Diner on Main: I don't like sports.

The Diner on Main is an odd one. Located in the heart of what the City of Alhambra Chamber of Commerce calls "the historic Main Street Entertainment district," it is gigantic and overflowing with neon. It has an impressive pedigree as a diner, being an actual Armet and Davis designed "googie" building (it was formerly called Sandi's Restaurant). Once inside, however, you get smacked in the face with the fact that the Diner on Main might actually be aspiring to be a sports bar.

Dinerpal Paul and I went in for dinner a few weeks ago. For some reason, although there were plenty of tables available in the main dining area, we were shuffled into a "lounge" area underneath a blaring flat screen TV playing a basketball game. Bud Light pendants hung all around us, which really distracted from the 50's style architecture and fixtures.



We were the only two diners in this section so we were doted on by our waiter slash bartender. He was all up in our business but only to the point of mild annoyance. He really pushed the happy hour specials on us and seemed a little disappointed when we ordered coffee and soda.

It was hard to get a sense of the rest of the restaurant from our alcohol serving corner. I ventured out to get a glimpse and saw a pretty traditional diner set up. A large, long counter face the kitchen and several booths line the walls. The walls were decorated with only a moderate amount of kitsch and several black and white photo prints of classic--probably long extinct-- diners. I valued this connection to the past. In our lounge we were graced by the presence of college dorm art Marilyn Monroe.



The menu at Diner on Main is pretty decent. It's not extensive, but it covers everything you would reasonably want to order. The frou-frou factor was pretty light. I think I made our waiter's day when I ordered the dinner special, the chicken pot pie. Paul ordered the Philly French Dip.



My dinner came with side salad which was actually pretty good. I didn't expect that. The chicken pot pie was interesting. The crust was basically a giant floating biscuit on top of a hearty bowl of chicken and vegetable soup. I liked it, although the cheese on top was unnecessary and could be skipped. Included with the meal was a small plate of foccacia bread, I assumed for dipping; it also didn't add that much, but was a nice surprise.



Paul really like his Philly French Dip. It was exactly what you thought it would be, a Philly cheese steak with a bowl of au jus for dipping. It was a thick sandwich, which made it a little difficult to dip in the juice without stuff falling out. It came with coleslaw that was slightly rubbery but nice and tart. I'm pretty sure they used apple cider vinegar.

We both had room for dessert and I made our bartender slash waiter's day even better when I ordered the dessert special, the boysenberry and apple cobbler. Paul ordered a vanilla shake.



The cobbler was really good. They serve two kinds of pie at Diner on Main: apple and boysenberry. The apple is served with a warm cinnamon sauce and the boysenberry is best a la mode (according to them). The cobbler is basically these two items smashed together in a bowl.



Vanilla shake was a vanilla shake. It was good.

Diner on Main is part of the Pasadena based restaurant conglomerate that also owns Wild Thyme and Shakers (which will probably get reviewed sooner or later). I can really appreciate what they are trying to do decor-wise and that they need to do it, but the Diner on Main overwhelms you. There's so much neon (the blue hue to all the pictures will give you an idea of what it's like) and the reflection of the lights offf the large plate windows can easily disorient you. The jukebox can go from playing Wanda Jackson to Bon Jovi--and not classic Bon Jovi, MODERN Bon Jovi--and it makes you want to die. You miss out on some of the great atmosphere it would have had back in the Sandi's Restaurant days. Or that it might have in the morning when they aren't competing with the other restaurants located all around them. It unfortunately reminded me a lot of Ritchie's Diner.

Paul and I ended up going back to Diner on Main just a few days ago. We tried their breakfast (ham and eggs and Portuguese sausage and eggs) and found our reactions to be pretty similar to our dinner. It was good, but not great.

I will probably find myself in Diner on Main again. It's located in our new neighborhood and sometimes we might not want to drive the 1.2 miles to Twoheys. Ultimately, I'm glad it's there because of the history and the need for something more real than the Johnny Rockets a block away. I swear to g-d though, if I see them advertise a "Watch the Super Bowl here" campaign, I'm going lose that goodwill in a heartbeat.

