March 25, 2025 • 26 mins
In this episode, Jimmy and Megan swap stories about their favorite food finds, from a legendary taco truck on O’Toole to a Mongolian BBQ place tucked beside a questionable pool hall. Since we spend so much time training onsite at client offices across the Bay Area, we’ve been lucky enough to discover some incredible local eats. (Shout out to our amazing clients who always know the best nearby spots)
But no food adventure is ever just about the food.
Jimmy has a wild tale for you from his firefighter days that starts with a fire call and ends with a stranger asking how to perform a C-section... on a cow... while standing inside a bar... with a giant dog. It’s the kind of unexpected lunch break you don’t forget.
You’ll also hear some strong opinions about red velvet cake, the legacy of San Jose’s burnt almond cake rivalry, and whether ice cream should ever be rolled. Plus, we’ve got personal stories behind some of the best mom-and-pop restaurants we’ve tried, including one taco truck that started as a hot dog cart with just two steam trays.
This episode is a love letter to Bay Area food, and if you're not hungry yet... you will be by the end of this podcast!
Life Safety Associates specializes in emergency response training for corporate ERT Teams. We help businesses create competent and confident first responders who are ready to handle unexpected emergencies. For more information you find us @lifesafetyassoc or email@lifesafety.com.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Jimmy (00:00):
What's happening?
It's Jimmy with your girl, megs, with another life and safety
podcast Woot woot, woot wootfrom Megs.
So this is the life and safetypodcast.
Today is more of a life thingand something that I really get
(00:20):
to do.
I don't get to do it a lotanymore, but when I first
started at Life Safety and I wasdoing a lot longer classes, I'd
go to lunch with the team orthe people would bring lunch in.
We got a lot of fat food andnow it's just kind of like this
(00:44):
I don't, I'm not teaching asmuch.
I guess I should say the longdays.
You know, we're fortunateenough to have a really good
team to do those things for me,so I don't get to go out to have
lunch with the teams as much,and there's one particular
company I definitely go to lunchwith more than everybody else,
but we, you know, we always Idefinitely go to lunch with more
(01:05):
than everybody else, but it'salways fun to find their hidden
treasures or their favoriterestaurant places.
An d restaurants is always aninteresting place to go because
it's always social and happy andfun usually.
But also lots of drama canhappen at a restaurant.
Megan (01:33):
Yes, there's tons of youtube videos of like drama on
their video um at therestaurants of people choking or
proposals gone wrong, or fights, or walking in on your partner
with someone else exactly.
Jimmy (01:42):
Exactly the drama.
So much drama, so much crazythings that can happen.
One of my favorite restaurantstories I like to tell people is
I think I've told it on thispodcast already about the cow
C-section.
Megan (02:00):
I think so, but that was like one of our first episodes.
You should tell it again.
Okay, okay, I think so, butthat was like one of our first
episodes.
You should tell it again.
Jimmy (02:05):
Okay, so we were on a fire and something that a lot of
people don't know is if youwork so in the union, you have
set times right.
So breakfast at 7, lunch atnoon, dinner at five, and you
(02:29):
know, and if you're at the house, the station for me we would
make those meals, and if you'reon a fire, and it was longer
than two hours past, so like I'dsay, at two o'clock and the
fire ended, but we were able toput the fire out and do all the
(02:50):
things we're supposed to doclean up, we'd go to a
restaurant, if the powers to besaid.
It was cool, and this day wewere there.
We went to a restaurant out inthe Penn Valley area, between
Sacramento and Marysville, aplace called the Driftwood Inn,
(03:13):
and it's a rural-ish area andlots of interesting people would
show up there Understood, andwe walked up and we looked into
this one old car and there was aDenver and Pinscher, I believe
(03:34):
it was.
It was a giant dog.
And just destroying the seats.
Oh no.
And we were like huh, but theseats were pretty trashed
already.
So we were like huh, but theseats were pretty trashed
already, so we were like this isan ongoing thing and the
Driftwood Inn had a pretty bigbar with a restaurant, so that
(03:56):
you know the alcohol-fueledincidents that came out of that
place were pretty interesting.
The local firehouse was verybusy with a lot of those things,
I'm sure, but we'd driven in tohelp out in that area, that
particular area.
So we're sitting there waitingfor our table and a gentleman
walks up and I've been told thatI have that face people can
(04:18):
talk to and just people want towalk up to me and talk to me.
I inherited that from my father.
He just wanted to talk to meand this gentleman walks up to
me and he says hey, you guysfirefighters.
Right, we're like yep gave itaway.
You see the uniform he says whenI left my property I had a calf
(04:41):
giving birth and we were likecool.
And he goes, when I left, thebaby calf was about halfway out
but it looked stuck and we werelike okay.
And we were like was it stuckin mom or was it stuck on a
fence?
He goes stuck in the mom and wewere like okay.
(05:08):
And then we got called for ourtable.
So you know about eight or nineof us I think it was ten of us
roughly walked in and sat downand my captain looks across at
me and he goes people alwaystalk to you.
Huh, I go.
Yeah, the grocery storehappened all the time, happens
all the time.
Still, and I was like that wasweird though, the cow that
(05:32):
everybody's kind of talkingabout, like what?
Like why would you leave?
Like that sounds like kind of athing.
And some of the guys that wewere with like actually own
cattle and they're like that'sweird, like you shouldn't have
left that, like that'sunfortunately still worn a calf
now or something you know, wedon't know.
