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
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