Food: Good.
Service: Fine. (Desperate if you get stuck in the empty lounge)
Price: $7-$10 most things. Up to $14 for entrees.
Pie: Apple and Boysenberry

Diner on Main
201 West Main Street
Alhambra, CA 91801

Goody's: The end...

I'm not a journalist. I'm a blogger. Even worse, I'm a FOOD blogger. I'm never in the position to really "report" anything...until today.



The sign was out. We didn't think much of it. Signs are often out at restaurants, although usually it's not the whole sign--just a letter or two or three (there's a "E Poll co" near where we live). The sign was out and the sign will be out forever. Last night was the last night at Goody's Restaurant.

We didn't know that when we walked into the beautiful wood paneled diner. A sweet looking, matronly waitress greeted us and told us to sit anywhere. We slid into a plush booth near the front, although just about anywhere would be "near the front" of Goody's. It's really not that big.



It was a quiet night at Goody's with more staff on-hand than there were patrons to serve when we first sat down. #1DC Antoinette and I were customers 4 and 5 at 7pm and it would max out at 10 while we were there. Business was slow.



I instantly fell in love with the mascot of Goody's. This beleaguered looking chef hanging on the wall and an even more down-trodden looking version adorning the menu.



I loved that the menu had almost a greeting card quality in its message to the patron. "To serve you is a real pleasure" may not be all that different from any other menu's promises, but the paragraph below it seemed sincere and noble. It reminded me of a Father's Day card I got my dad once. Its message was that, although I may have forgotten to say thank you all those times, know that I do. There's a kindness and familiarity in the message on that menu.



The menu itself is very small, only two pages. Slightly over 50 items if you count all the sides and drinks separately. They have a seleciton of a few hamburgers, a few sandwiches, a few salads, a few dinners, a few breakfasts, a hodge-podge of other items, just like a true diner. In some ways, a small menu may makes things harder because you are jumping to different categories. Do you want eggs or do you want a sandwich? They are nothing alike so you really have to weigh the differences. A more extensive menu will make you hone in by section. Do you want pancakes? What kind? Buttermilk, buckwheat, stuffed, strawberry, banana, silver dollar or flapjack, with whipped cream or not? It can be daunting.

We ordered coffee to start while we decided.

It was then that our waitress told us the news, which I am now passing on to you. Goody's was closing. After fifty years in this beautiful building, they were closing their doors. The landlord was raising the rent and the owner was moving on. And it was sad. Antoinette and I had stumbled into not just witnessing a bit of history, but being a part of it.

The neighborhood and the economy had changed. Was there no room for Goody's in San Gabriel? It is no doubt that in a few short months a new pho or dim sum place would open in this building. Now, I love pho and I love dim sum but you know what Las Tunas Avenue doesn't need? More pho and dim sum.

Goody's was winning us over already based on more than just sympathy. How would it fare with the coffee test though? Well, okay. It did poorly on that front. It was bitter and had clearly been sitting on the burner for too long. Antoinette traded hers in for tea. I soldiered on and I must say that after that initial cup, fresher coffee was made and was much better.

Antoinette ordered the Chicken Pot Pie with a salad and side of green beans. I ordered the "Dutch Treat" with spicy red cabbage.



The bread was a small, fresh baked loaf that tasted amazing. So good, in fact, we took three loaves home. The salad was simple bag salad.



This is my poor attempt at photog foodrotica close up.



The green beans were canned with some bacon and onions added. Now foodies, let me speak on this. Do not fault Goody's for using canned green beans. This place is a straight, traditional diner that uses short-cuts when necessary. It's like lambasting a ramen restaurant for having a "C" rating. It's doing it right by doing it "wrong."



The chicken pot pie plate looked amazing. The mashed potatoes were good and the gravy was probably some of the best brown gravy I have had in a very long time--salty and rich and perfect. The pie itself had a nice flaky crust and was also delightfully rich with large chunks of chicken.



