Westaurant Weview: Steak Corral

EDITOR'S NOTE:   I aplogize in advance for the title of this post.   I also apologize for this post.   Heck, I apologize for this whole darn blog, and would apologize for the internet as well if I had created it (Scientific Fact:  Al Gore created it).

I love a good "themed" restaurant.   Nowdays, themed restaurants seem to be found only in theme parks or entertainment complexes, but back in the 50's and 60's they flourished.   Places like Farrell's, Don the Beachcomber's or Clifton's Cafeteria's took us on a culinary journey away from the humdrum and made dining an exciting adventure at a reasonable price.   Very few of these original restaurants exist today (although Farrell's is in the midst of a comeback).

One of my favorites was a place call "Steak Corral" that existed in West Covina for several years.  The chain started in 1961 and operated restaurants throughout Southern California.   The theme was the old west, and the accouterments all were themed to a old John Wayne movie.  The West Covina branch was opened in 1970 and was one of the last remaining restaurants in the chain for quite some time.  The restaurant was shaped like a large octagon.   Inside the octagon was a series of chuckwagons placed in a circle around the cooking area.  You would order your steak at the first wagon, then follow the chuckwagon line to choose your salads, sides and drinks.  I enjoyed several visits to this steakhouse for years, until one day I read the article I had been expecting, yet dreading for some time:   Steak Corral was closed.   Norm's had bought the site and would remodel it into a Norm's.  I was crushed.   Never again would I saddle up to the chuckwagon for a hunk of meat and a slice o' pie.

However, just like in a Zane Gray novel, old cowboy restaurants never truly die.  One day recently I was combing the internet looking for old pictures of Steak Corral, and I came across an address for a Steak Corral in Whittier.   Well, I nearly fell out of my chair.   There was ANOTHER Steak Corral still in existence?   I saddled up the Honda and before you could say "medium rare" I was on Washington Blvd.  Soon, the aging yet beaming Steak Corral sign came into view.

Now, if you look at the logo above carefully, Steak Corral is not a restaurant, but a Westaurant.  That's right, it calls itself a Westaurant to subtly drive home the fact that it's a Western-themed restaurant.   Other subtleties include calling the restrooms, "Westrooms"   Is that class, or what?  The best I can do is follow suite.  So....

 

 Steak Cowwal's theming begins the minute you dwive into the parking lot and walk to the fwont door.   Outside, desert succuwants and cactus gwow, next to a large statue of The Steak Cowwal Kid.   He's like a western version of Bob's Big Boy, except he ends up at far less college fwaternities.

Inside, the walls are adorned with assorted western pawaphanalia.  Hanging fwom the ceiling is their simple yet tantawizing menu:

You order your steak, then just like in the Covina westaurant, you walk along the chuckwagon to make your own sawad from the sawad bar, choose your dwink, and decide on a dessert.  They then give you a western nameplate and you wetreat to a table.   The meal is bwought to your table.

The Chuckwagons

The Salad Bar

The meal itself is gweat for the pwice.   Where else can you get a good steak with all the fixin's for under $15?  The steak is a nice, hearty chunk, well-gwilled to your specifications.  They have a gweat baked potato bar where you can doctor up your potato any way you'd wike.   It also features fixin's for your steak, such as onions, peppers and welish.   The cheese bwead is also tasty.  My dining partner bought sevewal pieces to eat at home. 

Best of all, the kid's meal contains a cowboy boot sundae, served inside a boot.   But even better than that:  Ask your waitwess for an Indian headwess.  They'll give you an authentic Indian headband and feather to wear while you eat, which of course I did thwough the entire meal.   And in the parking lot.   And all the way home.

The Westaurant was a twue step back in time, and a gweat place to sit down and enjoy a delicious steak at a weasonable pwice.   I heartly recommend a visit!

EDITOR'S NOTE:  If I ever lose my job, it's nice to know I can get a job writing for Elmer Fudd.   Although I don't recommend it.

Restaurant Review: Chili John's

Ahhh,Chili, the ultimate comfort food.   What can be more satisfying than a bowl of warm chili on a cold rainy day?   Chili is one of my favorite meals, and I'm always on the lookout for a good bowl of red. 

Chili is one of those dishes whose history is shrouded in mystery.   One thing is certain, it is NOT from Mexico.  The origins of chili are believed to have come from the Spaniards and the Aztecs, but chili really took root in the great US Southwest during the 1800's.  Popular on cattle drives, the various chili recipes traveled across the US and eventually took root in small chili parlors that began appearing in the early 1900's.  Most cities had at least one chili parlor.   Looked on as "peasant's food" it is estimated that the chili from chili parlors saved more people from starvation during the Great Depression than the American Red Cross.  Chili was cheap and crackers were free.  The Dictionary of American Regional English described chili joints as: "A small cheap restaurant, particularly one that served poor quality food."