So, fast forward about 20minutes, this gentleman walks up
to us and he goes hey, I'mthinking about my calf, okay,
(06:00):
and but now when he walks upback up to us, he has that dog
that was in the car in therestaurant and the dog's head is
like at our table height and Iwas like sir, only your dog can
be in here.
And he's like oh no, I'm goingto take him to the vet and when
I get to the vet I'm going toask about my calf and we're like
(06:21):
that's a great idea, good luck.
Megan (06:23):
Go.
Jimmy (06:24):
Yeah, and he ask about my calf.
And we're like that's a greatidea, good luck, go.
Yeah.
And he goes well, before I gothere, I think I'm gonna go
check on our cat, my calf andwe're like, okay, have a good
day, good luck.
And he goes.
Do you think they would ask usif we, you know, borrow, let me
borrow a knife, because theyhave really sharp knives here.
Maybe I can give the calf aC-section.
Do you think you can tell mehow to give a cow a?
(06:47):
C-section.
And I was like I'm not trainedon cows, but you know who is.
And a person about twofirefighters over from me, a
prankster good dude owned cattle.
I said he owns cattle.
He should probably be able totell you that was very kind of
you.
And he starts laughing and hegoes I own cattle.
Megan (07:04):
Dude owned cattle and said he owns cattle, he should
probably be able to tell you.
Jimmy (07:05):
That was very kind of you and he starts laughing and he
goes I own cattle, he's like,but I've never.
It's the first generation ofcattle.
I've never had a calf yet Iknew exactly what to say.
It was hilarious and we're likeall right, sir, and he's like
well, maybe I should call myveterinarian, like that's a good
call it's's a great call, infact, Right he goes do they have
(07:28):
a pay phone here?
This is a pre-cell phone.
And I go yeah, man, there's onein the back hallway by the
bathroom.
He's like do you have a numberto a veterinarian?
I go, I don't, do not, sir.
There's probably a phone bookthere, though, and maybe you can
ask people behind the bar ifthey have a phone book.
It's like oh yeah, that's agood idea.
And then my captain who used tolike to, you know, stir the pot
(07:50):
goes.
Well, you know, he's a reallygood researcher pointing at me
he should go with you and I'mlike I gotta finish my dinner,
though, sir, you know we'reprobably gonna call here pretty
soon, and I want to make sureI'm filled up.
He's like, yeah, yeah, you staythere.
And I'm looking at my captainlike you, jerk, but that's how
our relationship was, and hegoes.
(08:12):
So the gentleman goes, okay,and then my captain goes.
He walks away and goes, hey, sirdid you have a veterinarian for
your dog, aren't you you gonnago to that?
He goes.
Oh yeah, that's not till the27th or something like that, and
we're like 27th, I mean, Ithink it was like the 10th of
the month it was like a longways off.
We're like then I'm like, doyou think he's drunk?
(08:35):
Or I think he's like having amental issue, because, like,
he's all over the place and thecat goes, I don know, but we
should probably get out of here.
We don't want to find out.
We've got to get to our areabecause we're not even in our
first-in area.
We're responsible.
We've got to get out of here.
Oh my gosh, okay, okay.
(08:59):
So the manager from therestaurant comes over and goes
did you guys tell him to ask usfor a knife?
And we were like, no, oh no,definitely not.
Uh, but we did leave, though hewas on the phone with his.
But he also put his giant dogback in the car and we're like
(09:23):
it's getting pretty hot out here.
This dog probably should not bein this car.
And, uh, the fire engine thatwas from that area was like,
yeah, we're gonna deal with thedog.
And they ended up breaking thecar window and letting the dog
like air, but like it was crazy.
But those are just restaurants,right?
Megan (09:43):
so that's a good restaurant thing.
Jimmy (09:45):
So the cool thing for me is when I go to the client is
they show me really coolrestaurants, restaurants I never
would have tried or gone to.
Case in point, I got to go to aMongolian barbecue spot in
(10:17):
Santa Clara off El Camino and itwas next to an old one would
say seedy, one could sayquestionable pool hall.
And when we first got there theguys were like come on, man,
this is like the best Mongolianin the area.
And I was like I think I knowwhat Mongolian barbecue is, but
I don't know what Mongolianbarbecue is.
And we walked in and one of ourstudents goes yeah, yeah, yeah,
(10:39):
don't go to that bar.
You'll probably get beat up, andI was like what he was like
yeah, yeah, don't go there.
But the Mongolian barbecueplace ended up being a
phenomenal spot to go to formultiple occasions.
I got to go there.
I got to take the kids there.
Nice, that's really fun.
Where else have we got to go?
Megan (11:03):
Oh, you took me to now one of my favorite taco truck
stands.
Yeah, the one.
That way, that was reallyhelpful.
Huh, where do we always gettacos?
When you get tacos Out of thetool, yeah, yeah, we have a good
taco spot.
Jimmy (11:23):
You know the taco truck craze, it's real.
Yeah, there's lots of tacotrucks in our area, but around
life safety there's the one infront of on O'Toole Street, in
front of on O'Toole Street andin front of the Ryder building,
and that one's really coolbecause when I was a seasonal
firefighter years and years andyears ago, I worked with my
(11:44):
cousin during the winter doing awarehouse job and he took me to
this lady at a hot dog cart andhe used to call her the burrito
lady and come to find out itwas the mom that owns this and
she started out with that andshe only had chili burrito, or I
(12:06):
want to say ham and eggburritos or something like that.
She started with this littlehot dog stand.
First she started it right onthe corner before I knew her,
and then she started with thehot dog stand.
Megan (12:15):
A hot dog stand selling burritos Selling burritos.
Jimmy (12:18):
She just had this little two things like the steam plates
because that's all she couldkeep them warm.
