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The Gastronomic Racing Experience

I met an interesting older gentleman in the Laguna Seca Parking Lot on Race Day, as I waited for Stan and the girlfriend to arrive. "Waiting for them" became a routine over the weekend by the way, as you'll read later on this blog entry. I noticed him because like myself this gentleman came alone and it seemed odd to me that he drove a mint looking Toyota Corolla GTS (remember those coupes? Built in the early 80's to early 90's). I have been to many of these Racing Events in Monterey and many others in California and I don't ever remember seeing anyone driving a mint one of those (or any for that matter)- let alone a distinguished looking old white man. Something seemed cool and peculiar about the man though. Perhaps a little fanatical and dorky too, sporting all sorts of racing gear such as a fire-retardant jacket and Pilotis racing shoes in a car that isn't exactly worth restoring nor has has it ever been dubbed sporty. Yet he insists and I have a feeling he restores more than just that forgettable car... I didn't ask where he was from but I had a sense that he knew his way around a Race Track despite his peculiarities. "Good day for Racing" he greeted me with a sense of sagacity and anticipation, perhaps noticing my glance. That gentleman has been coming to Laguna Seca since 1965 and had just recently turned 65 years old himself. A interesting tid-bit about himself and the track that he seemed proud and amused about at the same time. I asked about all of the glorious years of the Can Am series and the days of the Open Wheel Racing in Laguna Seca- a racing series that seemed to have been lost in time as far as Laguna Seca is concerned. At least in recent memory. And he was more than happy to oblige...

He sort of reminds me of what the Monterey Peninsula is all about. Kind of old school yet chic in some ways and kind of peculiar in more ways than one. A fun little fact about Monterey and perhaps what most Californians do not know about it, is the fact that it served as the Capital of Spanish California from 1777 to 1849, making it an old city by California standards, and has kept or restored many of its late-18th-and 19th-century buildings. Monterey had long been famous for the abundant fishery in Monterey Bay which only changed recently due to "overfishing" (1950's). A few of the old fishermen's cabins from the early twentieth century have been preserved as they stood along Cannery Row. The famous Cannery Row has now been turned into a tourist attraction, with restaurants and shops in the historical site. I have been coming to Monterey since the late 90's to attend Race Events in Laguna Seca and I like it more and more each time I visit...

The event itself was fine of course. We did the paddocks walkabout to check-out the cars, take pictures and autographs etc... That is by-and-large the best thing about ALMS by the way- the overall fan experience. There's not a lot of sporting events where you might find yourself waiting in-line to use the same urinal as the athletes themselves (I realize that might not be the best of examples but you get the idea...). Or where, unlike CART/IRL and Nascar, the race paddocks (where the race-cars are garaged) are open to the public. In fact even the race pits are open during the pre-race ceremonies! Okay if you are not a race fan, think about it this way- it's like walking around on the basketball court before the Lakers take the court... Of course the ALMS isn't like the ultra-popular somewhat corporate-driven NBA or Nascar nor do they come with Ultra-Popular athletes the likes of Jeff Gordon, but that is part of the genuis of the Race Series. It may seem second-rate because of all of the ex-Cart/ex-F1 drivers (like Mika Salo in the Ferrari GT2- former Ferrari Driver behind Schumacher) and the cars aren't as fast and advanced as the IRL's and F1's, but the race action you'll find in the race itself is unlike any other racing series this side of the Europe. Imagine this- Four Race Classes ranging from Prototype purpose-built Race Cars like the Audi R10 TDI(Twin direct injected Turbo-Charge V-12) to Smaller, less powerful, more agile purpose-built Prototypes like the Porsche RS Spyder and Acura ARX-01b, to Heavily modified GT cars to the moderately modified Production-based Grand Touring Cars like the Ferrari F430 FT and Porsche 911 GT3 RSR- all running in the same race... The contrast between these cars are pretty much like Formula One, against IRL, against Nascar, and finally against Star Mazda- all of which running in the same race!!! And if you think that's crazy- look into the the Rolex Grand-Am Series. Those guys, in some races, run their Purpose-built Daytona Prototypes against their GT and ST Classes which are practically your anemic 4-cylinder, moderately modified, garden variety Honda Civic SI's, VW GTi's, Cobalt SS's, and Mini Coopers. So if you like Motorsports and if the Formula One brand where you might find one or two exciting moments in a Race isn't doing it for you, then I might suggest Sports Car Racing. It looks kind of like a concoction of four different breeds of race cars racing their tails off or like a collection of predatory animals like Lions, Tigers, Bears, and Coyotes, all after the same quarry... yea its really too bad they don't come to California anymore sigh...