Despite its reputation as peasant food, chili has a remarkably large following.  Walt Disney, Clark Gable and Ladybird Johnson were known as big fans of chili.  Will Rogers tasted chili wherever he went and kept a scorecard, rating cities by the quality of their chili.   Jesse James once refused to rob a bank in McKinney, Texas because his favorite chili parlor was located there.  Chasen's Restaurant in Hollywood supposedly had one of the best chili recipes served anywhere, so good that Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt begged Dave Chasen for the recipe (they were refused, but Chasen sent them a batch of chili complimentary).  Elizabeth Taylor had Chasen's chili sent to her while filming Cleopatra in Rome. 

Chili parlors are still very common in the Midwest.   One of my favorites is Chili John's, a staple in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where my mother grew up.  Chili John's began in 1913 by John Issac and is still a favorite of the chili aficionados.  When we visited Green Bay when I was growing up, a trip to Chili John's was mandatory.  I have always been disheartened that Southern California has no chili parlors to speak of.  

Then, one day, I ran across a fact that set my epicurean taste buds on end.  In 1946, Ernie Issac, son of John Issac, moved to Burbank California and opened Chili John's, California.  This restaurant still survives today as the oldest restaurant in Burbank.  Well, you could've knocked me over with a oyster cracker.   For years I had been enjoying Chili John's chili on the occasional trip to Wisconsin, and now I find out that the chili I have been craving has been served for years in Burbank, only 45 minutes from my house!  I am now a semi-regular, visiting Chili John's in Burbank every time I'm in the neighborhood. 

Chili John's is a pretty typical chili parlor like you'd expect to see in the Midwest.   No tables here, the dining area is a large u-shaped counter set around the serving area.  A large mural of The Great Outdoors is plastered across the far wall.  The menu consists of a few sandwiches and things, but nobody ever orders that stuff.   The main dish here is chili, served in a variety of ways.

No problem getting a seat here...

You have a lot of choices to make when ordering chili at Chili John's.  First of all, they have three temperatures, ranging from mild to medium to hot.   Then, there are the extras.  This would be a good chance to learn some chili terminology.  In the Midwest, you can order chili "two-way" three-way" "four-way" or "five-way" depending on the extras you want in your chili.   Confused?   Here is the meaning of each "way":

Bowl: chili in a bowl

Two-way: chili and spaghetti

Three-way: chili, spaghetti, and cheese

Four-way: chili, spaghetti, cheese, and onions

Five-way: chili, spaghetti, cheese, onions, and beans

Chili John's also has chicken chili or vegetarian chili available.  I mention this only so that I can say that I have covered that angle. Now that I've said it, forget I mentioned it. You want BEEF chili. 

This picture is missing the cheese.   Their loss. 

I get the mild version of the chili, as I admit, I am a wimp when it comes to hot food.  Five-way is also my chosen "way".  Once the chili is served, you next want to pour a heap of oyster crackers onto the chili.  These particular crackers were supposedly invented by John Issac specifically for his chili.   Then, stir it all up until the entire mess is saturated with chili, then dive in.   Trust me, you won't get a better bowl of chili in Southern California.  Personally, my stomach is growling as I type this.

My bowl, after I started devouring it then remembered i was supposed to take a picture.

They also serve their chili on tamales, hot dogs and other products which I'm sure I would enjoy if I ever tried them.  But I haven't.   CHILI is the thing to order here. 

The only issue with Chili John's is the hours.   They are rarely open late, and they often close down for a few weeks while their owners are on vacation.   Be sure to check their Facebook page before driving out there, or you'll be like me on my second visit, banging my head against a door with a "gone fishing" sign firmly attached.

Chili John's has earned numerous awards for "Best Chili in the Southland" and was featured on the Food Channel.  Below, you can see Guy Fieri visiting the restaurant as a part of his "Diner's, Drive-ins and Dives"cable show.  I suggest you do the same!

Bye, Bye Bahooka...

 



What rotten news.   I just heard from my brother that one of my favorite restaurants, The Bahooka, is closing next month.   I reviewed the restaurant HERE, and if you have never been, I urge you to pay a visit now before this original, one of a kind tiki restaurant goes the way of dial phones and fiscal conservatism.    



I've been expecting it for a while...  the last few times I visited, it was fairly empty and half the restaurant was "dark."   I liked it that way; it was like having your very own Polynesian hideaway.  No other people around to take away the atmosphere... just the Hawaiian music, the colorful strings of lights, and the hum of the many fish tanks that dominated the available wall space.  Every time I went I noticed something new and exciting.   I had hoped that one day I would hold an event in their funky banquet room (which was also adorned with fishtanks), but it looks like that won't be happening. 