The Dutch Treat was quite good. The sandwich was nice and thick with good quality ham sliced incredibly thin and layered with Swiss cheese. It could go toe-to-toe with any Canter's deli sandwich (although the pickle wasn't as good). The french fries were standard restaurant fries and therefore good. The "spicy" red cabbage was interesting. It wasn't "spicy" it just had a strong bite from the vinegar. It was also very good.

Goody's definitely won us over truly with the food. It was hearty American diner food that delivered comfort and deliciousness.

As we were eating, patron number 10 arrived: an older gentleman who sat down at a booth kitty corner to us. The waitress commented that she thought he hated that booth. He shrugged and said "Might as well." He ordered coffee and a slice of pie. I want to be that old man when I'm an old man.



Our pie options were limited to two by this time of night: chocolate cream and custard. We split a slice of chocolate. I have to say, chocolate cream pie is probably my least favorite pie. At its best, it tastes like really good Jell-O pudding on a flaky crust and at its worst, it tastes like off-brand pudding on a piece of crap. This was a good piece of pie.

Talking more with our waitress, we learned a bit more of the history of Goody's. The current owner, Salvador, started at Goody's as a busboy at the age of 14. He moved up to being a baker and then eventually bought the restaurant. It's the American dream. Sadly, he couldn't afford to buy the land and now Goody's was closing...at least at this location.

The owner is already hard at work building a new Goody's just down the road in El Monte. Next to the courthouse and the city hall, Goody's will live again. The story does have a happy ending, although I can't imagine what its like to look at the building you grew up in and have to walk away. I suppose, though, that someone else will be living their own version of the American Dream when the building reopens as a noodle bar or Vietnamese sandwich shop.

You have one last chance to see the original Goody's location in all its diner glory today, 1-26-2010. They will be serving breakfast and lunch and possibly even dinner for the last time. I would call ahead since our waitress said they will most likely close early today.

Food: Good.
Service: Friendly
Price: $6-10
Pie: Various.

For today only-
Goody's Restaurant

865 E. Las Tunas Dr
San Gabriel, CA 91776

(626) 286-3515



Opening in February

Dinerwood on the Road: Hash House A No-No? San Diego and Las Vegas

I have mentioned on this blog sporadically that if I go to place to review it and what-whatever happens and I don't get to writing the review until much later, I will often just stash it away. The reviews tends to suffer with too much distance from the experience. I've been staring at this half-written review for a long time and I just recently found my notes again, so I'm going to give it a try.

A long, long time ago, I was in San Diego with #1DC Antoinette and her brother Alex. I had heard such great things about Hash House A Go Go, that I had to make a point of going there.

After a bit of a wait outside, we finally made it in. I was surprised at how upscale it seemed. I envisioned something more mod or flashy with a name that ended with "A Go Go." Art prints of tractors were not what I expected.

The menu offered a lot of intriguing options. Everything seemed to be trying too hard to get my attention. They were all yelling ,"pick me! pick me!" I did like that there was a lot of variety within the categories, like eleven different flavors of flapjacks or five different kinds of Benedicts. Nearly everything is served with mashed potatoes and a biscuit. I was trying to settle on one of the hashes or a pancake dish. I decided to go with whatever the waitress suggested.

She suggested the Sage Fried Chicken Benedict. I was surprised as that was not really at all close to either of the things I was considering. It did sound good, so I went with it.

#1DC Antoinette and Diner Lad Alex went for less frou-frou menu items. Or in #1DC Antoinette's case, what she THOUGHT was a less frou-frou item.

As soon as our food arrived, we learned that it was all about presentation at Hash House A Go Go.



It looks like someone has been watching too much "Dexter" on Showtime. This dish is a crazy mess. That's the simple sounding Granola with Milk and Fruit. Yes, that appears to be an whole unpeeled banana and a whole peeled banana. It looked pretty, but those splatters could prove disastrous for someones clothing.


(sorry for the blurry picture)

Diner Lad Alex ordered the Tractor Driver Combo. That's a big, big-ass pancake.



The first time they brought this out, I took a few bites and realized that the chicken was dangerously undercooked. Not quite squawking, but certainly kill-me-if-I-had-eaten-any-more-of-it level preparedness. The waitress took it away and soon returned with one that ended up not killing me.

