Heading down San Benito Street
– the main drag of Hollister – it’s not easy to miss The Vault
Restaurant.
Heading down San Benito Street – the main drag of Hollister – it’s not easy to miss The Vault Restaurant. This huge monolith, which indeed once housed a bank, has a very large sign hanging from the roof of the building – you really can’t miss it!
My husband and I arrived early on a Monday evening and were warmly greeted by each staff member we came in contact with. When they heard it was our first visit, they encouraged us to walk around and look at the historical pictures on the walls, which we did.
The current building was built in 1932 as a prototype for future Bank of Americas. It ceased to be a bank in 1996 and was extensively renovated in 1998 to become The Vault Restaurant. We enjoyed looking at the pictures, which gave us a true sense of the history of the building.
We chose a table near the bar so my husband could sneak peeks at Monday Night Football while we ate. The restaurant also has a “football special” on Monday nights in the upstairs lounge that includes beer specials and hot dogs.
We were given our menus, and our waitress appeared right away to take our drink order. The Vault’s wine list features many wines from San Benito County, highlighting Leal, Calera and Pietra Santa. We chose one our favorites, Leal Chardonnay ($7 per glass; $30 per bottle).
The menu at The Vault is quite varied with a nice selection of salads, sandwiches, entrees and chef’s specials. My husband found one of his favorites, chicken parmesan ($9.95), right away and didn’t stray from that choice. I, on the other hand, couldn’t decide between the tequila lime salmon and the bourbon-marinated skirt steak, both chef’s specials.
I asked the opinion of our waitress, and it was a tough choice for her, too. Apparently they are both delicious and popular dishes. “We” finally decided on the skirt steak ($16.95). Both my husband and my meals came with either soup or salad, and since it was a warm evening, the salad sounded good. These came to our table quickly, and they were a crisp and fresh composition of various lettuces, carrots, thick slices of fresh cucumber and sliced olives. The only thing missing was a basket of bread, which didn’t appear until our entrees were served.
The break between our salads and entrees was perfect and gave us a chance to sip our wine and enjoy the unique and beautiful art deco room. When my plate was placed in front of me, I was thankful I ordered what I did. This thin and flavorful piece of meat was placed on wonderfully chunky garlic mashed potatoes and topped with a mountain of crispy onion strings. A variety of fresh, sauteed squash rounded out the platter.
My husband’s entree was served in a large bowl, which made it easy to scoop up the delicious, homemade marinara sauce that topped two large chicken breasts and perfectly cooked thick noodles. He is quite particular about his chicken parmesan, and he thought this was absolutely delicious. (I concur – I ate his leftovers for lunch the next day!)
It’s lucky we were sitting at a large table because our salad plates remained there, empty, until our entree plates were removed. At a standard table for two this would have been much more of an issue, but it was still a bit of an annoyance.
Once our dishes were cleared and leftovers tucked away, we perused the dessert menu. Our eyes immediately fell upon the three-layer chocolate cake ($5.95), and our waitress happily told us that it had just been frosted. How could we resist?
The cake was fresh and very yummy, and it had an interesting texture – like it had been made with whole-wheat flour. It wasn’t bad by any means; just different.
The Vault features a Sunday champagne brunch from 10am-2pm. This lavish buffet sounds like a great deal at only $12 per person, and we’re looking forward to trying it in the near future.
A unique feature of this restaurant is the “kids night” every Tuesday. Kids meals include a dinner, drink and ice cream for $5.95. In addition, there is a play area where kids can paint, do crafts and mold Play-Doh while their parents enjoy dinner.
We experienced a delicious and reasonably priced dinner in a lovely setting, served by a very friendly and efficient wait staff.
Sara Leigh has lived in Morgan Hill for 26 years with her husband and two sons, who are now away at college. She loves food and wine, and keeps all the delicious calories in check by avid race-walking. Reach her at ca*******@*****il.com. All reviews for The Dish are anonymous, and all reviewers’ meals are paid for by South Valley Newspapers.