 

The waiting area.   Here I watched fish building little hills by putting rocks in their mouth on one side of the tank, then depositing them on top of an ever-increasing pile on the other side.   I could've watched for hours.

The cashier station.   If you wanted a good table you could slip them a fin (Fish joke #32) 

The interior.

This is the table I got.   I guess a fin wasn't quite enough of a tip.

The banquet room.   As you can see, this wasn't exactly your Elk's Club rental hall.

I'll be sure to stop by for one last meal, and report back on the visit.   Be sure to make your own memory while you have the chance...



Restaurant Review #3: The Bahooka Restaurant

Tiki bars were a big thing in the 1940'3 and 1950's.   Places like Don the Beachcomber, Trader Vic's and the like were the popular places to go to sip mai tais and zombies.  Tiki bars have recently experienced a resurgence, with many new tiki bars opening up around the hip places in LA.   Heck, Disneyland just opened one at the Hotel, called Trader Sams.  However, if you want to go to an authentic 50's tiki bar that is anything but trendy, head for the Bahooka Restaurant in Rosemead, CA. 


The Bahooka actually opened up in 1967, a little late in the tiki craze.   However, you'd never know it was a latecomer.  The entire place is agog with nautical artifacts, tiki architecture, and fishtanks.   TONS of fishtanks.   It's rumored that there are over 100 fishtanks in this restaurant, and I'd be the last one to argue this estimate.   And these fish aren't your doctor's-waiting-room variety, either.   We are talking large tropical fish, small sharks, turtles and the like.   As you walk into the lobby, you are greeted by Rufus, a 33-year old pacu that is enormous.   If you're in luck, you may catch the restaurant staff feeding Rufus carrots.  Not a place you'll want to stick your fingers.

Cashier station (click for larger view)

As you are taken to your table, you'll pass by the small bar.   The restaurant is famous for its tiki drinks, but the bar itself is something to behold...   it's a large fishtank.   As you place your drink on the counter you can look down and see turtles and fish glide past the bottom of your glass.   If you drink like a fish, you'll be in good company.

At your table, you are guaranteed a great view of the tropical fish.  Each booth is surrounded by at least three tanks, plus various others around the seating area.   Did I mention that the Bahooka is known for their drinks?   I am not a drinker myself, but here I always indulge in something just for the presentation.   The Bahooka Ade is my drink of choice.   Yes, it's non alcoholic, but it's brought out in a flaming bowl for two.   The other drinks are all wonderful, according to those of you who know.   You can't go wrong when your drink is served with a little paper parasol.

The food is...   adequate.  It's good, but the food is not the main reason you are coming here.   Polynesian ribs are the specialty here, which come with a pineapple glaze that I really enjoyed.   The chicken had a teriyaki glaze that was delicious as well.   Desserts are not worth mentioning, so I won't.  

Before you leave the Bahooka, be sure to walk around and take in all the decor.   There is one seating area for small groups that is located in a jail.   The banquet room is awash in color and yes, more fishtanks.   Christmas lights adorn one of my favorite booths.  And the fish are really worth seeing.   It's like getting a free visit to an aquarium with every meal.   My favorite fish are the ones that build mountains.   It's something to see:   they use their mouths to scoop up mounds of the gravel from the bottom of the tanks, then spit it all out on the highest point in the tank, creating a mountain.  


With the re-introduction of Tiki Architecture across LA, this restaurant is well worth a visit.   It's conveniently located off the 10 Freeway, on Rosemead Blvd.   Aloha, and Numi Kai Tan Yo!  (that's Hawaiian for "even though the bowl is meant for two, you really don't have to share.")

Click on the pictures for larger views.   Disclaimer:   If you have a fear of fish, I do not recommend this place.   This is directed at a certain reader:   YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!

Restaurant Review #2: The Apple Pan

Like a great baseball pitcher, I hate to show off my best pitches so early in the game.   If I give you all my best restaurants so early in my blogging, I'll have nothing to write about later.  But I would hate to be hit by a bus and have left this planet without blogging about one of my favorite restaurants of all time, the Apple Pan.

The Apple Pan has been in business since 1947, and constantly rates as among the best burgers in Los Angeles.   In my humble opinion, it is the best.   It consists of a U-shaped counter the surrounds the cooking area, and that's it.   Not tables, no booths, so be prepared to sit at the counter 'cause that is all there is.   If there are no seats available, you'll need to wait.   Take note of the other people waiting for spots, so you know when it's your turn to nab the next available seats.   There are unwritten rules of etiquette here, and it's downright unsportsmanlike for you to grab seats before your turn.  Believe me, I've tried.  I don't think "Unsportsmanlike" was exactly the phrase the guy used as he threw me through onto Pico Blvd., but who can hear with salt shakers stuffed in each ear?