Let me correct myself, at Hash House a Go Go, it's not all about presentation, it's also significantly about portion.







We couldn't finish any of our breakfasts.

I do wish that as much thought was put into the flavor of the food as was put into presentation. Part of why we didn't finish was that the food wasn't all that good. We could easily stop ourselves as there was no desire to get more of that flavor onto our tongues.

They very sweetly took my meal off the bill, which I did appreciate. If they hadn't the bill for the three of us would have been nearly fifty dollars. That's a bit pricey for the quality but not for the quantity. If you really want to go there, definitely order something to share.

Food: Not that good.
Service: Friendly.
Price: Expensive. 12.95-16.95
Pie: None.

Hash House A Go Go
3628 Fifth Ave, San Diego, CA 92103
(619) 298-4646

While Las Vegas, I went with some friends to the Hash House A Go Go there. The food was only marginally better here.



I just really wanted to include the picture below since I find it hilarious and kind of gross.



This looks like a sombrero vomited up some scrambled eggs. Yum!

Twohey's--Home of the Stinko!

Moving into its 67th year, Twohey's is a San Gabriel Valley institution. Starting as a simple hamburger joint, it has grown into the massive family-style dining restaurant it is today. The cartoon figure with the tear drop and clothespin on the sign is a bit disconcerting if you don't know the story behind it (but you will by the end of this review). I didn't know the story the first time I saw the sign and it royally freaked me out. "What is wrong with Dan Castellenata? Did he just read the script for the next Simpson's movie?" Hey-ooo! #Longhangingfruit.

Since it shares a parking lot with the poster child for hideously over-hyped hamburgers--In-N-Out Burger-- parking at Twohey's can be a bit of a hassle. Twohey's looks like a building that put on an addition sometime in its lifetime, as it has basically two wings. A second dining room juts out to the side, making it a long 'L' shaped building. Perhaps the restaurant expanded and the parking lot did not?

The ample seating means that unless you arrive at peak dining times, you shouldn't have to wait for a table. And if you do arrive at the peak times, it shouldn't be that long of a wait.



If you do have to wait for a table, they provide you with free coffee. They also provide you with the eerie visage of a porcine chef carrying an end-times placard imploring you to "EAT MORE CHICKEN." I did wonder how unethical it would be if, after we were seated, I just kept going up to the front of the restaurant for coffee. My decision was that it was--IN FACT--unethical.

The walls of Twohey's are decorated in some downright fascinating collage work. There are also the usual bad restaurant paintings up in some places and a really perplexing maxi-print of a 5th grade class photo on one wall. The collage pieces feature actual antiques and, in a lot of cases ,give the year the item was made on a tiny placard next to the object. My antique dealer parents commented "There's a lot of money up on these walls."





Dolls are always creepy. Especially when pinned to the wall and watching you eat.



They may not have a plethora of pie (only apple) at Twohey's, but they really go all out with their other desserts. The display case at the front of the restaurant is filled with some outstanding looking cakes. Their chocolate chip cookies are large but still really soft and gooey. A full page of the menu is devoted to sundaes and soda fountain treats. They even sell their own brand of Hot Fudge.



It appears as though Twohey's has/had tried to do a bit of rebranding. Like James Cameron saw fit to chop "Terminator 2" down to just "T2" or how MC Hammer cut down "Too Legit, Too Legit To Quit" down to an overly complex series of hand gestures, Twohey's has "2EE's" on a lot of places and products. The above fudge for example.



And the posters advertising the imminent arrival of the "Live Maine Whole Lobsters." I understand that they may get tired of correcting people who pronounce it "two-heys" but the solution is not changing the name to "2EE's." Nobody is going to like that.

My first time in, I had to get the Stinko. I couldn't NOT order their signature dish. The Stinko, according to Twohey's legend, got its name from a female patron who upon smelling the pickle and onion-laden burger, responded with "Oh stink-o!" How charming! The onions make you cry and apparently pickles are smelly, hence the figure on the sign with the tear drop and clothespin holding closed his nose.



