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In case you've missed a newspaper... Read on! |
A Great meal
While most every restaurant in town sat quiet Thursday, the Great Plate
Bar and Grill was filled with the spirited ambiance it’s known for.
People lined up outside the restaurant at 10 a.m. to wait for the doors to
open for the restaurant’s Feed the Need free Thanksgiving dinner.
The restaurant started feeding folks a decade ago when they invited 15
people to eat. Each Thanksgiving, more people circle the restaurant’s
tables than the previous Thanksgiving to enjoy the food and the company of
volunteers and guests.
Great Plate owner Shawn Perry estimated that at least 400 people went to
Feed the Need on Thursday and got their fill of turkey, mashed potatoes,
gravy, cranberries, pie and all the extras expected for a Thanksgiving
feast.
“I see these people wandering the streets out here every day,” Perry said.
“They know they can come here today for a free meal.”
James Ayala had already eaten his turkey dinner at the Great Plate 15
minutes after the doors opened. He said he was happy to have company
Thursday. His father died two years ago, and his mother lives in Texas.
“I don’t know where I would’ve gone otherwise,” Ayala, 41, said.
About 125 volunteers — more than in any other year — worked to cook and
serve the dinners and deliver 60 meals to people who couldn’t leave their
homes. The restaurant received about 80 donated turkeys and cooked about
50. Leftovers will go to McHenry House Family Shelter and Tracy Interfaith
Ministries.
“It’s fun to give back to people who need help,” said Maryssa Davidson,
16, who rolled out of bed at 7 a.m. and spent two hours slicing turkey for
the dinner.
Volunteer servers circled the restaurant’s counter in an orderly fashion
to pile plates full of holiday food.
“It’s fun to come and help people out,” agreed Breanna Noriega, 15, as she
carried a brimming plate to a guest. “You know you’re helping people have
a better day.”
Greater Plate
Restaurant Revamped to Receive Theater Crowd
By
September 06, 2007 6:00 AM
You don't need to convince the proprietors of the Great Plate Bar and Grill of the benefits of following that old business adage about location, location, location. After all, the restaurant has been a staple on the San Joaquin County dining scene for nearly a decade thanks in part to its address in the heart of Tracy's burgeoning downtown.
The benefits of location, however, are likely to take a new twist in the coming months. Next weekend, Tracy's Grand Theatre Center for the Arts opens with a gala featuring Linda Ronstadt. From there, the calendar is marked by local stage productions and art exhibits, to say nothing of performances by international artists such as Grammy nominee Perla Batalla and classical guitarist Paul Galbraith.
And where is the Great Plate? Directly across the street from the Grand. Surely, it was no mere coincidence that the restaurant closed for a few days over the summer to revamp its decor and menu.
So what can Grand Theater patrons expect when they stop by for a preshow meal or a drink afterward? The answer is a dining experience not that much different from what Great Plate patrons have been enjoying for years.
To be sure, there have been some changes made at the Great Plate. Management wisely has chosen to tone down the bar and grill's tiki decor, retaining the sense of fun but introducing some semblance of subtlety. The dining room has a more open, welcoming feel while the bar comes across a tad quieter but no less festive than before.
As for the menu, it bristles with new items. A cursory glance reveals a chargrilled chicken salad ($9.99), the Curve Ball Burger ($8,99), the Tri-Tip Wrap ($8.99) and the Brownie Blitz dessert ($3.99).
We began with the tried-and-true Jalapeño Poppers ($6.99), which arrived so piping hot it took a few minutes before we could touch them. There's nothing particularly novel or healthy in this appetizer - what do you expect from jalapeños stuffed with cream cheese, then battered and fried? - but there's no denying the taste. The poppers went particularly well with the microbrews ordered from the bar.
Pizza is not new to the Great Plate but the revised menu does feature some novel twists on this favorite. The Chipotle Jolt Pizza ($10.99-$16.99) offers plenty of tangy flavor with its crisp crust covered in chipotle sauce-soaked chicken as well as bacon, mozzarella cheese, chopped onion and garlic. The personal size proved more than enough for two hungry people.
The serving was equally generous when it came to the Super Chicken Sandwich ($6.75). The savory chicken was thoroughly grilled but still moist, the entire enterprise enclosed in a warm, toasted bun.
The Great Plate has never been a place for haute cuisine; it simply serves up satisfying food prepared with a certain panache. That said, management certainly has upped the ante in recent weeks, the restaurant perhaps pointing the way to downtown's further development once the Grand Theatre is open for business.
Food review
The Great Plate Bar and Grill *** A reliable dining experience.
