I am so excited about a new restaurant in Gilroy and an old
favorite in Morgan Hill: Old City Hall and Rosy’s At The Beach. I
have visited both of them a few times recently and, without
exception, all the meals were fabulous.
I am so excited about a new restaurant in Gilroy and an old favorite in Morgan Hill: Old City Hall and Rosy’s At The Beach. I have visited both of them a few times recently and, without exception, all the meals were fabulous.
• Old City Hall, 7400 Monterey St., Gilroy. (408) 846-8880.
Old City Hall has been open for several months, but chef Lionel Harberle has just created a new menu that contains some impressive dishes: seared scallop salad with grapefruit wedges and aurora dressing, stuffed chicken legs, salmon en croute and homemade crab lasagna. I was thrilled to see the addition of seared ahi tuna, one of my favorite dishes.
Thankfully, the new menu includes some standards that deserve to be tried: The Gilroy Club, made with thick crispy bacon, turkey and avocado, and calamari Sicilian style.
We celebrated our 16-year-old’s birthday at Old City Hall a few weeks ago and the service and food made it a very special meal for her. We started off with Carmel Valley mixed greens in a terrific, tangy dressing ($4.50). For lunch we chose the grilled chicken breast on ciabatta bread, a Gilroy Club sandwich (both $10.50), and possibly the best paella I’ve ever had ($16.50). Served in a hot skillet, the paella included saffron rice, spicy sausage, chicken, peas, green onion and bell peppers served in a light tomato sauce.
The grilled chicken breast sandwich was filled with avocado and chicken marinated in lime juice. A green poblano and sweet red pepper confit complements the flavors. For dessert, a tiny pink birthday cake was served with a garnish of fresh raspberry sauce.
My only complaint is the wait staff’s buzzers. They are designed to alert the staff that orders are ready, but they sound horrible when they go off at a guest’s table.
On the plus side, the servers are friendly and efficient, going out of their way to make sure every item on the table is just what the guest wants. On nice days, they’ll offer to seat you in the courtyard, a great place to have a glass of wine and a wood-fired pizza from the corner oven ($8.50). On average, dinner entrees range from about $14 for crab lasagna to a high of $29 for the roasted filet of lamb, with many items near the lower end of the scale. A nice wine list features both local and French selections.
In addition to the great food, Old City Hall features musicians in the courtyard, rotating guest artists’ work on the walls, and a monthly list of special dinners pairing wine with food.
• Rosy’s At The Beach, 17320 Monterey Rd., Morgan Hill. (408) 778-0551.
When Rosy’s first opened, I thought a “beach restaurant” in downtown Morgan Hill was a bit strange. But after sampling their fare and witnessing the restaurant’s constant popularity with downtown business owners, I’ve changed my mind. The décor includes beach towels hanging from hooks, a wetsuit, fish net floaters, and great striped wallpaper. It’s a very cheerful place and, on many days, very busy.
A favorite with patrons of the Morgan Hill Tobacco Co. is the delicious, hand-shaped Boardwalk burger ($6.50) – which Rosy’s is happy to provide in a to-go container upon request. The New England clam chowder ($5) is just the right consistency, with plenty of clams.
Salads at Rosy’s are great. The crab Louie ($13.50) was piled with absolutely fresh crab, avocado, tomato, cucumber and hard-boiled eggs atop fresh greens. Louie dressing can often be too thick, but Rosy’s is tangy and perfect. My partner-in-crime tried the Beach House salad ($4.50), a classic lettuce wedge with tomato slices, red onion and crumbled blue cheese – also fresh and excellent.
A plate of New York steak and prawns ($25) was cooked just right. I don’t know where they’re getting their beef, but the steak was tender and rich, very buttery. The garlic and butter sautéed prawns were truly “giant” and cooked just until opaque, the way they should be. Dinner entrees range from $8 for fish and chips to $39 for steak and lobster, with many choices in between. I wouldn’t hesitate to take children to Rosy’s; the kids’ plates ($5.50) feature a choice of fish and chips, cheeseburger, pasta or grilled chicken fillet. The plates include “soda or milk, a soup spoon sundae and NO veggies.”