Truth be told, I am not a burger person. I rarely order them and when I do about half the time I regret it. This burger although rather unimpressive in size, was a pretty darn good burger stand burger. It was like how you hope the burgers at In-N-Out would be. It's not greasy. The bun is toasted and not just pressed onto a hot grill. The patty isn't too thick as to overwhelm the condiments. The pickles and onions make a great-- and in my opinion-- a not all that smelly combination.



#1DC Antoinette ordered the meatloaf sandwich. The meatloaf was really good. It was moist without being too wet. It was also very peppery. The homemade potato chips were only okay. It's hard to make them crunchy crunchy and their plate life is very short. Homemade chips just can't hold up over time. Soon they settle into sogginess.

On another visit, we brought my parents in for breakfast. I suspected they would love Twohey's and I was right. They actually went back later that day for dinner.



The Orange French Toast was pretty spectacular. The key was the orange zest in the batter. Some people think that using zest (the literal scrapings of the rind of a citrus fruit) is just a way of infusing pesticides into your food, but really the oils contained within bring a robust flavor to the dish. It is something of a culinary oddity that the part of the fruit we normally toss away has so much utility when it comes to cooking.



The pecan topping really didn't add anything to the dish. I would skip that addition unless you really like pecans. The french toast is fine as is.



My mom also ordered the Au Gratin potatoes and these were the first disappointing item we've had at Twohey's. They were mediocre.

I ordered the Roast Beef Hash. It included large tasty chunks of corned beef and roast beef. The eggs were simple but tasty.

My dad ordered the Center Cut Ham and Eggs. As always, he ordered his hash browns "extra, extra, extra crispy." The ham steaks were two nice sized cuts. The hash browns came out only "extra, extra" crispy but that was close enough for my dad.

#1DC Antoinette actually ordered off menu. She asked if she could just have scrambled eggs with diced ham. They accommodated her without any attitude, which is always nice. It's rare that a place won't do a special order (usually only chains will refuse because it throws off their stock tally for the bean-counters) but not every place is gracious about it.

With that whole page devoted to desserts. We had to order something. We got the Red Car Sundae. It was crazy good. Two scoops of ice cream in a chocolate coated waffle cone with generous helpings of strawberry sauce and marshmallow with a gang of whipped cream. It's no pie, but it was gooood.

Twohey's is by far my favorite place to eat in the greater Pasadena area. Its friendly staff, good food and cheery atmosphere makes for a excellent dining experience. I completely recommend it.

Food: Really good.
Service: Good.
Price: Reasonable, if not a little high.

Pie: Apple.

Twohey’s Restaurant
1224 N. Atlantic Blvd.
Alhambra, CA 91801
http://www.twoheys.com/

Toasted Bun--Everybody knows your name.

The Toasted Bun is a cozy neighborhood spot located right off Glendale Blvd. Its parking lot only hold about nine cars and each space was taken. We parked around the corner on the street. Walking up, #1DC Antoinette commented on how cute the building was and how nice the flowers were. We both noted the delicious toast smell wafting in the the air. Our hopes were up.



You know, for a place called "The Toasted Bun," you'd think there would be at least one homemade baked good. There was not. Packaged muffins and a supermarket pie were the only items in the display case that were not made by Snapple or the Coca-Cola company. This was a little bit disconcerting.

We sat down and ordered coffee and water. I don't know if you know this, but Glendale has a bit of a water shortage. For more information visit http://www.glendalewaterandpower.com/



The waitress brought two giant, heavy mugs filled to the brim with hot coffee. The presence of my beloved Splenda on the table was off-set by their disappointing use of non-dairy creamer. After preparing our coffees, we took our first sips and were horribly disappointed. It was bitter and slightly metallic. Bad coffee can ruin a whole experience for #1DC Antoinette, but I am a bit more forgiving. I wasn't convinced that it was a lost cause--well not yet, anyhow.

It was clear after just a few minutes that everyone in the whole restaurant knew each other. People sitting at different tables were calling not only the waitresses by name, but other patrons as well. A fellow named George had his power turned off and had no idea why. Another diner told him that he had probably reached his limit for the year and the Department of Water and Power had cut him off. Because there's a limit on the amount of electricity an old dude living in a modest apartment in north Glendale can use? Maybe it had something to do with the water shortage? George used up all the water so they cut off his power. That seems like a workable theory.