Information: (209) 833-0862,
www.thegreatplate.com
Bathrooms: Clean
Parking: In lot
Price: Value: $15 and less
-------------------------------The Great Plate Bar & Grill
Tracy's Beer Oasis
by Mike Pitsker (Celebrator Beer News June, 2001)
The town of Tracy, Calif., east of the San Francisco Bay Area, has been growing. Narrow streets have widened; new homes have sprung up in former farmers' fields; industries, shops and restaurants have sprouted as fast as the wheat and alfalfa in the fields that the urban growth is pushing farther out.
In the older part of town, though, downtown Tracy looks much as it has since the 1950s. On Central Avenue, one old building has shown many faces in the past century. It began as a railway union hall back in 1906, or was it 1913? Not even the old-timers know for sure. It's been transformed through the subsequent decades from an eagles' aerie to a Moose lodge. It tried on a shoe store for size, took a shot at selling sporting goods, racked 'em up as a pool hall and served so many different kinds of food and drink in so many different incarnations to so many different generations that only the building remembers. Things may have settled down, though. The new tenants are likely to stay awhile.
The Great Plate Bar & Grill opened its doors on Thanksgiving Day in 1998. The first day of "business" was the third annual Thanksgiving feed that brothers and co-owners Shawn and Brandon Perry put on for the homeless and hungry of the area.
"We have our annual feed to serve the needs of anyone who has no place else to go," said Shawn. "Every Thanksgiving, we still close the restaurant and have people from town volunteer to serve those in need. The idea has continued to grow ever since we started."
Shawn and Brandon had an idea that it would be fun to gather plates from all over the world to decorate the place, and The Great Plate was born. They've had several musicians sign plates for display.
"Phil Vasser, who tours with Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, came in and did a private show here and now has a plate displayed with his autograph," said Shawn. "Customers have plates on the wall as well. Parties of eight or more get to sign and decorate a plate, and we put it up."
The Great Plate boasts 24 draught beer taps and a full bar to go with a pub-style menu. "We've won several 'Best of' awards here in Tracy," Shawn said. "We have the best steak in town, and our pizza is outstanding. We also won Best Place to Dance, Best Place to Meet Singles and Best Bar/Pub. We've won 11 awards so far."
There are many reasons The Great Plate gets so much attention in a city growing as fast as Tracy, but they can be reduced to the most important one: service. Most of the staff has been with the Perry brothers since the beginning. Some of them are past and present volunteers for the Thanksgiving feed, and all have their "regulars."
"One of the reasons customers keep coming back is because they know what kind of service they're going to get," Shawn said. "We have an unusually personable relationship with our customers, and I know they appreciate that. I hear over and over again that we are just like the Cheers bar where 'everybody knows your name.'"
Best-selling beers include Sierra Nevada Pale and Celebration Ales, Gordon Biersch Märzen, Guinness Stout, Pete's Wicked Ale and Widmer Hefeweizen. "We throw a pint party every Wednesday evening featuring a different microbrew on tap," Shawn said. Recent guest brews have included Red Seal Ale and Pranqster from North Coast Brewing, Boont Amber from Anderson Valley, Red Sky Ale from St. Stan's in Modesto,
and various Portland Brewing products. Local breweries Oakdale Brewing and Kelley Brothers Brewing have enjoyed pint promos as well.
The fun doesn't end there. Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights offer live music featuring local bands - and sometimes a recording star - and on Thursday night everyone sings about the karaoke party. This is a lively establishment peopled by exuberant employees, all with a constant smile and the knowledge that they serve a superior product. You can't beat
that kind of service -- or outgrow it.
The Great Plate Bar & Grill
714 Central Ave.
Tracy, CA 95376
209-833-0862
Mike Pitsker is a beer buff who makes San Leandro, Calif., his
home.
Copyright 2001, Celebrator
March 3, 2001; Tri-Valley Herald by Mark Abramson
TRACY - No gutter balls, no problem - yeah right.
That is not the case in a new high-tech bowling game at The Great Plate Bar & Grill. The game is called HyperBowl and it is virtual reality bowling for the 21st century.
A computer projector displays the lane on a wall. But these are no ordinary lanes - well, except when playing the classic option.
Bowlers must guide the ball down the streets of San Francisco and up hills while dodging cable cars to hit the pins within a certain time limit.
HyperBowlers also have to be careful not to slam into fire hydrants and light poles.
Another lane has HyperBowlers guiding the ball along a rocking boat, being careful not to fall into the cargo hold or end up in the drink, which are the same as getting a gutter ball.
For nature lovers, there's a bowl through the Yosemite lane around trees and over rocks sticking out of a stream.
Bowlers twist and turn along the courses by rolling a bowling ball attached to a computer. It's a lot like using a trackball. The San Francisco course is a good workout, as Hyperbowlers have got to get up enough speed to climb a hill.
