Mexican, Irish and Hawaiian flavors blend at Hannegan's
By Suzanne Cristallo
For 20 years, C.B. Hannegan's in Los Gatos has been the place for sipping and supping and not feeling lonely. It's where blue collar meets white collar amid a convivial din generated by the hospitality of owners Chris Benson and Johnny Hannegan.
And for those patrons who have remained faithful to feasting and making merry on the premises, the pair are planning a big anniversary thank-you bash--a tropical buffet they're calling Cinco de Mahalo--on May 6.
"We have such an affection for the islands," says Benson, who is expecting friends to travel from two of the Hawaiian Islands for the celebration. "If we can extend to people our mahalos (Hawaiian for thanks) in the style to which they're accustomed, we'll be happy."
The C.B. Hannegan's style is flamboyant. Live music by the Harmonics steel drum band and The CruseTones will play throughout the day. There will be 200 leis shipped fresh from Honolulu; a 175-pound pig roasted on a spit; Kahlua pork cooked for eight hours in tea leaves and cabbage; albacore tuna; barbecued chicken; tropical salsa of mango, pineapple and jalapeño peppers; teriyaki chicken; sushi and sashimi pu-pus (appetizers) and yams.
"It's sort of Mexican-Irish-Hawaiian," explains Benson. "That's the best part of food. You can borrow." Next best is the fact that the food is all-you-can-eat for $10.
Los Gatans Benson, 53, and Hannegan, 51, met in 1972 through the late Jim Farwell during the remodel of Farwell's Mountain Charley's, an upstairs saloon which Hannegan managed. A Sacramento native, Hannegan came to this area to study philosophy and history at Santa Clara University. Benson, a native Los Gatan, had returned home with his future wife, Denise, to work in construction after seven years of working the hotel and restaurant circuit from Miami Beach to the Virgin Islands.
The two men hit it off and decided to go into the restaurant business. They shared a vision and then built it. The result was C.B. Hannegan's--an Irish pub with lots of brick and stone, dark wood paneling and a big, wraparound bar with space for people to congregate. They opened in 1980.
The Santa Clara students Hannegan knew ended up as doctors and lawyers in the area, and Chris knew all the trades. As a result, the pair's acquaintances became their customer base. "Now, we're serving their sons and daughters," Hannegan says.
Benson credits his sense of hospitality to his 75-year-old mother, Jimmie Dawson, who founded the Los Gatos Nursery Co-Op where Benson first attended school. "'Mose,' as she is affectionately known, comes here every Friday and does all the flowers on the tables," Benson smiles, "then she puts on latex kitchen gloves and cleans what others didn't. Her friends start showing up around 2p. m. They know it's a time to catch up with her."
C.B. Hannegan's serves "selfishly motivated" food--that is, "stuff I like," Benson says. There are barbecued meats, pastas, chile verde, salads and hamburgers. Specials are different every night, but are the same every week, such as corned beef and cabbage on Thursdays. The place also offers catering and a heated outdoor room for private parties. On St. Patrick's Day, crowds spill into the street celebrating Hannegan's Irish ancestry, the restaurant's sister-city association with Listowel in County Kerry, Ireland.
"Every day I look forward to what I'm doing," says Benson.
C.B. Hannegan's, 208 Bachman Ave., Los Gatos. Open daily 11:30 a.m.-1:30 a.m. (Limited menu after midnight). 408.395.1233.
|
Los Gatos, California Since 1881
