Nestled in the downtowns of Gilroy, Morgan Hill and Hollister
are three hidden treasures
– the Harvest Time Restaurant
&
amp; Bar in the garlic city, the Morgan Hill Tobacco Company and
Johnny’s Bar
&
amp; Grill in Hollister.
Nestled in the downtowns of Gilroy, Morgan Hill and Hollister are three hidden treasures – the Harvest Time Restaurant & Bar in the garlic city, the Morgan Hill Tobacco Company and Johnny’s Bar & Grill in Hollister.
Each establishment is very different with its own unique blend of history and ambiance that patrons have enjoyed for years.
Walking down Monterey Street in Gilroy at the corner of Sixth Street, a historic stop for fine dining and high society suds is Harvest Time – which has been the focal point for visitors who traveled from the Bay Area to the Monterey Peninsula since the turn of the century.
“There’s a lot of history here,” said restaurant proprietor Bob Platt, who has owned the family-run business with his wife and in-laws, Mauricio and Ignacia Diaz, for the last seven years. “If these walls could talk …”
The structure where Harvest Time Restaurant is located was built in 1929. The long-standing Milias Hotel was constructed on the same land where George Milias Sr. operated a restaurant that opened in 1885. Well-known actors like Clark Gable, John Wayne, Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Tennessee Ernie Ford and Will Rogers, as well as politicians of the time, all stopped over at the Milias Hotel when U.S. 101 ran through the middle of the downtown.
“It was the place where everyone gathered on Thursday and Friday nights for cocktails and dinner. Everyone knew about the steaks here,” said Eleanor Frusetta, a life-long Gilroyan whose bridge club still meets monthly in one of the banquet rooms. “They always make you feel very comfortable.”
There have been several owners through the years – including George Milias Jr. Presently, the building has the Harvest Time Restaurant & Bar situated below the Milias Apartments.
“The restaurant is fantastic,” said Alvetta Mondelli of Gilroy. “Bob (Platt) and his staff are absolutely great and have been overly nice to us.”
The restaurant and bar still have the classic-and-classy theme of its past with the same horse-shoe bar, the stage coach carving and the western scene over the bar that Milias constructed to create a feel of western camaraderie.
Platt said a very diverse crowd of older, younger and middle-aged patrons frequents the establishment for various reasons. Along with the bar and restaurant, there are several banquet rooms – which are meeting places for a bridge club, the Lion’s Club, and the Northern California Cattlemen’s Association.
“Everyone has been very nice to us since we opened,” said Platt, who grew up in South San Jose. “Getting to know them was the hardest thing because we were someone new coming into town. A lot of them had been coming here since they were kids. A few were a little cautious, but we won them over the past few years. It’s been a real positive experience.”
The restaurant has lunch and dinner seven days a week as well as a champagne breakfast on weekends. It is best known for its specialties including steak, Calamari Zinfandel, herb rack of lamb, Chicken Catalina, Prime Rib of Beer Au Jus, Beurre Blanc Salmon, and, of course, Gilroy garlic dishes.
“A lot of people enjoy eating at the bar, too,” said Platt, who praised his staff for their tireless efforts through the years. “We have an excellent staff. Most of them have been with me a lot of years. They started when they were 14, 15 years old and stuck around with us.”
Strolling around the downtown of Morgan Hill, a relaxing spot to enjoy a smoke is the Morgan Hill Tobacco Company, opened in September of 1997 by Wyatt Miller and his partners Gene Palermo and Ken Bean.
“I didn’t know anyone until I opened the doors, not a soul,” said Miller, who moved from Monterey to run the store. “I’m meeting new people by the day.”
The full-scale tobacco shop offers a wide range of premium cigars including AVO, Griffins, Perdomo, Ashton, La Gloria Cubana, Cohiba, Partagas, Macanudo, Fuente and Padron as well as pipes like Bjarne, Wiley, Ashton, Il Ceppo, Cristiano, Radice, Dunhill, Peterson and Savinelli.
At first glance, it looks like a regular, everyday retail cigar shop – but for those who want to stay a while and enjoy a cigar, there’s a smoking lounge complete with bar, seating area and two big-screen televisions.
“We are not a bar,” said Miller, wanting to make it clear that his smoking lounge is an enhancement of the retail store for his customers and not a general hangout.
