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.

Tapioca Balls Anyone?

A small building tucked away on first street in Gilroy, is now a place to find relief from the summer heat in the form of unusual ice cold drinks. The place is called "Quickly." I'm not sure where the name originated, or what it's supposed to mean, exactly, other than the menu being full of things that are are meant to be served, uh, quickly I guess. The place specializes in bubble tea drinks; what I used to consider Thai drinks, since I have gotten them before at Thai restaurants. But this place isn't really a restaurant.

Besides the unique drinks, "Quickly" carries finger foods and snacks, and even more substantial food like mongolian beef and those delicious Thai soups. At least, what I think are soups that started in Thailand...( I need to be better informed about this cuisine), but even if they are not, Quickly serves a savory version, and most of the food I've eaten there has been very good. In particular I recommend thier Crispy Popcorn Chicken Bowl, Soya Chicken, and Combination Shrimp and Pork Rice Noodle Soup. Some of the snacks I would leave for those with a major sweet tooth, (hello, deep fried snicker, twinkies, and oreos), I really don't know where these items originated, they seem like Americanized junk food. But to each his own, and thier huge menu of both food and drink has enough to likely please anyone, and, as I mentioned, I'm not that informed about this cuisine.

I do know the internet site that you are first directed to when you log-in and use their free Wi-Fi (another plus of eating there), says that the bubble drinks originated in Taiwan. Wherever the drinks come from, that is what the place specializes in. Me and Chuy have termed the place a "drink joint." They have a lot of drinks, and they're good. I had the Jasmine Milk Tea, with Tapioca pudding balls. It was fantastic, though the balls are not for everyone. The drinks are fruit, tea, and milk based mostly, and you can include a "shot," of various flavored pudding or jello chunks, such as the aforementioned Tapioca balls.

The location in the past has seen businesses come and go, but I hope this one stays. They've remodeled, and the place is kind of charming, I guess, and hey, the have free Internet access! I understand the place is a large chain, so that may also be in their favor for them sticking around. They didn't have menus when I was there, but the huge selection was available painted on the walls. It looks decorative, so that's not bad, but you may feel a little silly walking along the wall and craning your neck to look around people sitting in front of it. For now I give it a three and a half out of five garlics.
(and a half garlic)

Quickly Gone

If you're ever driving west on 1st street in Gilroy, on the right hand side of the street, hidden between the printing spot and Don Jose Produce, is "Quickly." It's a small cafe like place, that serves some items to eat, but I guess you can call it a drink joint. What types of drink? Think of anything fruit, or anything with milk, or anything with tea, and anything that's sweet, and they probably have a drink for it. The place is nice and cool inside, and if you looking for a change from coffee on hot summer days, its a great place for a drink. Especially because they have free Wi-Fi, so beat that Starbucks. I tried the Jasmine Milk Tea with tapioca pebbles. And I found that they called this juice bar Quickly, is because my drink was quickly gone, kinda like your money after filling up the car. This "drink joint" gets 4 out of five garlics.

Beam Me Up Some Eggs, Scotty!

Breakfast in Gilroy is not the best meal of the day in my experience. That is, of the many good places to eat here, I have had trouble finding a breakfast place that I liked. There's the ubiquitous Denny's, and other such breakfast chains, but it took a while for me to find a good unique breakfast spot. Then someone mentioned the little restaurant that fronts Gilroy Bowl, called "Scotty's." In the price range of between five and ten dollars, it is hard to beat.

I like the Spanish Omelet breakfast, which includes chorizo, onions, and cheese in a large omelet, covered with a spicy enchilada type sauce. It comes with hash browns or country potatoes (the country potatoes are great), and toast. It is very good, and it is such a large breakfast that I never am able to finish it all (though I try!) I also have noticed that they advertise great lunch specials which I haven't tried yet. Considering the breakfast, I would say it must be good. I intend to find out. Get there and try out Scotty's for breakfast, if you have to be up in the morning, it helps to have good food that you can afford. I give their breakfast four out of five garlics.

A Hamburger by Any Other Name is Stuff

It was a strange experience. I was sitting in a place called Pizza N Stuff here in Gilroy (the garlic capitol of the world), a place I knew for outstanding pizza with garlic (another review), and I was ordering a hamburger. Why, you may ask? Why? One word. And you should have guessed. Chuy.

Yes, my fellow Gilroyan and source for good movies and books is also my inside track on good places to eat. So, I told him one day in one of our discussions on the culinary arts, "I don't care much for hamburgers." I do have some exceptions, (more forth coming reviews), but generally I think of fine food in different formats beside the circular shaped beef paddy. He told me to try the burger at Pizza N Stuff. I said, "It's in the title, 'Pizza N Stuff,' it's a pizza joint." He replied, "The burger is the best thing in the 'Stuff' part."

The man does not lie. It was a huge burger served on french bread, and came with chips and a soda. The burger was the best in Gilroy. Its that simple. It was delicious, and is a tie for first place among the best burgers I've ever had, next to another burger in another town (another review for another time)...a burger which was also recommended by Chuy in fact. Now I'm recommending this burger to everyone, and give it four out of five garlics, a burger rated that high is good stuff.