On the night before the race I had dinner plans with Stan and Marsha. Which is pretty much a crap-shoot in terms of what time they'd actually turn up. And I really thought I was prepared... Let's put it this way- I waited so long my stomach ached in hunger. I don't know if you have ever bailed on dinner plans with some friends citing starvation and annoyance but it was something I actually tried to do that night. Luckily Stan called right when I got in my car to pick-up some Subway. That saved me the grief of having to explain why I bailed for Subway (lol). It would have been an interesting chat I suppose... Of course when we finally got to the historic Cannery Row they couldn't decide on which one of the only handful of open restaurants to dine in. We basically walked the entire row a sort of window shopping or something. Yea so there I was starving to death with a busted knee and they wanted to walk around? And to add insult to injury (literally and figuratively) by the time we'd finally agreed on a restaurant, the kitchen was already closed. Brilliant!

Anyway we decided arbitrarily on a Sea Food Restaurant called Sardine Factory situated one block west of the Cannery Row that actually looks more like a regular bungalow house than anything else. Well except for the incongruous 40-foot wooden fishing boat parked right on the yard. Kind of impossible to miss... Even with the boat though it is still rather unimpressive from the outside and only until after you enter through the front doors will you realize the true charm and beauty of the place. This deceptively beautiful restaurant houses five rooms, one shabby-chic lounge with a bar and four impressive dining rooms. We dined in "The Conservatory" a garden setting, surrounded by lush greenery beneath a glass-domed roof. The Conservatory is alive with a glittering custom chandelier, twinkling candlelight and an elegant statue of Venus imported from Italy. Sounds a little splendid right? Well it was... You should see the other dining rooms in that place- they range from the intimate and charming to the downright stately and Lavish. Kind of reminded me of Robin Leech...

How about the food? Well forget about it. It was amazing! I think the last time I used such a superlative for food was still during my time in Italy. But like they say "you can't get a bad meal in Italy". This place, though not Mediterranean-inspired, reminded me so much about the food in Sardegna, Italy (... My Naval Duty Station). Perhaps its their similarities that bind them together for me. The gorgeous Island of Sardegna has always fell victim to invasion from the Romans, the Byzantine Greeks, the Genoese, Pisans, at some point the Spaniards, then given to the house of Savoy as part of the Congress of London in 1718 (later called the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia), then later to become part of the new Kingdom of Italy in 1861, then finally in 1948 Sardinia became an autonomous region. So because of this the Sardegnian peoples often flocked to the mountains, which would explain the contradiction that Sardegnas tradidional foods was often more influenced by land rather than sea. That sounds a lot like the Sardine Company if you ask me! Because despite having the appearance of a Sea Food Restaurant I really think they are more influenced by the land because they dry-age their steaks in-house for 5 weeks to ensure tenderness. That's some attention to detail for a Sea Food place bearing the name of a Fish, isn't it? They can't possibly lay the same claim to the Sea Food they serve...

We had Oysters, Clam Chowders, Mahi Mahi, and Filet Mignon. All of which were to die for! And best of all, the portions were relatively generous for Gourmet. And at the race? Well we had some Louisiana hot links and bratwurst to go along with some fine wine from the Firestone Winery in Santa Barbara, and of course some cheese...

Posted by: Marc Gabay
Monday, October 20, 2008