a small regret and an enlgish roadhouse
on saturday, we took a little car trip down the coast a ways to monterey. mom and dad had been wanting to take us to a place called tarpy's for some delicious dinner. and of course, we obligingly came along. ;)
before we hit the restaurant, we took a quick walk down memory lane. during all our wedding planning in the hot summer of 2003, joe and i decided not to worry about taking a camera on our honeymoon (the biggest reason being that we didn't own one...but we also thought we didn't need pics since monterey was practically our backyard, and at that point we really didn't care - we just wanted to finally be married!). well, five years later, we now kinda care that we didn't get any pictures. so, as we were walking down cannery row, i realized i had a camera and that i could get pictures of our hotel! i know, it's almost pointless, but it's for posterity. and someday, if we ever move far, far away from this part of the west coast, we will be glad to have something to look at. and beyond that, when we're old and gray, we're gonna need those photos to jog our memories.
so, after making dad nervous that we'd miss our reservation because i was taking so long with all my sentimentality, we trucked down highway 68. we found there a restaurant in the middle of suburbia. if it had been on ocean avenue in carmel, it would have fit in perfectly with every other quaint and adorable edifice. but here, halfway between monterey and salinas, this place looked out of place. we had just passed a gas station and a row of chain stores, and then we turned into a driveway and discovered this small wonder - an old english stone farmhouse in a lush garden. this was tarpy's, a roadhouse restaurant, named in honor of mr. tarpy, a gentlemen who was hung on the premises for the murder of his neighbor lady (eleven bullets to the chest, and he tried to convince the jury that it was an accident). the waitress said when the structure was restored to a restaurant, they named one of the dining rooms for the poor neighbor, in hopes that her ghost would be flattered and leave happy. uh, yah.
so, the outside looks like jamie oliver's homestead, and the inside looks like frank lloyd wright's favorite place to eat. pretty awesome, actually. plaster walls, a unique fireplace in every room (there was an old fireplace made entirely of shells), arched doorways, wood-beamed ceilings, and statues of animals everwhere...dogs, cats, chickens, roosters, hogs, and the like. oh, and the food was amazing. it must have been all that california history. i think the thing we were most delighted with was that they served asparagus as the veg! most restaurants give you the basic pile of broccoli or assorted summer squashes. but this was our cup of tea!
the highlight of the evening for joe was receiving a glass of 40-year tawny port. this port was more expensive than the priciest steak dinner he's ever eaten, and it also had been sitting in a barrel for 15 years before joe was even born!
on the hotel plaza overlooking the bay
schooner's restaurant, below the plaza
right wing of the hotel
our room, on the left wing of the hotel. we were supposed to have a garden view room, but when we arrived, the hotel had upgraded us to an ocean view room. :)
the first place where we had our first breakfast as mr. and mrs.
this has nothing to do with our honeymoon, but this is for you kat and vince! this is on cannery row. ;)
i LOVE the stonework!
the view from my seat inside, through an old leaded-glass window
my dinner...underneath it all was a saffron risotto. mmmm.
joe tasting the port
before we hit the restaurant, we took a quick walk down memory lane. during all our wedding planning in the hot summer of 2003, joe and i decided not to worry about taking a camera on our honeymoon (the biggest reason being that we didn't own one...but we also thought we didn't need pics since monterey was practically our backyard, and at that point we really didn't care - we just wanted to finally be married!). well, five years later, we now kinda care that we didn't get any pictures. so, as we were walking down cannery row, i realized i had a camera and that i could get pictures of our hotel! i know, it's almost pointless, but it's for posterity. and someday, if we ever move far, far away from this part of the west coast, we will be glad to have something to look at. and beyond that, when we're old and gray, we're gonna need those photos to jog our memories.
so, after making dad nervous that we'd miss our reservation because i was taking so long with all my sentimentality, we trucked down highway 68. we found there a restaurant in the middle of suburbia. if it had been on ocean avenue in carmel, it would have fit in perfectly with every other quaint and adorable edifice. but here, halfway between monterey and salinas, this place looked out of place. we had just passed a gas station and a row of chain stores, and then we turned into a driveway and discovered this small wonder - an old english stone farmhouse in a lush garden. this was tarpy's, a roadhouse restaurant, named in honor of mr. tarpy, a gentlemen who was hung on the premises for the murder of his neighbor lady (eleven bullets to the chest, and he tried to convince the jury that it was an accident). the waitress said when the structure was restored to a restaurant, they named one of the dining rooms for the poor neighbor, in hopes that her ghost would be flattered and leave happy. uh, yah.
so, the outside looks like jamie oliver's homestead, and the inside looks like frank lloyd wright's favorite place to eat. pretty awesome, actually. plaster walls, a unique fireplace in every room (there was an old fireplace made entirely of shells), arched doorways, wood-beamed ceilings, and statues of animals everwhere...dogs, cats, chickens, roosters, hogs, and the like. oh, and the food was amazing. it must have been all that california history. i think the thing we were most delighted with was that they served asparagus as the veg! most restaurants give you the basic pile of broccoli or assorted summer squashes. but this was our cup of tea!
the highlight of the evening for joe was receiving a glass of 40-year tawny port. this port was more expensive than the priciest steak dinner he's ever eaten, and it also had been sitting in a barrel for 15 years before joe was even born!
on the hotel plaza overlooking the bay
schooner's restaurant, below the plaza
right wing of the hotel
our room, on the left wing of the hotel. we were supposed to have a garden view room, but when we arrived, the hotel had upgraded us to an ocean view room. :)
the first place where we had our first breakfast as mr. and mrs.this has nothing to do with our honeymoon, but this is for you kat and vince! this is on cannery row. ;)
i LOVE the stonework!
the view from my seat inside, through an old leaded-glass window
my dinner...underneath it all was a saffron risotto. mmmm.
joe tasting the port
posted by jen at
3:33 PM
4 Comments:
I didn't get pictures from my honeymoon either. :( I had a camera but was too distracted by my new Mr. to remember. I thought of it not long after we drove away from our retreat, but it was too late to turn back. We'll probably never see it again since it was on someone's private property up at the top of a mountain. :(
Thanks for the pic of the sign! Vince has been there before. He says it's not a new place?
Kat
Hey! We've eaten at Tarpy's!
What fun!
kat - it very well could be an old place...i just totally spotted it this time. ;)
mr. courtney - hi!! so, did you like Tarpy's? did i get my history right? ;)
Looks like a fun day - sigh, you are making me miss the ocean!!!
p.s. - was this a little early anniversary trip for you guys?
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