If you are in the mood for a no-frills hearty breakfast, check
your calorie counter at the door and head to The Longhouse
Restaurant on the north end of Monterey Street in Gilroy for huge
portions of early-morning goodness.
If you are in the mood for a no-frills hearty breakfast, check your calorie counter at the door and head to The Longhouse Restaurant on the north end of Monterey Street in Gilroy for huge portions of early-morning goodness.
As a newlywed in 1999, I would have liked to attribute the extra ten pounds I gained that year to the sheer bliss of uniting for eternity with my one true love. In reality, the winter layer my husband and I accumulated after our wedding could be blamed – in part – on our sinfully delicious weekly Longhouse pancake habit. It has been about five years since we broke that habit and lately I have had huge cravings for their pancakes. We decided to avoid the weekend crowd and treat our family to an early weekday breakfast before my husband went out for his work day.
The aromas from The Longhouse greeted us as soon as we opened our car door in the parking lot. I could smell a mingling of breakfast sausage, peppers and maple syrup dancing in the air and it beckoned us to the door. We entered the Longhouse and I was happy to see not much had changed. The room, just as the name describes, was like a long house with the feel of a 1980’s diner complete with breakfast counter and an old-fashioned cash register. Regulars were called by their first names when they walked through the door and began engaging in conversation with the staff.
We were greeted by a cheery waitress and told we could sit wherever we’d like. There were plenty of booths or tables to choose from. It was a quiet morning and a few of the wait staff were still pulling into the parking lot to start their shift. My husband chose a booth for us with a view of the parking lot and from my seat I could see a pair of bull horns mounted over the doorway to the lounge. Local wines decorated the walls nearby and morning talk radio was coming through the speakers.
Our no-nonsense server greeted us and took our drink order. My husband and I each had coffee and water and the kids had orange juices. We were pleased when she brought the kids’ juices in Styrofoam cups with lids and proceeded to take our breakfast order.
The breakfast menu at the Longhouse was extensive, covered three pages, and is served all day. All breakfast entrees included your choice of hash browns or breakfast potatoes and toast or pancakes. This amounts to at least two huge plates of food per person. The most expensive item on the breakfast menu was steak and eggs for $10.95.
I decided on the Garden Omelet ($7.95) and chose hash browns and pancakes for my side dishes. My husband ordered two eggs prepared over-easy, bacon, hash browns and pancakes. ($6.95) Our little ones each ordered the Junior Breakfast for $4.50 from the kids’ menu. There was nothing “junior” about the servings of eggs, sausage, pancakes and hash browns that came with their meal.
First to arrive at our table was a bowl of what looked like two huge scoops of vanilla ice cream. Only it wasn’t ice cream. It was a huge bowl of good old-fashioned whipped butter for spreading on the delicious pancakes that arrived only moments later. It was such an indulgence to spread the creamy-dreamy whipped butter onto the warm pancakes, watch it slowly melt, then cover them all with warm maple syrup. I could hardly wait to dig in when the rest of our platters arrived. After making room for the new additions to the table, I finally took a bite of the fluffy pancakes I had been waiting to reunite with. It was a sweet spongy bite of heaven perfectly prepared, just as I remembered. My plate was cleaned in record time.
Next, I was on to my omelet. The huge garden omelet was prepared with spinach, mushrooms, diced avocado and mozzarella cheese. It was fabulous. The spinach seemed to be woven in throughout each bite of the omelet and the mushrooms were seasoned perfectly with salt and pepper. The avocado was soothing and I thought the mozzarella was the perfect choice of cheese for this entree as opposed to a cheddar or Swiss that would have added too much sharpness. Surprisingly, I was able to finish the entire concoction and sample a few of the hash browns which were crispy and delicious. Everyone at my table gobbled up their food without question. All items were prepared precisely as ordered and earned high marks.
Our server checked back on us often to refill coffees and waters. She also had the forethought to bring an extra plate for our toddler which proved she was a pro at waiting tables. Our meal was brought to us in record time and the entire experience took less than an hour. We walked out with full bellies and completely satisfied that we fed four and a half people for under 30 bucks!
Jane Dough was raised in Gilroy and returned after graduating from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. She enjoys cooking, caring for her husband and three small children, and dining out every chance she gets. Reach her at sl*******@***oo.com. All reviews for The Dish are anonymous, and all reviewers’ meals are paid for by South Valley Newspapers.