Then she turned it into threeor four different types of
burritos that she would makeprobably at home, and then just
keep them warm in the little hotdog stand and steam table.
Then that became a truck andnow she works at a restaurant
and she has the truck so that'sa really cool story oh yeah, um.
(12:44):
And then another staple here inthe area is california sourdough
and people that go to californCalifornia sourdough know about
sourdough.
Actually, I don't even know thename of it the place on First
Street.
I always mess it up.
I always just call it thesourdough place on First Street.
(13:06):
I'll look it up.
Megan (13:09):
I'll look it up.
Jimmy (13:09):
It is not the Uncrustable place.
That place is great, a littletoo chain-y acting for me, where
it's like California sourdoughand the other sourdough place on
First Street are bothmom-and-pop places.
I'm a little bit claustrophobic, so I don't really like the
(13:30):
place on First Street becauseit's a little too small.
Yeah, there's a lot.
I mean all the burger spots youknow, like the local original
joe's, san jose spots, the?
Um.
We were talking to a client theother night and we were talking
about the bold night.
Anybody remember the bold night?
um you're yeah, I guess you'reprobably too young.
(13:54):
If that was a steakhouse andone side was like fancy
steakhouse side, the other sidewas like a diner and they had
fondue and stuff, I noticedthere was fondue and appetizer
and their steak obviously Iwould hope, and I'm trying to
(14:16):
think of some other good spots.
So if anybody can also reachout, I'm also a big fan of
Cougar's House of Pizza.
People either love that placeor hate that place.
Megan (14:26):
My favorite pizza restaurant is Pizza Boca Lupo in
San Pedro Square Market.
It was one of my best friendsin elementary middle school area
.
Her family started therestaurant, so I remember when
it first got started and shethey had.
They started with like a pizzaoven in their backyard and I
would get pizza there.
(14:47):
Like every time she would havea party or a sleepover or
whatever it is, they would makepizza in their little pizza oven
and then it became a restaurantand now I think I really enjoy
it.
It's like Neapolitan-stylepizza though, so it's that like
thin crust, not the like youknow pizza that you get at like
(15:07):
you know Domino's or whatever.
Yeah, but I prefer that type ofpizza, which I know is a hot
take.
It's a hot take.
Jimmy (15:16):
Yeah, it is, it is.
If I go to Thin Crust PizzaPizza, my Heart's, my standby,
I'll try your folks, yourfriend's place, not by San Pedro
Square a lot.
I should go there more.
Megan (15:31):
They have some cool restaurants in there.
They have like um, I was justin there recently, uh, they have
like a Philly cheesesteak placeand they have um a gelato place
and obviously the pizzarestaurant there's like a pasta
restaurant.
They have a lot there.
Yeah, like that's a good placeto go if you're going with a
(15:52):
group of friends who can'tdecide.
There's something for everybodythere, sure.
Jimmy (15:55):
I haven't really been there since Treatbot, my
favorite ice cream place.
It was a truck and kind of asmall batch ice cream place.
Actually, the truck crashed onthe freeway.
It was in a traffic accident.
It never was able to be rebuilt.
I think they kind of lost a lotof money on that and they
(16:17):
couldn't keep the place in SanPedro Square.
But that was amazing.
That is salted caramel Oreocookie ice cream.
Megan (16:32):
Fascinating.
Jimmy (16:32):
Yeah, so it was, like you know, just like an Oreo cookie
thing, but instead of thevanilla ice cream it was like
salted caramel ice cream.
Megan (16:41):
It was really good, that sounds really good.
Jimmy (16:43):
It was really good.
Megan (16:45):
Speaking of ice cream, have you tried the rolled ice
cream at, like icicles style oranything?
Yeah, what is your take on that?
Jimmy (16:56):
um so, first off, I'm an old-fashioned ice cream guy.
Megan (17:01):
I like a good scooped ice cream like we still go to
thrifties fair right like I'm aguy, I mean mint chip from
thrifties's is the way to go.
Jimmy (17:11):
If Jenny and the kids were here, they would say, yes,
jenny also likes the praline andcream from Thrifty's.
I'm a rocky road guy.
Megan (17:22):
That's fair.
Jimmy (17:23):
You know, if you go to our house right now, there's
rocky road ice cream in thefreezer.
We're also big on Moose.
Rocky road ice cream in thefreezer um, we're also big on
moose tracks.
Megan (17:32):
Ice cream.
Oh yes, I used to have thatevery time I went to my aunt's
house.
Jimmy (17:35):
It's the only place I would eat it, but every time I
went yeah, I think we actuallyhave chocolate moose tracks
right now at the house that'sthe one.
Megan (17:42):
That's the one that she had.
The in hers always came in likea black um tub.
I don't know what brand it was.
I just I would recognize it inthe freezer and say, oh, that's
what I'm having.
Jimmy (17:53):
Yeah, what about Sweet Retreat?
It used to be in Las Ganas.
I don't know where the otherone was, and then now it's at
like Snell or Santa Teresa inBlossom Hill.
Megan (18:07):
Not familiar with it.
Jimmy (18:09):
Good homemade ice cream there, good spot.
I'm trying to think of another.
Good ice cream spots that arekind of like locally San Jose
spots.
You know, the client's the onewho gets to take me to ice cream
.
That's true, Right.
So, yeah, that's right.
But we're an ice cream family,Like you know.
(18:31):
If we're going to get a treator something like that, we're
doing that.
Yeah, Last night.
