I’ve been peeking in the windows of El Toro Brewing Company
Restaurant
&
amp; Pub for weeks, willing for it to open soon. Finally
– finally! – it opened its doors on Nov. 25 in the building that
formerly housed Morgan Hill’s police department at the corner of
Monterey and Hill Road.
I’ve been peeking in the windows of El Toro Brewing Company Restaurant & Pub for weeks, willing for it to open soon. Finally – finally! – it opened its doors on Nov. 25 in the building that formerly housed Morgan Hill’s police department at the corner of Monterey and Hill Road.
A week later, my dinner companion and I found ourselves on the lower level of the restaurant near the gracefully curved bar and a flat screen television playing the big football game. True beer fanatics will want to pay homage to the polished copper brewing system in the restaurant, which apparently holds up to 100 gallons of beer.
The interior is decorated in a soft yellow and black. Aside from the television downstairs, two others are upstairs, along with foosball, shuffleboard, darts, a chess set and a homey set of couches.
I expected more decorations on the walls, which seem pretty bare at the moment, but I expect that will change as the pub finds its character. As a novelty, patrons can choose to dine inside the old gun vault. The outdoor patio looks like it will be the place to hang out in summer when the nights are balmy and warm. For now, it’s empty.
We were handed two menus printed on sheets of paper. The first was the dinner menu, featuring true pub favorites such as French dip and patty melt sandwiches, fish and chips, nachos, and onion rings. Vegetarians beware: Two salad selections are the only entrees not featuring meat or fish.
To start, we decided on the El Toro Famous Original Dog Tacos ($8.95). I briefly considered ordering the Rueben, but the beer-battered fish and chips ($7.25) sounded too good to pass up. My companion selected Hiram Morgan Hill’s Hickory Burger ($8.50), which comes fully loaded with onion rings, bacon, cheese and barbecue sauce. That evening, as the driver, I stuck with soda ($2), but my companion selected a beverage from the extensive beer menu. She picked the El Toro Raspberry Wheat ($4.50) and I made a note to try the William Jones Wheat Beer or Gena’s Honey Blonde Ale next time.
Our appetizer arrived quickly. The full-sized hotdogs were stuffed with a tasty cheese mixture, wrapped in a corn tortilla and deep fried, then served with a selection of dipping sauces. I had to appreciate the hot-dog tacos’ unabashed snub to the health conscious. When the cheese oozed out the end of the hot dog with each bite, I started wishing for a plate, but, alas, we could not find our waitress.
Our entrees followed the appetizer in a timely manner. I was thrilled with my fish and chips. The batter was perfect – light and flavorful – and the fish was moist without being soggy. My companion raved about her meal, making special note of the slightly sweet, extra-tangy barbecue sauce that was the perfect addition to the burger.
Both my companion and I were hoping for refills on our water and we needed some extra napkins, but, again, our waitress was nowhere to be found.
When she eventually showed up with the bill, we asked about a dessert menu, but the restaurant hasn’t started offering any yet. We were assured the menu is not yet complete, and to expect not only desserts, but pizzas in the near future.
In all, our meal at the new pub was very satisfying. The service was questionable, but we’ll chalk it up to the growing pains of a newly-opened restaurant.
I’m looking forward to a return trip after the pub has worked out the kinks – I suspect it will end up being one of my favorite Morgan Hill haunts.
Monte Crisco is a food and Neil Diamond enthusiast from Santa Barbara, currently living in Gilroy. Reach him at
Mo**********@ya***.com
. All reviews for The Dish are anonymous, and all reviewers’ meals are paid for by South Valley Newspapers.
