned companies hash down pat. The bread was just store bought bread, the jams and jellies were in packages, so to me this is equal to Denny’s. Not bad, but certainly nothing special. To be fair, their Mexican breakfast may be much better because they do have one homemade hash. It is made with chorizo and I have to say that was really good. But if you’re going to have both types of food on the menu, make them both good.

Hope   My breakfast was eggs over hard, home fries, and an english muffin with a side of country gravy and it looks like Denny’s special!  I looked over at Gary’s hash and it doesn’t look anything like Pete’s, Allison’s or Café 126. It looks, well, like it was just popped out of a can and warmed. I take a look at the expression on Gary’s face and I know this is not going to be good.

We finish eating what we are now referring to as Denny’s breakfast and we’re sorely disappointed. Gary decides to order some chorizo hash and we’re again assured by the waitress that it is homemade. So, were served another breakfast and sure enough, it is….and it’s delicious. We assume this is one of those places where the Mexican breakfasts are better than the American versions.

All in all, it was a pretty ride, we didn’t get caught in the rain, our bellies were full, but the only thing outstanding about his place was the chorizo hash. I give it a 4 (out of 10) …..

Cafe 126

Hope      Last Sunday was damn cold…and from the look of things, there weren’t a whole heck of a lot of bikers that ventured out past their front doors. When I walked out of my house to meet Gary, the thermometer registered a whopping 50 degrees. By the time we met up, it had risen all the way to 58! Yea, no wonder we were the only bikers on the road!

Gary       The previous night’s rain produced a spectacular day of riding. The sky was deep blue, the crops were vivid green, and the mountains proudly displayed their snow-covered peaks. Hope picked a scenic route that provided all of these wonderful displays of nature. And yes it was damn cold…but again, I have a windshield, heated grips, a faring, and lots of extra shit on the bike to keep an old man like me warm.

Hope      We decided to return to a local place we had eaten at numerous times before, Café 126. From Fillmore, it’s a very short ride to the west and we opted to take the 126 to the 150 and head north a few blocks. We stopped at the legendary statue of two motorcyclists (across the street from the historic Santa Paula train station) and learned the story behind the building of this very cool monument. We continued west on Santa Barbara Street and hung a right onto Cummings. As soon as we turned, the sweet smell of onions filled our senses. If we weren’t hungry before, then we certainly were now!! A little further on Cummings, we made a left onto Foothill Road and admired the beauty of the multi-colored rows of lettuces growing on the side of the road. When we got to Wells Road, we hung a left and then turned into the Chase parking lot; where Café 126 sits just on the other side.

Gary       Café 126 is one of those places that you were certainly miss if you stay on the 126 and quite honestly, I’m glad. It’s a small place, probably dating back to the 1940s or so. They have a counter that seats about 8, some booths, a few tables, and limited outdoor seating. In the past, the staff has always been awesome (including bringing us extra portions because I’m such a p-i-g when it comes to corned beef hash) and today was no exception. Melody helped us set up a table outside and within minutes, Summer brought us menus and fresh coffee.

We have been to Café 126 so many times that we could probably recite their menu from memory, but we were determined to order new things (somewhat so) and get a real feel for their comfort food. I got adventurous and ordered honey and wheat pancakes, scrambled eggs with onions and jalapenos, and, you guess it…corned beef hash. Much to my complete surprise, Hope brought along a generous portion of her homemade strawberry preserves, since Café 126 only offers Smucker’s.

Hope      I went for the bacon and cheese omelet, home fries, and English muffin and of course, county gravy.  The food was promptly delivered and it covered the entire table, leaving only room for our coffee cups and my camera.  I had made homemade strawberry preserves the previous evening and watched Gary cover his pancakes with it and then proceed to inhale almost everything in front of him. I tried the corned beef hash and it was truly excellent. It was tender and moist, crispy, and seasoned to perfection.  My omelet was fluffy and oozing with cheese with an ample amount of bacon. The potatoes were tender and flavorful and the gravy was thick with chunks of sausage and bacon throughout.  

Gary       Summer and Melody checked on us regularly and the meal was thoroughly enjoyable. While we digested the meal, we spoke with other patrons about our riding and choice of motorcycles and Hope invited a young girl to sit on her motorcycle. Her mother, not knowing we had invited her to do so, ran over with a look of hysteria on her face and yelled, “What are you doing?” “You can’t do that.” When she rounded the corner and saw us, we assured her it was alright. We took the same scenic drive back to Fillmore, stopping to take few pictures and riding back toward the snow-capped mountains….

Café 126 gets a 10!

Café 126                                                                                                                        11033 Citrus Drive                                                                                              Ventura, CA 93004  

805.647.2619