Janie and I went to I think itwas called King's Fish House in
Valley Fair and we got they hada butter cake ice cream and it
(18:54):
kind of had like a really areally good like sorbet.
On top of it was actuallyvanilla french merino ice cream.
It's kind of like the sorbetinside of it, if not like and um
, I don't know.
It was just really really goodwas there any cake involved?
yeah, it was a cake, but it'sreally cool crust on the outside
, but then like this lemonysponge cake on the inside, okay,
and then it had like whippedcream on the outside, like on
the side, like a side piecewhich was interesting.
(19:15):
I was like I should put that onthere.
Then I had some berries.
Jenny swooped the berries likebefore.
I even got a chance.
Megan (19:33):
It was kind of way black , but I think I ate most of the
cake, so it's going to of, youknow, even out um, oh, what's
your san jose cake?
Place, san jose cake place, mykitchen.
Yeah, yeah, I'm a, I'm a baker.
Yeah, yeah, what's your?
Do you have a san jose cakeplace?
Jimmy (19:46):
I, I like all cake.
Can't really go wrong with thecake for me.
Megan (19:54):
That's fair.
Jimmy (19:55):
To say something super controversial, though right now.
I'm not a red velvet guy and Idon't like cream cheese frosting
.
Huh.
I'll stomach buttercreamfrosting if I have to Wink, wink
, nod, nod.
My favorites whipped cream.
Okay, whippedcream frosting.
If I have to wink wink, nod,nod.
My favorite is whipped creamOkay, whipped cream frosting
Okay, but I enjoy, you know, theburnt almond cake from Dick's
(20:20):
right.
Megan (20:20):
Yes, it's a staple San Jose thing, you know, that's my
mom's favorite.
Well, there was two competingalmond cakes, right, like what
was the other place.
Jimmy (20:35):
The Burn Down.
Megan (20:35):
Yes, whichever?
Yeah, I don't remember.
The one that burned down was mymom's absolute favorite cake
and her birthday's coming upactually two days from when
we're recording this, and shewas like the one thing I want is
a burnt almond cake from thatplace, but I can't have it, and
so I'm trying to figure out howto make it.
But they burned down and theynever released the recipe, and
(20:58):
so I think we're going to haveto go with the not that place
recipe.
Jimmy (21:03):
So somebody correct me in the comments or send an email
email at lifesafetycom andcorrect me, but I'm sure I
thought that the two owners ofthe restaurant were brothers.
Megan (21:15):
That's what I've heard.
Jimmy (21:17):
Or they're related somehow, and it was quote
unquote the same recipe butslightly different, and somebody
told me that, God, I can'tthink of the one that burned
down either.
That's gonna bug me.
It's gonna bug me, right and um, that was the reason why they
(21:42):
separated and went to twodifferent places because how
they made the sponge and uh, Idon't know um, but I'm sure
somebody will email us, let usknow.
Megan (21:52):
I'm sure I'm looking it up.
I don't know if I'm gonna findit, though, just searching San
Jose burned down restaurantalmond cake, just burnt almond
cake burned down or somethinglike that.
Jimmy (22:01):
Yeah, and then Peters, peters, thank you.
So we get to go to a lot ofgood burger spots I'm trying to
think of.
Megan (22:09):
I'll say something controversial.
I'm not a huge fan of burgers.
I know you're not, I'm not, soI don't have anything here.
I will eat.
I will go if that's where thegroup is going, but I'm not the
type of person to choose aburger joint, so I don't know.
I mean, I feel like habit hasgood, but here's the thing I
(22:32):
typically get the vegetarian one, so I don't know if that's a
good.
What's it called like a goodbarometer?
yeah, yeah, but I think yeah butI I like the sides, which means
that I like the sides habits,the one with the like, the fried
green beans, or whatever thingsI think so.
Or is that a different?
(22:53):
One.
I like those, and I also likeit if they have sweet potato
fries.
Yeah, I'm not a fan.
Jimmy (23:01):
I don't eat sweet potato much.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, yeah.
Well, we were supposed to talkabout food spots.
We talked about dessert.
I guess that's food.
Yeah, we talked about pizza, alittle bit Uh-huh, and Do you
have a favorite burger spot?
Funny story.
I'm a big fan of Garrett.
Uh-huh.
I'm getting the Garrett burger.
(23:21):
Uh-huh.
St John's is great also.
Megan (23:25):
The Burger Pit, but they just closed down the Burger Pit
.
But they just closed down theBurger Pit, another staple that
just closed, unfortunately, butthey reopened as the Barbecue
Pit, and I've heard really goodthings you have.
Jimmy (23:35):
Yes, okay, that was different owners, though.
Megan (23:37):
Yeah, oh, I don't think it's the same people, but I've
heard good things about the newone.
Jimmy (23:41):
Okay.
Megan (23:42):
Okay, you can take that with a grain of salt, because I
don't like barbecue so.
Jimmy (23:53):
Yeah, like barbecue.
So yeah, yeah.
So we've been kicking aroundgoing there checking it out.
But it's also kind of nostalgiathing like the kids used to do
a little gym in that shoppingcenter next to it and so like if
we had a birthday party at thelower gym, which we had multiple
, and we'd go from there to theburger pit Because everybody
liked burgers and it was easy,and the kids they'd get a kid
menu and things like that, corndogs or whatever it was, I don't
(24:16):
remember.
It was always easy to do, and sowe spent a lot of lunches there
, a lot of linners, lunch anddinners, a lot of dinners and we
actually made a point to gobefore they closed because it
was fun and we really liked thatplace.
For sentimental reasons, I'llgo to Burger Bar.
