The newly-remodeled Granada Theatre and the weekend dinner shows are a nostalgic throw back to an evening out in the ‘ 50s . The doors were opened promptly at 6 pm by Ray Sanchez dressed in a tuxedo . An accommodating receptionist checked us in via an iPad , and flutes of complementary Champagne were handed to us . The dress code noted on the Granada Theatre website says “ Dress to Impress : collared shirts — no ball caps .” You also must be 21 to attend .
Before dinner was served at 7 pm , we sampled spirits at the full bar while enjoying complementary appetizers and some great music by Professional Folk . The early music was a little bit country and was a great compliment to the cocktail hour . The hour passed quickly as we toured the facility , danced , sipped our spirits and met the other guests at our table . The Granada Theatre , as restored by Frank Léal and his crew , is welcoming and comfortable .
For the dinner shows , seating is assigned and this led to another evening delight . We found the five people who joined us at our table to be entertaining and in sharing a meal , stories and adventures , new friends . First off , we met Shannon and Mark Souza , whose daughter was a former Gilroy Garlic Festival Queen . Next we met Jim Martinez , Cindy Sanchez and Linda Kotahi . All of our new friends were also from Gilroy . Quickly we were cross checking our friend lists for connections … and we found many !
Before we knew it , our salads were served . The menu described it as Coke
Farm Cobb Salad with Pickled Eggs , Bacon , and Blue Cheese . Coke Farm is an Organic Farm in San Juan Bautista . The salad was amazing , as was evident by the nine empty salad plates at our table . For wine , we ordered a 2014 Léal Estate Chardonnay and 2013 Léal Central Coast Pinot Noir . For the dinner shows , wine and spirit purchases are separate .
While still basking in the memory of the delicious salad , our entrées arrived — Grilled Flat Iron Steak with Brandy Peppercorn Sauce , Asparagus , and Potato Gratin . The meals were served simultaneously and hot . The food was five star “ utterly delicious .” The flavorful steak was tender , the asparagus was lemony and the potatoes were perfect . We all agreed that it was one of the best banquet meals we had ever had .
The band continued to perform during dinner and before long the warm-up comedian , Pete Hall , began his act . Next came the headliner , Robert Duchaine . His website describes him
as a “ surly misanthrope ,” and that he is . He had some great one-liners and we had some good laughs . Dessert arrived during the show . It was a Coconut Dacqoise with Uesugi Farms — Strawberries and Mascarpone …. and again it was absolutely delicious .
Hats off to Chef Mark Johnson for an extremely well prepared and served meal .
After the comedy show , the band returned with more contemporary music with a little “ Rat Pack ” thrown in . The four-piece group , founded by Aubrey and Lucas Last , was great . The violin player added a unique dimension . Many people danced and we all enjoyed their repertoire .
Before we knew it , it was heading towards 10 pm and time to head home . It was a very enjoyable evening . The allin-one pricing for the show and dinner was reasonable ; shows range from $ 55 to $ 75 . We all agreed that we needed to do this again .
To our new friends , see you next time at the Granada !
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN MAY / JUNE 2017 gmhtoday . com
103