That's George's back as well as the offending coffee machine.

The menu of the Toasted Bun is small. It's only open for breakfast and lunch, but even then there's not a lot of depth or surprises. The most daring it gets is a scramble called the "Zucchini Delight" (only available on weekdays).



I had heard the corn pancakes were good, but I had made my own for breakfast yesterday so I decided against it. The Eggs Benedict were the "special" on the chalkboard, so I went with that. Antoinette ordered a simple bacon and egg breakfast.

There were more pleasantries exchanged by the staff and the patrons. One couple as they left said, "We'll see you tomorrow."

George asked if he could come over to one of the waitresses houses to watch television (she did not respond).

When the waitress came back to refill my coffee (sure it was bad, but it was early in the morning and I needed coffee), Antoinette took the gamble of sending her coffee back. She asked to exchange the coffee for a tea. The waitress obliged and returned with a cup of tea. A dirty cup with crud dried on the edge and something questionable sunken to the bottom.





There were two positive things I could say about the food. The hollandaise sauce wasn't oily and the bacon was very very thin and not too soggy or too crispy. Other than that, everything was "meh." The potatoes were bland. The eggs were serviceable. It was very disappointing overall.

Regular readers know that I have long sought that place that I can hang my hat at and not just call myself a regular, but be called a regular. I have never been able to do that. George and these other people have found that here at the Toasted Bun. I am a bit jealous, but I'd rather find some place where the food is good.

Food: It was there.
Service: Okay.
Price: Cheap.
Pie: Supermarket pie in a case.

Toasted Bun Restaurant
808 E. California Ave.
Glendale, CA 91206
(818) 244-6416

Flo's Aiport Cafe- Prisons, planes and pancakes.

Over a year ago, I received a recommendation to check out Flo's Airport Cafe in Chino. It's a diner by the airport and by the prison. It really should have been at the top of my list, but for whatever reason, I only just recently made it out to this little gem.

Photog Chu, Dinerpal Paul and I busted our way out of the city and into the barren wastes of Chino. We followed the banners hung on the chain link fences along the main road. We turned left at the prison and right at the airport. The thought process that went into putting a prison next to an airport is beyond me.

It was a busy morning at Flo's, but I imagine every morning is busy at Flo's. It's a local's place. Even with the signs on the main road, you really aren't going to stumble upon it. Even when you pull into the industrial park where it is located, it is not abundantly clear which of the nondescript buildings it is. You can only figure it out by the cluster of people waiting outside.

We waited for a few minutes outside. I flipped through the pages of an airplane parts magazine called Trade-A-Plane, which seems like the Penny Saver of airplane enthusiasts. Seriously, 100 pages of parts and planes for sale. Factory Refurbished Magnetos only $667!



Inside of Flo's deceptively large interior, the walls are decorated with a hodge-podge of pictures and posters, a lot of which are of horses and planes. I got the odd feeling that Vietnam vets eat here. There were also a lot of printed signs hung up with messages like "Ice Cold Water $1.00."

When asked what she thought was the best item of the menu, our waitress was thrown for a loop. "I couldn't even begin to answer! It's all good." Now, I am seasoned enough at this review game that I can tell a fibber. Her answer was just a variation of the stock answer I usually get. But, she was telling the truth; whether or not we would agree with her still remained to be seen.

We looked over the menu--which charmingly used a lot of clip-art--and it covered all the standard diner faire. We were intrigued by the "Red Cup Orange Juice," so along with our coffee (which was good by the way) Charlie ordered it. I predicted that it would come out in one of those Christmas Red Coke glasses you get at pizza parlors and lo and behold:

Check that out! I called it.



The food breakdown: Charlie ordered the Corned Beef Hash and Eggs. I ordered the French Toast Sandwich, which Flo calls the Fran Sam. And in a dramatic twist, Paul ordered the Paul's Platter.