It's the bag of burger place,as we like to call it, on First
(24:40):
Street and big, so it used to belike 10 burgers for like five
bucks or something like that.
Yes.
Megan (24:49):
I used to live near there.
Jimmy (24:50):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, and then it started by recently
and it was like three burgersfor like $2 or something like
that now or something Stillfairly cheap but you know
inflation whatever.
But I go there like once ortwice a year.
I'll probably go there onMonday.
It's my dad's birthday.
Megan (25:14):
So that's one of my dad's spots to go to, so I'll go
and have a really cheap burger,really cheap burger.
Jimmy (25:17):
And um yeah, let us know your favorite spots to eat and
uh, be safe peace, peace.
What's happening?
It's Jimmy with your girl, megs, with another life and safety
podcast Woot woot, woot wootfrom Megs.
So this is the life and safetypodcast.
Today is more of a life thingand something that I really get
(00:20):
to do.
I don't get to do it a lotanymore, but when I first
started at Life Safety and I wasdoing a lot longer classes, I'd
go to lunch with the team orthe people would bring lunch in.
We got a lot of fat food andnow it's just kind of like this
(00:44):
I don't, I'm not teaching asmuch.
I guess I should say the longdays.
You know, we're fortunateenough to have a really good
team to do those things for me,so I don't get to go out to have
lunch with the teams as much,and there's one particular
company I definitely go to lunchwith more than everybody else,
but we, you know, we always Idefinitely go to lunch with more
(01:05):
than everybody else, but it'salways fun to find their hidden
treasures or their favoriterestaurant places.
An d restaurants is always aninteresting place to go because
it's always social and happy andfun usually.
But also lots of drama canhappen at a restaurant.
Megan (01:33):
Yes, there's tons of youtube videos of like drama on
their video um at therestaurants of people choking or
proposals gone wrong, or fights, or walking in on your partner
with someone else exactly.
Jimmy (01:42):
Exactly the drama.
So much drama, so much crazythings that can happen.
One of my favorite restaurantstories I like to tell people is
I think I've told it on thispodcast already about the cow
C-section.
Megan (02:00):
I think so, but that was like one of our first episodes.
You should tell it again.
Okay, okay, I think so, butthat was like one of our first
episodes.
You should tell it again.
Jimmy (02:05):
Okay, so we were on a fire and something that a lot of
people don't know is if youwork so in the union, you have
set times right.
So breakfast at 7, lunch atnoon, dinner at five, and you
(02:29):
know, and if you're at the house, the station for me we would
make those meals, and if you'reon a fire, and it was longer
than two hours past, so like I'dsay, at two o'clock and the
fire ended, but we were able toput the fire out and do all the
(02:50):
things we're supposed to doclean up, we'd go to a
restaurant, if the powers to besaid.
It was cool, and this day wewere there.
We went to a restaurant out inthe Penn Valley area, between
Sacramento and Marysville, aplace called the Driftwood Inn,
(03:13):
and it's a rural-ish area andlots of interesting people would
show up there Understood, andwe walked up and we looked into
this one old car and there was aDenver and Pinscher, I believe
(03:34):
it was.
It was a giant dog.
And just destroying the seats.
Oh no.
And we were like huh, but theseats were pretty trashed
already.
So we were like huh, but theseats were pretty trashed
already, so we were like this isan ongoing thing and the
Driftwood Inn had a pretty bigbar with a restaurant, so that
(03:56):
you know the alcohol-fueledincidents that came out of that
place were pretty interesting.
The local firehouse was verybusy with a lot of those things,
I'm sure, but we'd driven in tohelp out in that area, that
particular area.
So we're sitting there waitingfor our table and a gentleman
walks up and I've been told thatI have that face people can
(04:18):
talk to and just people want towalk up to me and talk to me.
I inherited that from my father.
He just wanted to talk to meand this gentleman walks up to
me and he says hey, you guysfirefighters.
Right, we're like yep gave itaway.
You see the uniform he says whenI left my property I had a calf
(04:41):
giving birth and we were likecool.
And he goes, when I left, thebaby calf was about halfway out
but it looked stuck and we werelike okay.
And we were like was it stuckin mom or was it stuck on a
fence?
He goes stuck in the mom and wewere like okay.
(05:08):
And then we got called for ourtable.
So you know about eight or nineof us I think it was ten of us
roughly walked in and sat downand my captain looks across at
me and he goes people alwaystalk to you.
Huh, I go.
Yeah, the grocery storehappened all the time, happens
all the time.
Still, and I was like that wasweird though, the cow that
(05:32):
everybody's kind of talkingabout, like what?
Like why would you leave?
Like that sounds like kind of athing.
And some of the guys that wewere with like actually own
cattle and they're like that'sweird, like you shouldn't have
left that, like that'sunfortunately still worn a calf
now or something you know, wedon't know.
So, fast forward about 20minutes, this gentleman walks up
to us and he goes hey, I'mthinking about my calf, okay,
(06:00):
and but now when he walks upback up to us, he has that dog
that was in the car in therestaurant and the dog's head is
like at our table height and Iwas like sir, only your dog can
be in here.
And he's like oh no, I'm goingto take him to the vet and when
I get to the vet I'm going toask about my calf and we're like
(06:21):
that's a great idea, good luck.
Megan (06:23):
Go.
Jimmy (06:24):
Yeah, and he ask about my calf.
And we're like that's a greatidea, good luck, go.
Yeah.
And he goes well, before I gothere, I think I'm gonna go
check on our cat, my calf andwe're like, okay, have a good
day, good luck.
And he goes.
