2010 Feb 09 - Wool Growers (Los Banos)

2010 Feb 09 - Wool Growers (Los Banos)

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Today the Lunch Bunch is taking Ora and Miles to the Wool Growers in Los Banos for their first time. It has been a long time since either has eaten at a Basque restaurant. Since the only one they have eaten at was Ospital's Villa Basque in Stockton which closed its doors over 20 years ago.

I was going to drive but Gobo volunteered to take his car. It is more comfortable than mine so that is how we went.
Ora and Miles getting into Gobo's car

We have had a pretty long stretch of wet weather. And as you can see it had just finished raining.
Gobo waving hello

We are taking the quick route to Los Banos, I-5 to Hwy 152.
Here is what it looked like today as I-5 merges with I-580. Notice how green the hills are. Just a sign of how much rain that we have had this year. Although I-5 is the major road there are more lanes on I-580 since it is the road to the San Francisco Bay Area and actually terminates at San Quentin, CA. So the two lane I-5 actually merges into the three lane I-580 here.

It takes but a short hour and 15 minutes to get to the Wool Growers.
Note: the signs that say Cash Only and the Dining Room hours

Our waitress today is Collete. It seems that most of the time that I have either Collete or her daughter Nicole as our waitress.
We are fairly early around 11:30 AM so the dining room is still relatively empty

Miles is not driving so keeps pouring himself many glasses of the table wine.

Ora arrives and I warn both not to start on the bread too soon.

Today's lunch choices are lamb chops, pork chops or baked chicken. And it is Tuesday so we will have pig's feet and lamb stew before our main course.
Here Collete is taking our order. Ora and Gobo are having the chicken while Miles and I order the pork chops.

Whoo. Soup, salad, beans, pig's feet in tomato sauce and pig's feet in the salad dressing and lamb stew.
We are running out of room at our end of the table

Great French fries along with our chicken and pork chops.

The pork chops today were not quite up to standard. They were a bit dry. The chicken was good, though.
Gobo about to attack a fry

A view of the Wool Growers from the park across the street

The front of the building and the parking lot

Ora "pigged out" on the lamb stew and took most of her chicken home. Miles and I both took one pork chop home. Gobo had to eat all of his chicken, since he did not want his wife to see his left overs. :-)

A lot of the Lunch Bunch are out of town or have other commitments this time of the year.
But the Wool Growers is probably my favorite restaurant and I did not want to miss a chance to take Ora and Miles there for their first visit, which they both loved.

We took the country road to Gustine and Wolfsen's Meat and Sausage where we picked up some sausage and a steak. Then we drove Hwy 33 until it intersected with I-5 near Tracy. Then I-5 back to my home in Stockton.

~end
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