The idea for this week’s column started when two friends and I were looking for a new place to eat a couple of weeks ago. One of my friends watches a lot of Food Network, and suggested we visit one of the restaurants featured on Guy Fieri’s show “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.”
Patrick’s Roadhouse is a large and grungy bright green building that overlooks the Pacific Coast Highway and the Will Rogers beach. To say that you can’t miss it would not do justice to how much of an eyesore it is compared to the white and beige buildings surrounding it.
The first night I went, the owner, Silvio Moreira, 42, was the host, the chef and the waiter. He said guests didn’t often come in on Saturday nights because they didn’t know about the restaurant’s extended hours, which explained why they were understaffed. Still, there were three other groups, and he asked us to be patient because it might take a while.
He was right. If we’d gone somewhere more upscale we might have had our food faster. But the atmosphere at any of those other places wouldn’t quite match what you get at Patrick’s.
Patrick’s is actually two buildings combined together, Moreira said. The main building, where the kitchen is, was originally a hot dog stand that catered to local surfers. The larger, two-story building was once a motel; now the bottom floor serves as an extended dining area.
The two sections of the building look like they’re owned by different people. The kitchen area has white walls and bright green benches with clovers on them.
The dining area is dimly lit, and a strand of gold-tinted Christmas lights are strung across the ceiling. The walls have several points of interest, including an invitation to Lyndon B. Johnson’s inauguration and a scarf from “Gone With the Wind.” None of the chairs match, and there’s an antique diver’s helmet sitting on top of a stoplight in a corner, next to a cabinet full of board games.
When the food came it was warm and flavorful. Between the three of us we ordered the Dijon Plum burger (a burger with a sweet plum sauce), a Silvio’s specialty omelette (with caramelized onions, avocado and bacon bits) and a Red omelette (with grilled red pepper and applewood smoked chicken sausage) and had no complaints.
I visited a second time to get a feel for the restaurant during the day. The atmosphere is very different on a Saturday morning. There were several cooks, waiters and waitresses; every table was full, and people were ordering their food to go.
This time around I noticed that Moreira has become friends with several of the guests. Patrick’s is a place with loyal customers and is frequented by locals.
It’s also a place that attracts tourists, specifically hungry ones driving along the PCH. Carrie Norris, 34, said she and her friend Michaelene Grand, 28, were heading to Palm Springs from the beach when they noticed Patrick’s. The green color of the building appealed to their Irish heritage, and the novelty of it made the restaurant seem more inviting than a Jack-in-the-Box. Both ordered breakfast burritos and enjoyed them.
That’s not to say that everyone will enjoy Patrick’s. Moreira expressed a concern about new guests visiting and not understanding what Patrick’s is about. By that he means people may come in expecting a finely tuned machine, where their food will come out quickly and there’s a fleet of waiters and waitresses with refills ““ this is not that case at Patrick’s. Moreira suggests that you come with someone you like, enjoy good food and good company and take in the friendly atmosphere.
If you also watch a lot of Food Network, e-mail John at ajohn@media.ucla.edu.