Do you think they would ask usif we, you know, borrow, let me
borrow a knife, because theyhave really sharp knives here.
Maybe I can give the calf aC-section.
Do you think you can tell mehow to give a cow a?
(06:47):
C-section.
And I was like I'm not trainedon cows, but you know who is.
And a person about twofirefighters over from me, a
prankster good dude owned cattle.
I said he owns cattle.
He should probably be able totell you that was very kind of
you.
And he starts laughing and hegoes I own cattle.
Megan (07:04):
Dude owned cattle and said he owns cattle, he should
probably be able to tell you.
Jimmy (07:05):
That was very kind of you and he starts laughing and he
goes I own cattle, he's like,but I've never.
It's the first generation ofcattle.
I've never had a calf yet Iknew exactly what to say.
It was hilarious and we're likeall right, sir, and he's like
well, maybe I should call myveterinarian, like that's a good
call it's's a great call, infact, Right he goes do they have
(07:28):
a pay phone here?
This is a pre-cell phone.
And I go yeah, man, there's onein the back hallway by the
bathroom.
He's like do you have a numberto a veterinarian?
I go, I don't, do not, sir.
There's probably a phone bookthere, though, and maybe you can
ask people behind the bar ifthey have a phone book.
It's like oh yeah, that's agood idea.
And then my captain who used tolike to, you know, stir the pot
(07:50):
goes.
Well, you know, he's a reallygood researcher pointing at me
he should go with you and I'mlike I gotta finish my dinner,
though, sir, you know we'reprobably gonna call here pretty
soon, and I want to make sureI'm filled up.
He's like, yeah, yeah, you staythere.
And I'm looking at my captainlike you, jerk, but that's how
our relationship was, and hegoes.
(08:12):
So the gentleman goes, okay,and then my captain goes.
He walks away and goes, hey, sirdid you have a veterinarian for
your dog, aren't you you gonnago to that?
He goes.
Oh yeah, that's not till the27th or something like that, and
we're like 27th, I mean, Ithink it was like the 10th of
the month it was like a longways off.
We're like then I'm like, doyou think he's drunk?
(08:35):
Or I think he's like having amental issue, because, like,
he's all over the place and thecat goes, I don know, but we
should probably get out of here.
We don't want to find out.
We've got to get to our areabecause we're not even in our
first-in area.
We're responsible.
We've got to get out of here.
Oh my gosh, okay, okay.
(08:59):
So the manager from therestaurant comes over and goes
did you guys tell him to ask usfor a knife?
And we were like, no, oh no,definitely not.
Uh, but we did leave, though hewas on the phone with his.
But he also put his giant dogback in the car and we're like
(09:23):
it's getting pretty hot out here.
This dog probably should not bein this car.
And, uh, the fire engine thatwas from that area was like,
yeah, we're gonna deal with thedog.
And they ended up breaking thecar window and letting the dog
like air, but like it was crazy.
But those are just restaurants,right?
Megan (09:43):
so that's a good restaurant thing.
Jimmy (09:45):
So the cool thing for me is when I go to the client is
they show me really coolrestaurants, restaurants I never
would have tried or gone to.
Case in point, I got to go to aMongolian barbecue spot in
(10:17):
Santa Clara off El Camino and itwas next to an old one would
say seedy, one could sayquestionable pool hall.
And when we first got there theguys were like come on, man,
this is like the best Mongolianin the area.
And I was like I think I knowwhat Mongolian barbecue is, but
I don't know what Mongolianbarbecue is.
And we walked in and one of ourstudents goes yeah, yeah, yeah,
(10:39):
don't go to that bar.
You'll probably get beat up, andI was like what he was like
yeah, yeah, don't go there.
But the Mongolian barbecueplace ended up being a
phenomenal spot to go to formultiple occasions.
I got to go there.
I got to take the kids there.
Nice, that's really fun.
Where else have we got to go?
Megan (11:03):
Oh, you took me to now one of my favorite taco truck
stands.
Yeah, the one.
That way, that was reallyhelpful.
Huh, where do we always gettacos?
When you get tacos Out of thetool, yeah, yeah, we have a good
taco spot.
Jimmy (11:23):
You know the taco truck craze, it's real.
Yeah, there's lots of tacotrucks in our area, but around
life safety there's the one infront of on O'Toole Street, in
front of on O'Toole Street andin front of the Ryder building,
and that one's really coolbecause when I was a seasonal
firefighter years and years andyears ago, I worked with my
(11:44):
cousin during the winter doing awarehouse job and he took me to
this lady at a hot dog cart andhe used to call her the burrito
lady and come to find out itwas the mom that owns this and
she started out with that andshe only had chili burrito, or I
(12:06):
want to say ham and eggburritos or something like that.
She started with this littlehot dog stand.
First she started it right onthe corner before I knew her,
and then she started with thehot dog stand.
Megan (12:15):
A hot dog stand selling burritos Selling burritos.
Jimmy (12:18):
She just had this little two things like the steam plates
because that's all she couldkeep them warm.
Then she turned it into threeor four different types of
burritos that she would makeprobably at home, and then just
keep them warm in the little hotdog stand and steam table.
Then that became a truck andnow she works at a restaurant
and she has the truck so that'sa really cool story oh yeah, um.
(12:44):
And then another staple here inthe area is california sourdough
and people that go to californCalifornia sourdough know about
sourdough.
Actually, I don't even know thename of it the place on First
Street.
I always mess it up.
I always just call it thesourdough place on First Street.
(13:06):
I'll look it up.
Megan (13:09):
I'll look it up.
Jimmy (13:09):
It is not the Uncrustable place.
