Progesso Tamale Parlor

The Progresso Tamale Parlor on Third Street is definitely a part of Hollister’s history. It has been around since 1939. For many old-time and once-upon-a-time locals, it is the restaurant to go to for Mexican food. For me, it was the first sit-down restaurant that I ever dined at. I was probably in sixth or seventh grade. My brother was taking my parents and me out—his first treat, of many.

Being a rather shy kid who stressed out when in public, I don’t remember much of that first restaurant outing, other than small tables, night fall, and lights that reminded me of Christmas (maybe it was around Christmas). Last Saturday, after a fun day at the county fair, Dick and I decided we’d eat at Progresso. All I can say is: What took me so long (over 40 years) to go back to eat there?

Right off, we got a basket of chips and salsa. My first chip was a flour one. Nice surprise. Never had that before. Several chips later, I came across a corn one. How cool to have both. The salsa had just the right amount of heat.

I ordered the chile relleno dinner, one of my standards for testing out new restaurants. The dinner came with rice, beans (refried or whole), and either salad or soup. The choice that night was cactus soup. Dick’s order was a combination of chile relleno, cheese enchilada, and beef taco. A lot of food, but he managed to polish all but a bit of rice.

The cactus soup was double yummy. The beef broth was rich and tasty with cactus bits in every spoonful. I’ll be sure to have that again. The refried beans were the kind I like. Thick and flavorable. They would be perfect to wrap in a tortilla and then deep-fry. I don’t normally like the rice that comes with a Mexican meal. It usually tastes bland and I think it shouldn’t because it’s red. Progresso's rice was yummy. To top it off, the cook had put a black olive on top of the rice. That made me feel warm and comforted. Black olives were treats when I was a kid, and my Auntie Virginia always put black olives in her tamales.

The chile relleno was mild, did not ooze of cheese, and tasted more of the egg batter than the chile itself. The dark sauce, my favorite part, reminded me of my Aunt Virginia’s cooking. The chile relleno was not one of the best ones I’ve ever eaten, but I would order it again if I’m in the mood for a chile relleno when I’m at Progresso.

Yup. I’ll be going there again, and I won’t wait another 40 years to do so. I have heard raves about their tamales for years. That’s next up to try.

Be sure to check out the Progresso web site. Along with seeing a menu and reading about its history, the owners posts recipes for tamales and other foods.

For another Hollister restaurant review, check out: Happy Cafe.

Hanging Out at the County Fair

A pocket holder for band-aids from Hazel Hawkins Hospital.

A yellow rubber stress reliever from the Seniors Council.

A box of cute note cards, by students of San Benito rural schools, from the E Cubed Foundation.

Trail maps of Henry W. Coe State Park http://www.coepark.org.


Six raffle tickets for a hand-made quilt fundraiser by the Community Pantry.

Those were a few things that we brought home from the San Benito County Fair. That and a cozy feeling of being relaxed and protected from realities, even when passing by the NRA, the Democratic and Republican parties', and the various law enforcement booths. It was ironic, though, that no one was manning the bank booth when we passed by.

I didn’t bring home an honorable mention ribbon like I had hoped. Qué bummer. Maybe next year, I’ll enter different crafts and flower arrangement categories to expand my chances for a ribbon.

There was quite a lot of good stuff to see, especially among the children’s entries. My favorites were

. . .the vegetable animals

. . .the flag made of marshmallows

. . .the white chick who reminded me of Phyllis Diller

. . .the ceramic piggy and the real piggy named Oreo

. . .the cake made in the shape of a ladybug

. . . the humongous pumpkins

. . .and these two gentle horsemen!

Wanted: Rain!

On Friday, we had a rare sighting—potential rain clouds!

On Saturday morning, we woke up to a rare sound—rain!

The news reported about an 1/8 of an inch of rain for Hollister. Hardly enough. But it’s a start. And we hope that is what it is!

