Visiting the first Wienerschnitzel!

America, as a country, seems to ignore the history of fast food.  The first McDonald's is long gone.   The first Burger King is also gone and is steeped in controversy. And the first Wendy's was torn down less than 10 years ago.  However, I am happy to say that the first Der Wienershnitzel is alive and well, and right here is Los Angeles!   Last year the Los Angeles City Council add the building to its list of Cultural and Historical Monuments, giving it the same designation as the Grauman's Chinese Theater, The Hollywood sign and Municipal Warehouse #1.  Now that visiting such a place can be considered a cultural expedition, I packed my coupons and headed to Wilmington, the site of the first Wienerschnitzel.

The restaurant has changed a bit since John Galardi opened it in 1961.   Originally the building looked like this.

 However, they have taken to remodeling it a bit over the years to fit with their current color schemes and signage.   Here is the restaurant that greeted me as I turned onto PCH:

However, they did have a nice plaque on the wall designating it as the first Der Wienerschnitzel.   they also had a dessert that gave me plaque, but that's another story...

As a hot dog, Der Wienerschnitzel has always left me a little cold.   They aren't the best, but they definitely "fill the bill" when you have a craving for a chili dog.  I usually get 5 chili dogs for five dollars - that's a deal that's hard to beat!  And they microwave very nicely the next day.

However, I can never forgive Der Wienerschnitzel for retiring their beloved mascot, the WienerDog.   Somewhere in my photo album I have a picture of me, age eight, posing with the WienerDog.   Ah, such memories.   I never understood why the WienerDog seemed more like a beagle or basset hound than a dachshund, but I guess Madison Avenue felt more kids would identify with a beagle.  Score one for Snoopy.