Off the clichéd beaten path and across the tracks is where you’ll find not only an enchanting historic district, but a Bloody Mary that’ll blow you away; all the way back to 1881 in fact. That’s the year that the Ramos House was built.
The Ramos House Café, as it stands today is tucked away amongst the ancient oak trees and age-old adobes that line Los Rios Street, the oldest remaining residential street in California. Situated in the heart of the Los Rios Historical District in San Juan Capistrano, chef John Q. Humphries and company are serving up fare that can only be described as, simply-inspired.
“This marshmallow is a perfect example.” says Humphries, “It’s just a marshmallow, but instead of using the Stay Puffs that’ve been on the shelf at the general store for years, we just make ‘em fresh. Taking something as simple as a meatloaf and just making it a bit more clever, building it up some.” It’s this philosophy that drives the entire menu from the buttermilk biscuits w/ apple butter, to the lentil soup with confit duck and gingerbread croutons. Everything is made fresh, and every dish on the menu makes sense.
Although, before opening the menu I highly recommend that you sit back, take in your surroundings, and be sure to add a Scotch quail egg when you order that first soju Bloody Mary. Satisfaction garnishes the face of Derek Baugh of the Malibu Family Vineyards; my long time friend and go-to guy on anything in a glass. You also want to be sure not to miss out on the Schramsberg brut rose; the glass slipper to warm apple beignets, caramelized citrus salad, and basil cured salmon. Go ahead and order another bottle; the weightless scrambled eggs that entwine the bacon and Crab hash with sour cream remoulade, and the sweet potato duck hash w/ mushrooms, are the perfect bridge between complementary beverage and choice ingredients. Whereas the beef stew with its beam of blue cheese mashed potatoes evenly supports the meritage from Napa Valley’s Viader Vineyards that is conveniently offered in a half-bottle. “Bring two more Viader,” commands the chef as we marry northern and southern California in our enlightened mouths. “No, two more bottles.”
While sizing up the place, you may notice that no one seems to be coming in or out of the actual house except for John from time to time. All of the diners, as well as the wait staff are gathered on the picturesque patio that until recently was covered by a century old mulberry tree, the centerpiece of the dining area. The venerable mulberry finally had to come down in 2005. Three saplings have been planted around the fringe of the yard. John hopes they will provide a substantial canopy by late 2007.
The patio can be a bit brisk, but no worries, a blanket embroidered with the Ramos House hallmark can be promptly provided as a loner, and even purchased as a keepsake from a noteworthy dining experience. It’s just one more thing to make you feel at home. Speaking of home, “That’s my bedroom right there,” declares Humphries proudly.
“I do actually live in the house.” He beams like a parent watching his child at play. You really get the feeling that you’re in this man’s home.
“I was living in New York, and wanted to do a business out of my home,” he adds. As a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, and a savvy cook, John’s future was wide open. He came west, unknowingly beginning the journey back to his native Southern California. John first landed in San Francisco in the kitchen that was on its way to becoming The Savoy. Like many San Francisco restaurants, the kitchen at The Savoy has two stories, separated by a steep flight of stairs. “I had snapped my leg at a concert and was just ineffective there,” says Humphries.”
After some seriously needed healing time, still fancying the idea of a home-based business, John came upon the Ramos House. It seems that the owner at the time, a little old man who had been there for ages, was ready to leave. He wanted to move closer to his family. It was decision time for John. “When I first moved in I really begged and borrowed to do what I did.” says Humphries, “I was nowhere near ready to do it.” The existing kitchen, which was conveniently located at the back of the house facing the train tracks, was taken out. A small, but well-organized commercial kitchen was built in its place.
Although the zoning laws put John in the clear to do business from his home, there were no existing businesses on the quiet, almost clandestine street. The city agreed that The Ramos House could sell food and drink from 9 to 5, but dinner service it seemed was out of the question. “I fought for seven years to get the right to do dinner here,” Humphries explains, “and I won.” Dinner would be added to a famously stellar breakfast and lunch service; or would it?
On the day that John was to accept his victory, he was walking through the neighborhood doing an interview with a journalist from a local paper. She began speculating on some changes that could take place in the wake of Ramos House switching gears to full time. She had a vision of the rest of the houses on the street being “cleaned-up,” and some of the people possibly even moving out to make way for businesses or real estate investors. It dawned on John at that moment that a full-swing fine dining establishment smack in the middle of a very old, and very residential street, one which he had come to treasure and call home, would in-fact change things to some degree. “I’ve become very attached to living here,” Humphries says earnestly. “You’ll see if you stick around. At 4:00 this street dies. It’s me, and the sunset, and I’m done with my day.”
In short, John respectfully withdrew his request to serve his no doubt divine dinner fare at the café. The integrity with which that decision was made is one of the many contributing factors to the gratifying dining experience that awaits those in the know. As for my friends and I, we did hang around: it’s 4:00, it’s us, and the sunset, and we’re done with our day. And so goes brunch in the home and office of chef John Q. Humphries. Thanks John.
Soju Bloodys
Duck Hash
Cocoa witha Marshmallow
http://ramoshouse.com/
The Ramos House Cafe
31752 Los Rios Street
San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675
3 comments:
i love the photographs
What self-aggrandizing garbage this article is.... The truth -
This is a ramshackle run-down street that should have been left residential. In regards to our experience at the Cafe:
We paid $377 for 6 adults and 1 child to eat french toast.... Need I say more? Seriously though, after we had signed our bill and left, the staff decided to add on a $63 tip (on top of the mandatory gratuity that had already been added to our bill) - I still have not received a call back from the owner-in-residence and am resorting to calling local law enforcement tomorrow.
In terms of the actual food: every item was over-cooked, even the side order of bacon arrived at the table too nasty to be considered edible.
In terms of service: We had to chase down a waitress after sitting there for 17 minutes just hoping that one of them would even look our way... We had to ask three times for the child's food to be boxed even though it was initially ordered to go.
ouch...the last comment is revealing. I hope it's not that way for all customers. I love the marshmallow idea.
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