The Tobacco Company features a 1,300-cubic-foot walk-in humidor for back stock, visible from the main retail area. The structure is more than 2,300 square-feet – which includes a retail wine cellar as well as a temperature-controlled wine room boasting both regional and imported wines.
“We get a full range of customers. … I don’t work. I just enjoy everybody,” said Miller, whose lounge has the mystique of an old-style ragtime saloon. “Everybody should have pride in what they do. I try to hire people who have pride and are conscientious. In my case, I’ve been pretty lucky.”
Word of mouth has already spread through the surrounding areas about Miller’s savvy hide-out as there are more than 70 members signed on with a waiting list of hopefuls. Every member gets his or her own humidor locker to store their cigars between visits.
“This is my living room,” said Jay McLaughlin of San Martin as he puffed away on a cigar at the bar. “At times when I come in and there are a lot of people, I say, ‘Wyatt, what are all these people doing in my living room?’ ”
Like a lot of the Morgan Hill Tobacco Company patrons, McLaughlin – who moved to the area from upstate New York four years ago – has developed a friendship with Miller. The two of them go bike riding twice a week.
Charlotte Watson, of Morgan Hill, and Mary Genier, of Santa Clara, stop in on a regular basis for the relaxing atmosphere and welcoming environment. The two enjoy a vanilla cigar called Tatianas.
“He has the most beautiful, unique, one-of-a-kind accessories,” said Watson, flashing a cigar case and fancy lighter she bought up front. “I’ve never met such nice, wonderful people. … It’s not a place to get picked up on. It’s a place to get treated like a lady.”
Watson was introduced to the shop by her daughter, and Grenier later joined her friend and hasn’t stopped coming since.
“You can come and have a nice glass of wine,” said Grenier, who doesn’t mind making the drive from Santa Clara. “It’s a good place for a lady to come and have a smoke and not be out on the street.”
Jeff Vongunden, of Morgan Hill, who has been a member for more than a year, and his wife, Rusty Keller, enjoy stopping in after dining out. When they get a parents’ night out (they have a 5-year-old and another on the way) they don’t like to go to a noisy bar. Instead, they come to a place where everybody knows their name.
“Jeff enjoys the conversation,” Keller said. “A bar is totally different. People are more professional here. It’s a different type of atmosphere, and Wyatt cultivates that.”
The tobacco company store, located at 17430 Monterey Road, is open on Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and on Sundays from 10 a.m. to close.
Gallivanting down the main strip of San Benito Street in Hollister, people from around the globe know of Johnny’s Bar & Grill – which has been owned and run for the past seven years by Cherisse Tyson and Tom Horsfall.
“It is very much like Cheers,” said Tyson, whose busiest time of year is during the annual Hollister Independence Rally. “The rally takes three weeks to prepare for. There are people waiting in line from 11 in the morning until close.”
The Marlon Brando flick, “The Wild Ones,” where a gang of bikers take over a small town, is loosely based on an incident that occurred in Hollister. The All-American-style bar was established in 1947. There is a life-size Marlon Brando cardboard cutout to take pictures with inside.
“It’s a piece of history. It really is,” said Tyson, who gets visitors from other countries. “They make sure they come and see Johnny’s (during their stay).”
Tyson said for the motorcycle rally alone – which is July 4-6 this year – she employs three chefs, five bartenders and nine doormen.
“Last year, I had 36 extra employees for the rally,” she said. “It’s a lot of work, but it’s worth it.”
Besides the biker rally hoopla and the sightseers, Johnny’s is a rustic, country get-up bar and grill with a steady flow of regulars. There is a barbecue – which produces the bar’s famous cheeseburgers and steak sandwiches – and patio seating in the rear. The wall behind the bar is covered with wooden planks with advertisements painted on from local businesses – a tradition started 13 years ago.
“It’s like the Yellow Pages right here,” said Tyson, who worked at The Office in Hollister before taking over Johnny’s. “I’m enjoying it.”
Johnny’s – which has served Hollister for more than 50 years – has daily happy-hour specials, Tuesday has a dart league, Thursday is karaoke night, and Saturday is reserved for live bands.
Whether it’s a nice, quiet night out with fine dining at Harvest Time, or a soothing cigar-filled stopover at The Morgan Hill Tobacco Company, or a cheeseburger and beer at Johnny’s – these three establishments offer a unique atmosphere for a night out on the town.
