Dining Out
with Friends at:
Wine
Written By Larry J. Mickartz
Appetizers
Shrimp & Grits
Tempura Green Beans
O
n a cold Monday night,
Jennifer and Steve Tate from
Morgan Hill joined us at
Westside Grill in Gilroy. We had a delight-
ful evening and mostly managed to stay
away from politics! Steve did confi rm that
he is not running for re-election as Mayor
of Morgan Hill. After serving twelve years
as mayor preceded by eight on the city
council, he said it is time to open the door
to someone else!
During the meal we traded a lot of
stories and adventures and truly had a
great evening…plenty of good food and
drink along with some better camaraderie.
We started the evening with a pre-
dinner libation of Gin Martini with
two olives for Jennifer, an 805 beer
for Steve, a vodka, cranberry and soda
for J.Chris, and a Tanqueray and tonic
for me. Before long we ordered a few
appetizers. Of course, we had to order
the Tempura Green Beans with Saffron
Aioli, a Westside classic, Westside Wings
(Large Drummettes and Wings) with the
sauces on the side, and the surprise of the
evening, Shrimp & Grits (large shrimp in
a cajun sauce.) Jennifer had tried the Beans before but
somehow had missed the Saffron Aioli.
“If you have to eat veggies, deep fried
is the way to go and the dip is great.”
The Wings were tasty, especially with
the choice of three sauces on the side.
The Ranch Sauce was mild, the Sweet
Chili was spicy and the favored one of
the evening, and the Hot Sauce was, as
expected, really spicy! The hit of the
evening was the Shrimp & Grits. The grits
were creamy, the sauce was very “New
Orleans” and the shrimp were large and
perfectly prepared. The combination was
just right. Jennifer declared that while she
would not have ordered this on her own,
“I could make a meal of it.”
For a while the conversation flowed
around our various travel adventures.
We all have had some great finds, some
mishaps, some hearty laughs and a few
exotic twists. For our meal we ordered a
bottle of Sarah’s Vineyard Estate Pinot Noir
while Steve had a Gordon Biersch Marzen,
Soup & Salad Entrees
Petale Sole
Westside Wings
92
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
APRIL/MAY 2018
gmhtoday.com