Tasso's Salmon Florentine is King

A friend recently treated me to lunch at a place called Tasso's Old House restaurant here in Gilroy. Not Chuy this time, so I wasn't expecting anything spectacular. Well, what can I say? What an amazing lunch. It all started with lunch selection, which was one of my favorites, though from the culinary revelation that was produced, my guess is Tasso's serves great food all around.

My friend recommended the Salmon Florentine, and being a big fan of Salmon, I followed his advice. I can say without a doubt it was the most delicious Salmon I have ever tried (and I've eaten my share of Salmon). With a creamy, yet lite butter sauce, the flavor was intense and immediate. Yet not at all overpowering the Salmon's natural yummy taste. The touches of spinach sprinkled on top of the salmon were just right. Not too much, not too little. The spinach was an accent, the sauce was the delicious base, and the salmon was the flavorful seared to perfection star.

The prelude of salad was good. A nice vinaigrette over fresh produce. Cracked pepper on top, and my appetite was whetted. Plenty of good fresh baked bread accompanied it. The sides I chose were mashed potatoes and vegetables, and when the main dish came I started with them. Both of them were fantastic. The vegetables were cooked just right, not soggy, but slightly crisp and seasoned well, and the mashed potatoes were not the boring pile of spuds that they are in some restaurants.

Then of course was the salmon, and I don't know now if I ever had really eaten salmon. "What was that fish that I ate? It was good, but this...." Well, it was the best lunch I had had in a long time, and it reminded me that there was a difference between food that is simply cooked, and food that's prepared in a way that it enters the realm of artistry. Art that you can eat. What a concept.

I give it five out of five garlics.

Scotty's Is Mixing It Right

Scotty's restaurant is a place I like for breakfast, which, as I've mentioned before, is the meal somewhat lacking in variety and quality here in Garlic City. Scotty's breakfast is great, but, hold on, they also offer great lunches too. They ambitiously offer a mix of cuisine, from Mexican, to American diner, to Hawaiian, and somehow do an excellent job with all. What really impresses me is the quality of the food that they offer with the daily lunch specials. Very good prices, and incredible food.

Which brings me to a recent treat I had there when I tried the Thursday lunch special. It was the Hawaiian plate, and it was a uniquely delicious experience for me. The noodle broth was a savory starter, set on the plate along with a bowl of marinated salmon, slow roasted pork, and the main dish. The marinated salmon was similar on my palate to Mexican ceviche, and was a freshly magnificent sparkle on the tongue. The slow roasted pork was appropriately yummy, and maintained a juiciness that often gets lost in this kind of preparation. The main dish was a piece of salmon side by side with a piece of pork both wrapped in a banana leaf, and mysteriously mixing and complementing each other in flavor.

I was stuffed full of delicious food when I was finished, truly more than I could eat, and the heaviness I felt was not from my wallet. I like that kind of lunch. Scotty's...great breakfasts, great lunches...I'll be back for dinner.
Four out of five garlics.

Pizza Death-N-Stuff

After a long run, and a consistency that continued even with a change of ownership and decor, the pizza place called "Pizza-N-Stuff," has closed here in Garlic City. Which is a shame, because, the name might have left something to be desired, but the pizza, and the stuff, that were both found there, were some of the best eats to be had here in Gilroy. Chuy argues that it was the location of the place that was its downfall, but whatever the reason, our stomachs feel the loss.

Pizza-N-Stuff offered incredibly delicious pizza, especially the gourmet pizzas, which included the Garlic Chicken, and the California with pesto and avocado; other pizza's simply began to taste like cardboard in comparison. They were the best. And, as I had written about in the past, the place had the audacity to also offer the best burger in Gilroy. The french bread wrapped piece of culinary art that was somehow made of humble hamburger. They had other great stuff, savory spaghetti and meatballs, and the list goes on, but now all gone. I will mourn. Garlic City should as well.