The gigantic french toast had a pretty interesting feature. The top slice of bread had an indentation in it that the butter (well, margarine) had pooled into. It provided a delicious dipping area. The bacon was salty, fatty, and good.



The hashbrowns were really good. The potatoes were thin cut and just the edges were crispy. The gravy that covered them was a little thin. The ham was delicious. The breakfast sausage was decent.



The corned beef hash was oddly rectangular, but still tasted good. Shape doesn't really effect flavor. Just don't tell the Japanese, they have a big market for that kind of thing.



The crowd at Flo's was very chatty. There were dozens of boisterous family meal conversations going on. The most exciting one that we could hear was by the Chino prison guard and his family seated behind us. He shared a few fascinating stories with his family--delightful tales of tasering a dead prisoner and a recent suicide by a Chino cop. Fun times.

At the end of our meal, we were all stuffed and satisfied. It didn't blow us away, but it was good. I wouldn't make the trip all the way out for just the food, though.

When I went up to the counter to pay--$32.57 for the three of us, so not too shabby-- I noticed the dry-erase board that listed their pies. I counted over fifteen types of pie. I felt like Bowman in "2001." My god, it's full of pie. There was one kind of pie that I didn't recognize on the board: Millionaire Pie.

It's basically a layer of cream cheese over a pecan pie. Decadent and rich. Get it!



So if you are ever flying a small plane out of Chino or visiting your dad at the prison, go ahead and enjoy a fine meal at Flo's Airport Cafe.

Food: Good.
Service: Nice.
Price: Reasonable.
Pie: Lots!

Flo's Airport Cafe

7000 Merrill Ave
Chino Airport
Chino, CA 91710

(909) 597-3416



This is just a beautiful picture. I had to include it.

Stewart's Busy Apron Coffee Shop - Concilation Prize

Sure, it looked a little sketchy on the outside. The building could have used a new paint job. The parking lot was empty except for two cars. The place had two names--one on the sign and another on the building. Was it Stewart's Coffee Shop or was it the Busy Apron? Charlie and I approached the building, one of us nervous and the other quietly optimistic.



How did we end up here? Well, let me just say, the Original Pancake House's website said they were open until 3pm. Charlie and I had just slogged through an hour of Saturday afternoon I-5 traffic to get there in time. I even had a coupon! We arrived with what we thought was an hour to spare, only to be informed by a departing waitress that they actually close at 2pm on Saturdays.

"Dim sum?" Charlie Chu suggested, stereotypically.

Dim sum ain't a diner--well, in some ways it is, but we'll get to that another time.

I had noted Stewart's Coffee Shop as we drove past it. It's only about 2 blocks from the Original Pancake House, so we headed back there. I sensed adventure. I think Charlie sensed the possibility of food poisoning. He had recently been acquainted with it, and had no desire to be reintroduced.

The moment I walked through the tall double red doors that are usually a hallmark of neighborhood Chinese food restaurants, I was in Stewart's thrall.

You know how much I love globe light fixtures? I would have a torrid affair on globe light fixtures with Moorish black wrought iron light fixtures. This passion comes from a lamp that hung in our rec room growing up--a lamp I still have. It resides in a closet right now because #1DC Antoinette doesn't think it goes with our living room decor. (Editor's note: this statement is entirely bullshit. I have suggested several times that we hang up that lamp in the aforementioned living room.) Stewart's was decorated with a series of chandeliers and hanging lamps in that style.



We stood in the entrance for several minutes without anyone saying anything to us. We saw a solitary waitress at the far side of the restaurant talking earnestly on the phone. Charlie once again suggested Dim Sum. He was not feeling this place. I was resolute.

There were only two occupied tables inside the whole restaurant. One of them happened to be right by the entrance. As we waited to be greeted or acknowledged, I asked the people at the nearby table how the food was. The woman gave me the "ok" hand gesture, which doesn't really mean just "ok," it usually means "good." The man piped up with a comment of "we eat here almost every day." I imagine that this place thrives on regulars, people probably greeted by name when they walk in. Maybe that's why we hadn't been approached yet; we were strangers.