Servers are friendly and efficient and seem to have a good time working at Rosy’s. With such a lively, fun atmosphere, it’s no wonder the restaurant has a bustling crowd of regulars.
• Great chicken: This dish reminds me of 40-clove garlic chicken but it’s not quite as garlicky. The thyme gives it a special taste. This recipe is from Bon Apetit’s January issue.
Braised Chicken with Garlic and White Wine
2 (3 1/2-pound) whole chickens, each cut into 8 pieces
5 whole heads of garlic, cloves separated (about 70), unpeeled
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 cups dry white wine
6 very large fresh thyme sprigs
Trim excess fat off chicken. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Lightly smash garlic cloves just to flatten slightly, leaving peel attached and cloves as whole as possible.
Heat 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Working in 2 batches, add chicken and cook until brown on all sides, about 12 minutes per batch. Transfer chicken to plate. Add remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and garlic to pot. Stir until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Add wine and thyme; bring to boil. Return chicken to pot. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer until chicken is cooked through, moving chicken pieces from top to bottom every 5 minutes (sauce will not cover chicken), about 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Transfer chicken to platter. Spoon garlic cloves around chicken and drizzle sauce over.
Makes 8 servings.
• Cold remedy: Linda Ramsey of Morgan Hill sent in this recipe that she got from her cousin in Montana. She says it’s the perfect soup for cold season; redolent with green curry paste and fresh ginger. Curry paste is available in the Asian foods aisle.
Chicken and Rice Soup
8 cups chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth (64 ounces)
4 cups water
1 tablespoon Thai green curry paste
4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 (2-inch) piece peeled fresh ginger, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed
2 cups loosely packed whole fresh cilantro leaves plus 1/2 cup chopped (from
2 large bunches)
1 cup jasmine rice
3/4 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced crosswise, then slices cut lengthwise into thin strips, or 3/4 lb medium shrimp in shell (31 to 35 per lb), peeled and deveined (or you can do half of each)
1 (13- to 14-oz) can unsweetened coconut milk, stirred well
1/4 pound snow peas, trimmed and cut diagonally into 1/4-inch strips
2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
Lime wedges
Combine stock, water, curry paste, garlic, ginger, coriander seeds, and whole cilantro leaves in a 3- to 4-quart saucepan, then simmer, uncovered, until ginger is softened, about 15 minutes. Pour through a paper-towel-lined sieve into a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot and discard solids. Stir rice into soup and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 15 minutes.
Add chicken or shrimp and poach at a bare simmer, uncovered, until just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Stir in coconut milk, snow peas, and fish sauce and simmer, uncovered, until peas are crisp-tender, about 2 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in lime juice, salt, and chopped cilantro.
Makes 8 main-course servings.
Tip of the Week:
Make mustard butter by blending 2 to 3 teaspoons of your favorite prepared mustard with 1/2 cup softened butter. Add about 1/4 cup minced fresh herbs or extra flavor. Serve alongside pork roast or melt it over fresh steamed vegetables.
Notes from Jenny’s Kitchen
• I visited the new Happy Dog Pizza Co. on Fifth Street in Gilroy last week. The first taste was a definite thumbs up. The pizza is not garden variety. It has a crisp crust, a generous personal size, and varied and interesting toppings – truly delicious.
• Whole dried peppercorns can be stored in a cool, dry place for up to one year.
• Pecans have a fat content of more than 70 percent – higher than any other nut.
• Bay scallops, with meat about 1/2 inch in diameter, are sweeter, more tender and more succulent that their cousins, the sea scallops, whose meat is about 1 1/2 inch in diameter. Of course, the bay scallops are more expensive, too, and not as widely available.
– Jenny Midtgaard
• End notes: “It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters in the end.” ~ Ursula Le Guin
Happy cooking!
