Sitting in The Courtyard Restaurant at Old City Hall, you’d
never know you were in downtown Gilroy.
Sitting in The Courtyard Restaurant at Old City Hall, you’d never know you were in downtown Gilroy. Years ago, this was a great place to be and now a hometown guy has resurrected the European ambience. The courtyard, I’d say, has good feng shui – elements of water, wood, metal and fire – and a pizza oven. How can it miss?
A small fountain trickles water on one side while, a few steps down, a fire pit invites a longer stay, perhaps with a glass of port. Managing partner Glen Gurries has heat lamps hovering over each table, ready to chase a nighttime chill. The old brick floor supports beautifully-set tables and metal chairs detailed with palms and moons.
The menu has its share of goodies: pasta with seafood, steaks, salads with tuna and chicken, club-type sandwiches with aioli on toasted bread. Cornbread muffins and an ample dessert selection round out the choices.
The Courtyard is joined by its more elegant sister, The Clocktower Restaurant, inside Old City Hall. The beautiful old bar has been put back into service inside and fresh furniture and décor have perfectly enhanced the interior of this beautiful building.
Because the restaurant has only been open a few weeks, I’m not ready to review the food. I can say that The Courtyard and Clocktower menus are interesting and varied and I’ll be returning often to try out every part of them. The presentation and ambience are just what Gilroy needs: a warm, casual place to hang out with friends. Gurries’ addition of a late-night (until 11 p.m.) pizza menu at The Courtyard can only enhance the restaurant’s budding success.
Go try it for yourself, for lunch or dinner. The Clocktower is open for dinner Monday through Friday from 5:30 to 9 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 5:30 to 10 p.m. The Courtyard is open seven days a week, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Call 846-8880 for reservations or just drop by 7400 Monterey Street.
• Here’s a vegetarian-style, light pasta featuring one of my favorite nuts – pine nuts. It can be prepared in less than 45 minutes. A reader first tried this Gourmet magazine recipe in 1995 and shipped me a copy a few years later. If you do the same recipe with a tube pasta, you can serve it at room temperature as a simple salad. Don’t skimp on the parsley.
Angel Hair Pasta with Lemon and Pine Nuts
1/4 pound angel hair pasta or capellini
3/4 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted golden
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest
1/4 cup minced flat-leafed parsley leaves
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil for pasta.
In a small saucepan cook garlic in oil over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened and transfer mixture to a large bowl. Add pine nuts, crushing them lightly with the back of a fork, lemon juice, zest, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste.
Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente and, reserving 2 tablespoons of the cooking water, drain well. Add pasta with the reserved cooking water to bowl and toss with lemon mixture until it is absorbed. Serve pasta warm or at room temperature.
Serves 2 as a side dish.
• Reader Brant Faber sent in this recipe for a steak rub. He says he often makes a double batch and keeps it handy for chicken or other meats, as well.This is a little sweeter rub; if you want to make it more savory, replace half of the allspice with garlic salt and increase the pepper amount.
Barbeque-spiced Grilled Tenderloin Steaks
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 5- to 6-ounce 1-inch-thick tenderloin steaks
Combine first 5 ingredients in small bowl. (Can be prepared 1 week ahead. Store in airtight container.)
Prepare barbecue (high heat). Rub spice mixture generously into both sides of steaks. Grill steaks to desired doneness, about 3 minutes per side for medium-rare. Serve hot.
Serves 2.
• Ground beef remix: Have ground beef in your freezer? Make something besides meatloaf. Try this great fall soup that1s a staple in good Mexican restaurants.
Albondigas Soup
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 28-ounce can plum tomatoes
1 14 1/2-ounce can beef broth
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
Chopped fresh cilantro
Sour cream (optional)
Heat oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and three garlic cloves and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon chili powder and cook 1 minute longer. Add tomatoes with their juices and beef broth. Cover and simmer 5 minutes. Puree mixture in blender or processor in batches; return to saucepan.
Season beef with salt and pepper. Mix in remaining garlic clove, 1/2 tablespoon chili powder and oregano. Form beef into 1-inch meatballs. Return soup to gentle simmer. Add meatballs to soup and simmer until meatballs are just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish soup with chopped fresh cilantro and serve with sour cream if desired.
Serves 4.
End notes: “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.” ~ Anonymous
Happy cooking!