That place is great, a littletoo chain-y acting for me, where
it's like California sourdoughand the other sourdough place on
First Street are bothmom-and-pop places.
I'm a little bit claustrophobic, so I don't really like the
(13:30):
place on First Street becauseit's a little too small.
Yeah, there's a lot.
I mean all the burger spots youknow, like the local original
joe's, san jose spots, the?
Um.
We were talking to a client theother night and we were talking
about the bold night.
Anybody remember the bold night?
um you're yeah, I guess you'reprobably too young.
(13:54):
If that was a steakhouse andone side was like fancy
steakhouse side, the other sidewas like a diner and they had
fondue and stuff, I noticedthere was fondue and appetizer
and their steak obviously Iwould hope, and I'm trying to
(14:16):
think of some other good spots.
So if anybody can also reachout, I'm also a big fan of
Cougar's House of Pizza.
People either love that placeor hate that place.
Megan (14:26):
My favorite pizza restaurant is Pizza Boca Lupo in
San Pedro Square Market.
It was one of my best friendsin elementary middle school area
.
Her family started therestaurant, so I remember when
it first got started and shethey had.
They started with like a pizzaoven in their backyard and I
would get pizza there.
(14:47):
Like every time she would havea party or a sleepover or
whatever it is, they would makepizza in their little pizza oven
and then it became a restaurantand now I think I really enjoy
it.
It's like Neapolitan-stylepizza though, so it's that like
thin crust, not the like youknow pizza that you get at like
(15:07):
you know Domino's or whatever.
Yeah, but I prefer that type ofpizza, which I know is a hot
take.
It's a hot take.
Jimmy (15:16):
Yeah, it is, it is.
If I go to Thin Crust PizzaPizza, my Heart's, my standby,
I'll try your folks, yourfriend's place, not by San Pedro
Square a lot.
I should go there more.
Megan (15:31):
They have some cool restaurants in there.
They have like um, I was justin there recently, uh, they have
like a Philly cheesesteak placeand they have um a gelato place
and obviously the pizzarestaurant there's like a pasta
restaurant.
They have a lot there.
Yeah, like that's a good placeto go if you're going with a
(15:52):
group of friends who can'tdecide.
There's something for everybodythere, sure.
Jimmy (15:55):
I haven't really been there since Treatbot, my
favorite ice cream place.
It was a truck and kind of asmall batch ice cream place.
Actually, the truck crashed onthe freeway.
It was in a traffic accident.
It never was able to be rebuilt.
I think they kind of lost a lotof money on that and they
(16:17):
couldn't keep the place in SanPedro Square.
But that was amazing.
That is salted caramel Oreocookie ice cream.
Megan (16:32):
Fascinating.
Jimmy (16:32):
Yeah, so it was, like you know, just like an Oreo cookie
thing, but instead of thevanilla ice cream it was like
salted caramel ice cream.
Megan (16:41):
It was really good, that sounds really good.
Jimmy (16:43):
It was really good.
Megan (16:45):
Speaking of ice cream, have you tried the rolled ice
cream at, like icicles style oranything?
Yeah, what is your take on that?
Jimmy (16:56):
um so, first off, I'm an old-fashioned ice cream guy.
Megan (17:01):
I like a good scooped ice cream like we still go to
thrifties fair right like I'm aguy, I mean mint chip from
thrifties's is the way to go.
Jimmy (17:11):
If Jenny and the kids were here, they would say, yes,
jenny also likes the praline andcream from Thrifty's.
I'm a rocky road guy.
Megan (17:22):
That's fair.
Jimmy (17:23):
You know, if you go to our house right now, there's
rocky road ice cream in thefreezer.
We're also big on Moose.
Rocky road ice cream in thefreezer um, we're also big on
moose tracks.
Megan (17:32):
Ice cream.
Oh yes, I used to have thatevery time I went to my aunt's
house.
Jimmy (17:35):
It's the only place I would eat it, but every time I
went yeah, I think we actuallyhave chocolate moose tracks
right now at the house that'sthe one.
Megan (17:42):
That's the one that she had.
The in hers always came in likea black um tub.
I don't know what brand it was.
I just I would recognize it inthe freezer and say, oh, that's
what I'm having.
Jimmy (17:53):
Yeah, what about Sweet Retreat?
It used to be in Las Ganas.
I don't know where the otherone was, and then now it's at
like Snell or Santa Teresa inBlossom Hill.
Megan (18:07):
Not familiar with it.
Jimmy (18:09):
Good homemade ice cream there, good spot.
I'm trying to think of another.
Good ice cream spots that arekind of like locally San Jose
spots.
You know, the client's the onewho gets to take me to ice cream
.
That's true, Right.
So, yeah, that's right.
But we're an ice cream family,Like you know.
(18:31):
If we're going to get a treator something like that, we're
doing that.
Yeah, Last night.
Janie and I went to I think itwas called King's Fish House in
Valley Fair and we got they hada butter cake ice cream and it
(18:54):
kind of had like a really areally good like sorbet.
On top of it was actuallyvanilla french merino ice cream.
It's kind of like the sorbetinside of it, if not like and um
, I don't know.
It was just really really goodwas there any cake involved?
yeah, it was a cake, but it'sreally cool crust on the outside
, but then like this lemonysponge cake on the inside, okay,
and then it had like whippedcream on the outside, like on
the side, like a side piecewhich was interesting.
(19:15):
I was like I should put that onthere.
Then I had some berries.
Jenny swooped the berries likebefore.
I even got a chance.