The restaurant has changed little in the last 60-some years, and that includes the waiters.   They may seem grumpy at first, but give them time, they will grow on you.   It's exactly what you'd expect at a 1940's lunch counter, and fits into the atmosphere perfectly.

The menu is small...  burgers, a few sandwiches, pies and drinks.   It's easy to order.   First of all, forget the sandwiches entirely.   I have heard great things about them, but that's not why you are here.   You're here for a burger, darn it.   I, personally, prefer the Hickory burger, which is served dripping with a red hickory sauce that's both sweet, tangy and a perfect compliment to the Tillamook cheese.  The lettuce is crispy, the bun is toasted, and I think I have started to drool.  More than normal, I mean.

This is a no-frills place.   The burger is served wrapped in paper.  Sodas are served in cans and bottles, with cone-style cups placed in metal holders.  These holders were eliminated at one point, as the restaurant couldn't find a supplier to replace the ones that had worn out (read: stolen) throughout the years.   Fortunately, replacements were located, and and the cups returned.

Now for dessert...   At a place called the Apple Pan, one would think you should have the apple pie.   Yeah, yeah, the apple pie is great, everyone loves it, highly rated, yadda-yadda-yadda...   But to quote the race track tout on the old Jack Benny Show (now THERE is a reach)...  "psst, hey, bud, take the banana cream pie."  Huge chunks of banana are in a delicious banana filling, placed in a perfect crust and topped with a cream topping....   The best banana cream pie ever.   EVER.   In the history of banana cream pies, this is the pie that everything else was building up to.  My lunch partner, upon finding out the last piece of pie was just sold, was ready to walk over to the guest who ordered it and offer them $20 for the slice.   True story.  I talked her out of it, but I'm not sure I made the right decision.  Remind me to tell you about the time she spent $20 on a dozen Krispy Kream donuts.   And don't get me started on the Piggley-Wiggley fries story.   That one is for a later blog.

They are open until midnight on weekdays and 1 AM on weekends, closed Mondays.  They only accept cash, so be ready to pay cash (after finishing my meal, I had to run across the street to an ATM to pay my bill.   The waiter only kept my watch as collateral.  I think he was joking, but don't ask me what time it is).  Be sure to stop by when you are out that way, and make sure you invite me.....

Restaurant Review #1: Chris N Pitts

Chris 'n' Pitts began in Lynwood in the 1940's. At one time, there were over twenty Chris 'n' Pitts restaurants scattered across the Southland; now we are down to only three. The recent announcement that my local Chris 'n' Pitts (near Disneyland) had closed down was enough to get me searching for the last three remaining restaurants. As of this posting, I have visited two of them. I looking for someone brave enough to travel into Downey for #3.
Most restaurants that were founded in the 1940's undergo some revisions throughout the years to keep up with the current trends. They will upgrade the facilities, offer trendy new menu items, or perhaps design a flashy new menu. Chris 'n' Pitts hasn't done any of that. Consequently, walking into Chris 'n'n Pitts in 2011 is like walking into Chris 'n' Pitts in 1951. The Chris 'n' Pitts in Bellflower is designed to look like a log cabin straight out of Lil' Abner... if Lil'Abner had built his cabin in the middle of a car lot.


The interior was the same motif: faux log cabin, with lots of wood paneling...




I love the menu. They have pictures of all the main entrees. Have you ever ordered an item because the picture in the menu made it look so good? Then, when you got the item, it looks less appetizing than it did? No fear of that happening here! These are not flashy, Hollywood-type pictures... No, these pictures are the actual items, as if they were taken with someone's Brownie camera. Here are a couple of photos straight from the menu (and two of my favorite entrees, by the way):


MMMMM... Parden me, I got distracted. Anyway, This night I ordered the ribs. You can get them with the reguler Chris 'n' Pitts barbecue sauce or "Hawaiian Style." I got both. The Hawaiian glaze is a little sweet but good. The Chris 'n'Pitts BBQ sauce is adequate. I've had better, but I've had much worse.




The steaks are also great here... They have a charbroiled, fresh-off-the-grill taste. I also recommend anything breaded. Of course I do. Big surprise. But here, the breading is perfect, light with a touch of flavor. And the country gravy they use is a perfect compliment to whatever it's on. There are many country gravys I don't care for, as they are too heavy and they often overwhelm the food. Not so here.

I couldn't end the post without a picture of the Chris 'n' Pitt's sign at night... a beacon for comfort food: