Pete's Breakfast House

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

Allison's Country Cafe

Gary       Today’s ride took us to the city of Ventura. It was a beautiful morning that got off to a late start because I am slower than molasses in the morning. Hope is very patient with me, thank God. One thing about us that we totally share is our passion and love of riding Harley Davidson Motorcycles. As you probably noticed,  she rides her own Road King; no getting on the bitch seat for her. I probably would wind up there before her but that story is for another day. 

The other thing is food, not just everyday food; but great food. Just to give you some personal insight, Hope is a tremendous cook. She is a hard case when it comes to finding good food because of that. Me, I just love good food and a good portion of it. We both enjoy the adventure of finding that little cool spot with atmosphere, good service, good coffee, and a well prepared breakfast. Today we will start with “Allison’s Country Café”.                                       

                               

I live in Northridge, which Hope refers to it as civilization, so I took the 118 Freeway to Moorpark and the 23 through Grimes Canyon to Fillmore. It’s a really cool ride through the canyon which is filled with orange and lemon orchards along the route. When they are in bloom the smells are outstanding. What a great way to start the day. Hope already lives in the middle of farmland, so we met in Fillmore and we headed down the 126 toward Ventura. We found ourselves alone on a quiet 2-lane road lined with avocado and orange trees and the amazing fragrance of orange blossoms.

Hope      One of the reasons I moved to the farm (as I like to call it), was to return to simplicity. I don’t like traffic, congestion, or strip malls on every corner. I like nature and interacting with people. I also live to ride wonderful back roads that don’t reflect signs of civilization. Along those same lines, I shy away from eating at corporate restaurants…Denny’s, IHOP, Carrows, etc. I want to find those mom & pop restaurants that make you feel like you can leave your coffee cup there and stop by anytime for a refill. As Gary said, I am pretty good in the kitchen, so when I go out to eat, I want something I don’t or won’t make.  And let's face it...I want to be waited on and not have to do the dishes!

Gary       Right from pulling up at the place, we saw a line to get in. That’s usually a good sign but not fool-proof. The parking here is a little bit of a challenge because you have to find a spot on the street, but hey, we’re bikers, we always find a spot. Upon walking in to put our names on the list, we noticed how cool the inside was. The people who work there were immediately friendly and welcoming and I can’t tell you how important that is to us.

Hope      I like people with personality. If I walk into an establishment and am ignored, given the cold shoulder, or come in contact with someone who acts like they just lost their best friend, then I would prefer to turn around and go elsewhere. Walking into Allison’s was like coming to grandma’s house, just with a whole lot of other people! We were greeted and our names added to the list. Luckily for us, none of the other people on the list wanted to sit at the counter, so within 5 minutes, we had a front-row seat and lots of attention from the waitresses.

Gary       I consider myself somewhat of a connoisseur when it comes to corned beef hash. It is one of my favorite breakfast foods and I have tried it all over the country. I am picky about the quality, how it is made and what they use in it. I do not eat the shit that comes out of a can!! Allison’s corned beef hash is made from scratch and I have to say, it is delicious. They use fresh corned beef and their own mixture of herbs, spices and vegetables. I am also a bit of a fanatic when it comes to how my eggs are cooked. When I say “over easy,” that is exactly what I mean. So many places don’t get that. Anyway, Allison’s cooked them perfectly, along with the home fried potatoes, the delicious sourdough bread and great coffee; the meal was just over the top.  I will let Hope tell you about the homemade biscuits and raspberry preserves.

Hope      I made the big mistake of forgetting my reading glasses, so I was limited in what I could actually see on the menu, so I settled for an avocado and cheese omelet, home fried potatoes, and English muffin with a side of gravy and fresh fruit.  I’m not much of a biscuit person which is why I prefer an English muffin with my country gravy. During our meal, Sally (one of the owners) must have overheard us talking about that and brought over a biscuit for us to try. Wow!  Big points for that one!!  Seriously--how many restaurants bring over food for you to try?? O.K…so I tear off a piece of the biscuit and taste. This is not your typical biscuit..it wasn’t heavy and dense. In fact, it was more like a cross between a fluffy biscuit and a dinner roll; it was light and slightly sweet... and I loved it!! Not only are their biscuits homemade (they are not drop biscuits but rather, made with yeast and allowed to rise), but they also make their own raspberry preserves (although a better description would be crushed raspberries in a jar). At that point, I had a hard time figuring out if I wanted country gravy or raspberry preserves on the remainder of my biscuit!

The fruit plate consisted of fresh melon (cantaloupe and watermelon), grapes, bananas and blackberries. The omelet was fluffy with two kinds of cheese and plenty of avocado. The potatoes were perfectly seasoned and cispy. I'm primarily a tea drinker, but decided to have coffee...so you know it was good!!

Our coffee cups were always full (they also leave a carafe of coffee on the table for you), there was no shortage of staff to make sure everything was perfect, and the food was really, really good. And I already know what I’m ordering next time…biscuits and gravy topped with crumbled sausage and bacon!!!

All in all, Allison’s gets a *10*…between the good coffee, unbelievable food, and great service. If you ride over, tell Sally we sent ya’… and enjoy!!

Allison’s Country Café

3429 Telegraph Road
Ventura, CA 93003-3314
(805) 644-9072

Background

Since this is our first article, we thought we would tell you a little bit about us.

Gary: I have been riding bikes since I was seventeen. When I moved to California from NY in ’71 that was one of the first things I did, buy a bike. I ride every day and have traveled around most of the country, from Sturgis, to Milwaukee, to Washington State. The bike you see above had 104,000 miles on it (I did that in 4 years) before trading it in for my new ride, a 2010 Ultra Classic Limited. And if you think that’s a lot, wait till you read Hope’s story.

I have worked in the entertainment industry for the last 38 years, which has afforded me the opportunity to travel the world and get paid for it! I live in the San Fernando Valley with my pet turtle, Woodley, have a couple of adult kids and live a somewhat normal life for a biker.

Hope: I’ve only been riding since 1996 but don’t let that fool you. I’ve ridden across and around the country (including Canada and Mexico) and the only states I haven’t seen from my own two wheels are West Virginia, Kentucky, and Florida. My first 4 years of riding tallied around 180,000 miles and that was on a hard tail. Having paid those dues, I’m now on a Road King and well, I live to ride!!

During the day, I am a mild-mannered psychotherapist specializing in at-risk and high-risk kids; my clientele includes those who are incarcerated or on probation. People joke that you never see a Harley in front of a therapist’s office and I always tell them, “unless it belongs to the therapist!!!!” I live in the middle of an agricultural community in Ventura County and like Gary, live ‘somewhat’ of a normal life..for a biker chick!!

Gary & I met a little over a year ago and ride together frequently. Unlike most bikers, we're not into the bar-hopping scene or posing. We bought 'em to ride 'em!!  We also share a love for good food and having both been born and raised on the east coast, share a passion for those hole-in-the-wall mom & pop restaurants that make you feel like you're at home (complete with whacky patrons). 

Mind you, we've been riding and eating and riding to eat for quite awhile, but we thought it would be cool to share our experiences with others.  We hope you'll enjoy reading our adventures and stopping in to try some of the cafes and restaurants we mention. And let them know that Hope & Gary sent ya'......

Ride safe and eat well!!

H & G