Megan (19:33):
It was kind of way black , but I think I ate most of the
cake, so it's going to of, youknow, even out um, oh, what's
your san jose cake?
Place, san jose cake place, mykitchen.
Yeah, yeah, I'm a, I'm a baker.
Yeah, yeah, what's your?
Do you have a san jose cakeplace?
Jimmy (19:46):
I, I like all cake.
Can't really go wrong with thecake for me.
Megan (19:54):
That's fair.
Jimmy (19:55):
To say something super controversial, though right now.
I'm not a red velvet guy and Idon't like cream cheese frosting
.
Huh.
I'll stomach buttercreamfrosting if I have to Wink, wink
, nod, nod.
My favorites whipped cream.
Okay, whippedcream frosting.
If I have to wink wink, nod,nod.
My favorite is whipped creamOkay, whipped cream frosting
Okay, but I enjoy, you know, theburnt almond cake from Dick's
(20:20):
right.
Megan (20:20):
Yes, it's a staple San Jose thing, you know, that's my
mom's favorite.
Well, there was two competingalmond cakes, right, like what
was the other place.
Jimmy (20:35):
The Burn Down.
Megan (20:35):
Yes, whichever?
Yeah, I don't remember.
The one that burned down was mymom's absolute favorite cake
and her birthday's coming upactually two days from when
we're recording this, and shewas like the one thing I want is
a burnt almond cake from thatplace, but I can't have it, and
so I'm trying to figure out howto make it.
But they burned down and theynever released the recipe, and
(20:58):
so I think we're going to haveto go with the not that place
recipe.
Jimmy (21:03):
So somebody correct me in the comments or send an email
email at lifesafetycom andcorrect me, but I'm sure I
thought that the two owners ofthe restaurant were brothers.
Megan (21:15):
That's what I've heard.
Jimmy (21:17):
Or they're related somehow, and it was quote
unquote the same recipe butslightly different, and somebody
told me that, God, I can'tthink of the one that burned
down either.
That's gonna bug me.
It's gonna bug me, right and um, that was the reason why they
(21:42):
separated and went to twodifferent places because how
they made the sponge and uh, Idon't know um, but I'm sure
somebody will email us, let usknow.
Megan (21:52):
I'm sure I'm looking it up.
I don't know if I'm gonna findit, though, just searching San
Jose burned down restaurantalmond cake, just burnt almond
cake burned down or somethinglike that.
Jimmy (22:01):
Yeah, and then Peters, peters, thank you.
So we get to go to a lot ofgood burger spots I'm trying to
think of.
Megan (22:09):
I'll say something controversial.
I'm not a huge fan of burgers.
I know you're not, I'm not, soI don't have anything here.
I will eat.
I will go if that's where thegroup is going, but I'm not the
type of person to choose aburger joint, so I don't know.
I mean, I feel like habit hasgood, but here's the thing I
(22:32):
typically get the vegetarian one, so I don't know if that's a
good.
What's it called like a goodbarometer?
yeah, yeah, but I think yeah butI I like the sides, which means
that I like the sides habits,the one with the like, the fried
green beans, or whatever thingsI think so.
Or is that a different?
(22:53):
One.
I like those, and I also likeit if they have sweet potato
fries.
Yeah, I'm not a fan.
Jimmy (23:01):
I don't eat sweet potato much.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, yeah.
Well, we were supposed to talkabout food spots.
We talked about dessert.
I guess that's food.
Yeah, we talked about pizza, alittle bit Uh-huh, and Do you
have a favorite burger spot?
Funny story.
I'm a big fan of Garrett.
Uh-huh.
I'm getting the Garrett burger.
(23:21):
Uh-huh.
St John's is great also.
Megan (23:25):
The Burger Pit, but they just closed down the Burger Pit
.
But they just closed down theBurger Pit, another staple that
just closed, unfortunately, butthey reopened as the Barbecue
Pit, and I've heard really goodthings you have.
Jimmy (23:35):
Yes, okay, that was different owners, though.
Megan (23:37):
Yeah, oh, I don't think it's the same people, but I've
heard good things about the newone.
Jimmy (23:41):
Okay.
Megan (23:42):
Okay, you can take that with a grain of salt, because I
don't like barbecue so.
Jimmy (23:53):
Yeah, like barbecue.
So yeah, yeah.
So we've been kicking aroundgoing there checking it out.
But it's also kind of nostalgiathing like the kids used to do
a little gym in that shoppingcenter next to it and so like if
we had a birthday party at thelower gym, which we had multiple
, and we'd go from there to theburger pit Because everybody
liked burgers and it was easy,and the kids they'd get a kid
menu and things like that, corndogs or whatever it was, I don't
(24:16):
remember.
It was always easy to do, and sowe spent a lot of lunches there
, a lot of linners, lunch anddinners, a lot of dinners and we
actually made a point to gobefore they closed because it
was fun and we really liked thatplace.
For sentimental reasons, I'llgo to Burger Bar.
It's the bag of burger place,as we like to call it, on First
(24:40):
Street and big, so it used to belike 10 burgers for like five
bucks or something like that.
Yes.
Megan (24:49):
I used to live near there.
Jimmy (24:50):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, and then it started by recently
and it was like three burgersfor like $2 or something like
that now or something Stillfairly cheap but you know
inflation whatever.
But I go there like once ortwice a year.
I'll probably go there onMonday.
It's my dad's birthday.
Megan (25:14):
So that's one of my dad's spots to go to, so I'll go
and have a really cheap burger,really cheap burger.
Jimmy (25:17):
And um yeah, let us know your favorite spots to eat and
uh, be safe peace, peace.
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