The game seems to be an instant hit with people who play.
"This is cool," HyperBowler Mark Curry, 46, of Manteca, said. "It's as much fun (as real bowling) and I don't have to put on bowling shoes."
The Great Plate owners, brothers Brandon and Shawn Perry, found out about Hyperbowl while playing it at the Metreon in San Francisco. Like most people who play it, they got hooked.
"It's like you are in a different world," Shawn Perry said. "We are always looking for something new and exciting."
New and exciting in Hyperbowl may mean software with different lanes. Virtually anything can be turned into a lane. Hyperbowlers in the future may find themselves navigating in the Grand Canyon or dodging cars in Times Square.
The Great Plate has two lanes with the $45,000 machines, but if it takes off, space can be made for another, Brandon Perry said.
Children also seem to like it.
"I love it; it's fun," Dan Corbett, 13, of Tracy, said. "It's just a whole lot more interesting (than normal bowling). There are a lot more obstacles."
The first person to bowl a perfect game, a 300, gets $1,000. So far, the high score is 245. The scoring is the same as regular bowling.
November 24, 2000; Tracy Press by Denise Ellen Rizzo
Thanksgiving has traditionally been a day to spend with family and friends enjoying a home cooked meal, but for those without the comfort of loved ones nearby, there were two local organizations reaching out.
The West Valley Christian Ministries and The Great Plate Bar & Grill hosted their annual independent Thanksgiving Day meals for the needy on Thursday. Both organizations were hoping to feed between 100 and 400 people.
"This is what it is all about," said the Rev. Ronald Ballew of West Valley Christian Ministries, "being thankful and giving back to those less fortunate. That is why we do it on Thanksgiving Day, because it's a day when people are alone and lonely."
As volunteers at the church manned the serving area and others cheerfully brought meals of turkey and all the trimmings to residents sitting at beautifully decorated tables, all expressed a feeling of family.
"This is the first time I've done this," said volunteer and minister of Calvary Christian Church in Manteca, Jim Day. "My family and I like to do things together and my daughter said she would like to volunteer, so my wife began to call around and see who needed help. It's a great way to spend the day, and it's also our 32nd wedding anniversary."
Another group of volunteers at the West Valley dinner was Melissa Fahey and her parents, Renee and John Doze. The two women were festively dressed in their turkey hats, preparing dishes for the many volunteer servers, and they, too, said they came because of a desire to help others.
"This is our church, so we spent yesterday cooking turkeys and making homemade mashed potatoes," said Doze. "It's the best way to spend Thanksgiving."
Other preparers of the more than 100 ponds of potatoes included Marcella Moore and her family, Jonathan, 11, Joshua, 8 and Ashley, 4. Moore said it was her third year helping West Valley Christian Ministries with the Thanksgiving holiday.
"You get a tremendous warmth helping people who otherwise wouldn't have anything," she said. "The church gives you a felling of accomplishment and we do it because it feels good."
One Tracy family that attended the meal spanned three generations. Cynthia Goddard, her mother, Katheryn, and grandmother Opal Davis sat and enjoyed the food and what they called a sense of family that surrounded them.
"We've been part of the church for a year and a half," said Katheryn, "and it's like family.
"The people here are so wonderful," said Cynthia. "It warms my heart and you get a special feeling because the people here are special."
The grandmother of the group, Opal, said she first came to Tracy as a child in 1929, and said she loves the extended family she has gained through the church.
"I love it here, and the people are fabulous," she said.
At The Great Plate Bar & Grill, a steady stream of people came in and out of the restaurant for a free holiday meal. Brothers Brandon and Shawn Perry, who own and operate the restaurant, started the event three years ago as a way to give back to the community of Tracy.
"There aren't many homeless in tow, and that is why we call it the 'Feed the Need' Thanksgiving Dinner," said Shawn. "Last year we served around 100 people and this year we expect 150, every year it goes up."
Shawn also noted that they hold an annual canned goods drive and pre-Thanksgiving band concert to raise money too help those in need beyond this holiday.
"We close the restaurant (to the public) for the entire day, so anyone that needs a meal can come in," said Brandon. "We wanted to give back to those who helped us."
One thankful group included the members of the Hernandez family, who live near the restaurant. Celsa Hernandez said her son Rafale told them about the event.
Rafale said that the best part of the day was "the turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and apple pie."
October 2, 2000; Tracy
Press by Jonathan Partridge
While on the subject of food, Tracy moms may want to know that The
Great Plate Bar & Grill is dedicating Tuesday evenings to mothers.
With the purchase of three meals, mom's eat for free any time
between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Tuesdays.
It all should start this week, said Brandon Perry, who
owns the restaurant with his brother Shawn.
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