MARIPOSA RESTAURANT - San Jaun Bautista
37 Mariposa St, San Juan Bautista. Telephone (831) 623-466
Opens for breakfast on Sunday at 8 am. Buffet style for $10.95
Buffet style is not our first choice for breakfast but as the Mission Café is closed at the moment, it was the nearest we could find.
[Click the image for a larger version]
The setting is very nice though. It is a Victorian House built in 1895 with a garden in the front and to the side and with an outside seating area. There are steps up to a wooden porch and the door opens into a small hall. There are two dining rooms and we could sit where we wanted. We chose the room to the left which held just five tables set to two and there was an archway leading into the buffet room. Breakfast wasn’t quite ready but the waitress brought us coffee. We could help ourselves to refills from the buffet room.
The décor theme of the room was roses. Pictures, trays and plates on the walls, boxes and an oil lamp all had roses on them. There were lace curtains at the windows. Each table had a white tablecloth, on top of which was a green napkin and a white doilley. Placed on top of them was a piece of glass, obviously to protect the linen. The chairs were wooden and of various designs. The carpet was dull brown and badly stained.
Buffet choices were:
Scrambled Eggs
Eggs Benedict
Country Potatoes
Link Sausages
Bacon
Pancakes
Biscuits
Homemade Salsa
Gravy
Preserve
Fresh Fruit
Coffee
Raspberry Lemonade
Italian opera was the background music.
Restroom was rather difficult to find as there were no signs anywhere. Eventually located it through the kitchen. There was just one unisex room with a big white hat on the outside of the door. Great trouble finding the light. It is inside on the right.
Inside it was quite small. A large armchair with lace draped over the back took up a lot of the room. There was also a white screen decorated with another swathe of lace and lace curtains at the window. On the wall an old painting of a young girl. The plumbing was basic. In fact the sink must have been the original kitchen sink and it was surrounded by old kitchen cupboards with a curtain covering the under sink cupboard. There was hot water but it took a little time for it to arrive. Plain, worn lino covered the floor.
Behind the sink there was a large gilt framed mirror. The soap was in a small pottery dish and there was a heavily disguised pump soap dispenser as well.
It was clean and an effort had been made to make it interesting and original.
Our overall impression of the Mariposa Restaurant and Tea Rooms was quite good for a buffet. The food was fresh and well presented. Just wished they had oatmeal available. I think we will try and find somewhere else in San Juan Bautista for breakfast next time though as we prefer an a la carte menu.
August 19 2007 03:40 pm | Breakfast Log