After another minute or so, the waitress did put the phone down long enough to seat us. We took a booth by the window and began to really take in the surroundings, which did not make Charlie any less apprehensive. All the bad motel art on the wall was off-kilter. All of it. Like someone had purposefully gone to each one and nudged it a bit. The carpet was filthy. At corners and under ledges, we could see patches of what the carpet had once looked like. As much as the outside needed a sprucing up of the paint, the interior was in desperate need of even more care.



The waitress handed us menus that read "Busy Apron" instead of "Stewart's Coffee Shop." Now, had the menu's never been updated? Or had the sign never been changed? Looking at prices I was going with "never been updated." The prices were insanely low--nothing over $8 and the average price for an entree was $6.

Our waitress then disappeared to the other side of the restaurant. An older man came out of the kitchen and picked up the phone. He immediately began talking, so it was clearly the same phone call. We assumed he was the cook and our waitress would not return to take our order until he returned to the kitchen. Rather make us wait now than wait after we had put our order in. We settled in for the long haul.

It might be worth mentioning at this point that the entire staff of the restaurant was Asian, which will make some of the menu items more understandable.

The menu was full of interesting quirks that reminded me a email spam subject lines. "Eggs to Eat and Remember." I was most curious about the "STE style eggs." When I asked the waitress what it meant she seemed embarrassed and said "It's just a name." Charlie and I both needed more time to decide.

Then another man, who was actually dressed like a cook, complete with funny chef hat, came out for a moment, saw his shadow, and returned to the kitchen.

Our waitress soon came back to take our order. Charlie, now apparently free from fear, ordered the corned beef hash and eggs. I ordered the "Eggs a la Heavy." It promised to be a "casserole" of eggs, ham, tomato and green peppers. I also ordered a side of biscuits and gravy.

Our attention was attracted by a building across the street. We were unsure if it was a church or an old folks home; it could pass for either. On the lawn, a sign read "Psychic Fair and shopping" and tents and tables were set up. I remembered that I had just found out an ex-girlfriend of mine had become a pet psychic.

"Was there any indication of this ability while you were together?" Charlie asked.
I took a moment to answer, "Maybe."

I always wonder how badly my presence has effected the lives of my exes. That's incredibly self-deprecating and egotistical all at once. That somehow *I* was so important as to have the ability to destroy someone. Perhaps it is not on me that she now talks to dogs. It is also judgemental and petty to think that her talking to dogs is somehow evidence of destruction. What does it say about me that I feel these things? I started to really crawl inside my mind and just as I was about to begin some internal healing...our food came.

The secret weapon of Stewart's Busy Apron was butter. Lots of it.



Our hash browns were buttery. If it weren't for the butter, I suspect they would have been rather bland. They came out a bit too square and flat, which makes me suspect they were the frozen kind. Charlie's corned beef was also most likely from a can but it tasted like corned beef hash should--just a little grainy, just a bit soggy.



My "Eggs Ala Heavy" looked nothing like I had imagined. I thought maybe the "casserole" was really just a fancy way to say "scramble" or maybe something more fluffy like the "messes" on the menu at Millie's. I estimated it was likely a single egg that went into the pan with the long strips of ham and chunks of pepper and tomato. It was good at first, but as I ate my way down into the bowl, I discovered the pool of butter the food was soaking in. It become far too rich for me.

The biscuit was the kind you would pull out of a package from the super market. It was very soft and spongy. The gravy tasted like a powdered mix which was expected, but still disappointing.

I had really hoped Stewart's Busy Apron Coffee Shop had turned out to be one of those unexpected wonders of diner-fare. In the end, though, it only had one thing going for it: it was cheap. Otherwise, it was adequate American comfort food made by Asian-American immigrants. There are a lot of those places, especially in the Inland Empire and in Orange County. That's a good thing, because not only does it give me places to go eat, but it also gives us dishes that may become new American classics.

Who knows, maybe Eggs a la Heavy is the next Biscuits and Gravy?

Food: Okay.
Service: Friendly but spotty.
Price: $5-$8
Pie: No pie.

Stewart's Busy Apron Coffee Shop
1221 East. Lincoln Ave.

Anaheim, CA 92825

(714) 533-4290