In a little Northern CA town tucked away behind a non-descript exterior is a place out of the 60’s. Gigi is a 80 year old guy whose son runs the Italian restaurant in town called Mike and Tony’s. Gigis opened a few months ago yet looks like something that has been there 50 years. God only knows where he was keeping all the stuff that literally covers every square inch of open wall. A year ago this space was a pastry shop. Why does a eighty-something guy start a restaurant when that age? The Yelp link above will show a picture of the menu which is half booze. Their operating hours are 9–2 Thursday — Sunday. It doesn’t make sense. The waitress was trying to entice me to drink a Bellini at nine in the morning.
My wife and I ate there yesterday for the first time with another couple who are Silicon Valley escapees like ourselves. The sausage patty was produced by a local guy I met at the Labor Day party who sold to the restaurant. You cannot get better sausage. They served sides of baked apple, baked potato, polenta and marinara, along with your eggs. The coffee was just OK.
But, they also serve something called Traditional Neopolitan Espresso using San Francisco North Beach roasted beans brewed in a Moka Pot. What the heck is that? The article linked to above details a method akin to Turkish coffee — I will try it on my next visit.
Right next to where I sat was a broken La Pavoni that belongs in a museum. My local roaster/La Marzocco dealer/friend had been contacted by Gigi to restore this beast but thought better of that task.
This place is like stepping into another dimension. The local story repeated many times and may or may not be true holds that some SoCal folks traveling north on the I5 stopped by for breakfast one day and asked for Avocado Toast to which Gigi bellowed “WTF is Avocado Toast! Get out of here!”. (Note to self — only order what is on the menu)
Welcome to an alternate reality hiding out in a small town. People who create something that makes you feel like a fictional character stepping onto a movie set are to be celebrated. Anything negative is so outweighed by the magic of creating a Twilight Zone like place you can step into for the price of a meal.
I feel really lucky to remember an old adage “Be open to a little magic in your life. It might find you.”
