Photograph by Kathy De La Torre
Johnny Hannegan (left) and Chris Benson have co-owned C.B. Hannegan's in Los Gatos for more than 20 years.
Food, drink, festivity are part of a C.B. Hannegan's tradition
By Suzanne Cristallo
Come and take pot luck with me.My heart is warm, my friendship's free. Chris Benson and John Hannegan of C.B. Hannegan's in Los Gatos are extending an Irish welcome to anyone wanting to have fun on St. Patrick's Day--this March 17--and any day before or after. Partners in food and libation for more than 20 years in the same location, the popular pair have created a welcoming atmosphere for generations of locals who come to see and be seen, as well as to partake of plenty of Irish food and drink.
"We're here to enjoy ourselves--not at the expense of others," observes Benson, "and to do what the people of Ireland know how to do best--enjoy life. Hannegan adds: "All we want is for people to have fun, and to be safe and friendly."
Hannegan, a local boy, takes his Irish ancestry to heart, traveling at least once a year to his grandfather's homeland. His visits create a hands-across-the-sea connection--both social and economic--which result in annual visits here by the Lord Mayor of Dublin. His Honor Maurice Ahern is expected to be here until the March 14, in time to whip up enthusiasm among local Irish celebrants.
Long live the Irish, long live their cheer,
Long live our friendship, year after year.
Whipping up enthusiasm should not be difficult. Irish dancers from Los Gatos High School are planning to dance jigs at Hannegan's on Saturday. Minstrels will stroll through the crowd, and a rock band will play for dancing in the restaurant's dining area, which will be cleared of tables. In the back parking lot, 3,000 square feet of lawn is being brought in to serve as a backdrop for an oyster bar, serving 5,000 oysters, a spit roasting a 200-pound pig and tables bearing deep fried turkeys, Guinness stew (lamb basted in dark Guinness ale), fried calamari, 300 pounds of mussels and a variety of salads. It's an all-you-can-eat, in-and-out, all-day affair. Some 1,000 tickets at $40 each are nearly sold out.
Benson, 52, and Hannegan, 50, have been best friends, as well as partners, since they built the restaurant in 1980. Their attempts to create an air of celebration around St. Patrick's Day began in the early days with tricycle races down N. Santa Cruz Avenue. Participants ran up the steps of each pub and restaurant along the way to recite old Irish sayings, followed by the swilling down of a shot of Irish whiskey.
"The crowd got too big over the years, and the town worried about injury," recalls Hannegan, who says getting a permit for such an event is not likely today. There is talk on local radio, however, of "Walking the Green Mile" on Saturday. From Double D's at one end to Number One Broadway at the other, restaurants and pubs along "the Green Mile" will offer corned beef and cabbage for the energetic passersby. "If you're wearin' the green, walk it," Hannegan says, noting that it is a good way to include many of his fellow tavern and restaurant owners in the celebration.
Let's all put on our dancin' shoes, and wear our Shamrock green,
And toast friends both here and there, and everywhere in between.
C.B. Hannegan's, 208 Bachman Ave., Los Gatos. Open 11:30 a.m.-2:30 a.m. daily. Food served until about 10:30 p.m. 408.395.1233.
Saratoga, California Since 1955