For a great local resource for water conservation, check out Water Resources Association of San Benito County. The nonprofit organization offers rebates to folks who buy water efficient washer-dryers, toilets, and other things. They also perform free assessments of leaks and such for residents.

The San Benito County Fair

The San Benito County Fair will be this weekend. I’m ready to go!

It’s not an annual thing for me, but I like to go now and then. I enjoy wandering around the commercial exhibits and picking up freebies, as well as Ooh-ing and Wow!-ing as I gaze at the arts, crafts, food, and plant entries. Checking out the goats, chickens, pigs, and cows in the livestock pens is fun, too. I would love to raise a few chickens and a goat or two. To check out the Fair schedule, click here.

The last time we went to the fair, Dick and I each paid a buck to see The Strange Thing. It was a creepy, shriveled looking thing called the Chupacabra. Yuk! The buck was well worth it though. Not because we saw something strange and mysterious, but because we got to travel through a time warp and feel like kids again waiting to be surprised and coming out of the tent cracking up at ourselves for giving up our dollars so easily.

This year, I’ve entered something in the fair. Actually three things in the novice division of the photography category. Hee-hee. First time I've ever entered something in a county fair, and I've always wanted to do so. (Thanks Linda B. “Lady in Red” for inspiring me!) For all I know, there may be an honorable mention ribbon hanging from at least of ‘em right now. That’s what I hope.

Tuesday evening, Dick and I drove over to Bolado Park so I could drop off my entries. We had no idea where to go, but fortunately a couple walked by carrying artsy-looking stuff. So we followed them. They were delivering their kids’ entries. The mom was lugging a ceramic rendering of a stack of pancakes, while the dad held a firm grip on several photographs. We passed by people who were setting up their booths and tables. We heard (and smelled) livestock as we made our way to the appropriate building.

It was a wonderful joyous, and determined, feeling in the air. So much sparking and sparkle of energy as people flitted here, flitted there to make sure everything and everyone was where it, he, or she needed to be. That is what I missed all these years of not entering something into the fair. I’m glad had a chance to experience it.

I can hardly wait to go to the Fair. Maybe, there’ll be a new strange thing to see. Maybe I will have won an honorable-mention ribbon. Maybe I will see you there!

An Art Museum? A Vista Point? It's Both and More!

We have million-dollar art to check out for free in Hollister. Head over to the Briggs Building, which is near the corner of San Benito Street & Fourth Street. That’s the parking garage.

That’s right, I wrote parking garage. You can't miss it. It’s a four-story structure, the tallest one in town. It was built in the 1990s for about $6 million with RDA funds. At full capacity, it can hold about 140 vehicles, so I’ve read. I know, that’s a lot of taxpayers' pennies.


Few people use the parking garage. Maybe the building is just too beautiful to park in. Seriously, the building itself is a piece of art. If I didn’t know it was a parking lot, I would say it was a school (Gavilan College does hold classes on the first floor). Maybe a government building or a fancy department store. Maybe even an art museum, which brings me back to the topic of seeing some fine art there.

Start your tour by the stairway next to the elevator on the southeast corner of the building. First, admire the aesthetics of the stairway design.

Now, start walking up the stairs. Sure, you can take the elevator but there’s more joy in suddenly coming upon each piece of art as you gaspingly reach the top of a floor.

Pause at the top of each floor for your breath. Also, take note of the beauty of the art piece telling you what floor you’re on.

On the rooftop, I noticed a few more of these art pieces telling me I’m on the fourth floor. So I assume that’s the case on the other floors.

To tell you the truth, I no longer was interested in seeing and viewing man-made art when I came out on the rooftop. I was immediately astounded by the view of Hollister and the mountain ranges that surround it. The almost 360-degree view of Hollister is worth an occasional trip to the top of the roof of Hollister’s multi-million dollar parking garage.


There you go. A parking garage that's both a free fine arts museum and a vista point. Plus, you can park there.