Foxy's - It's Crystal Clear.

When we first saw the sign for Foxy's, we thought we were in for one heckuva classy dining experience. My God! They promote their crystal chandeliers on the sign! It wasn't until we pulled into the parking lot that we saw that Crystal Chandeliers is the name of the store across from Foxy's.



...I'm just surprised stores like this still exist in today's economy. Right next door is the Faberge Egg Outlet.



Once we entered Foxy's, it seemed that perhaps we still would be in for a classy experience, despite the lack of crystal. The vaulted ceilings and hunting lodge decor was not what I was expecting, but with the name "Foxy's," I guess you are either stripper poles and broken dreams or a hunting lodge vaguely shaped like an old IHOP.

Since it was very crowded that morning, they offered free hot chocolate to anyone willing to sit on the patio. It was still a nip of nippy outside, but we went for it anyway. Free. Hot. Chocolate.



One of those is a coffee, a very weak and burnt coffee. The hot chocolate was pretty good.

The menu was very dense--several pages and featuring a wide variety of dishes, but nothing too outlandish and nothing all that expensive. This combination made it hard to decide. Everything sounded good and the dishes that were paraded by our table on their way to their final destinations looked very appetizing.



I ordered the "Leaning Tower of Mexico," and understandably, I expected more of a tower than a mound. The mound was good, with a layered mix of everything you expect from a Mexican breakfast. I only kind of like avocado so I shunted a large part of the spread off to the side.



#1DC Antoinette ordered the "Light Eater's Breakfast." She inquired as to what kind of fruit would be included with the fruit salad. She was told banana, cantaloupe, etc., etc. When it arrived, no banana or cantaloupe. Why did our waitress feel she had to lie? Maybe she has some banana issues. I don't care to judge. Antoinette's English muffin was cold AND burnt. The eggs, however, were good.

Sadly Foxy's does not offer pie. They had a ton of different cakes and a cobbler, but no pie.

Overall, Foxy's was pretty decent. It is located in Glendale by the Galleria and Americana, so it offers a nice respite from awful mall food. That also means that it will shoulder some spill-over of awful mall clientele. We had to suffer through a party of ten middle-aged 'dudes' enjoying a breakfast while the "ol' balls and chains" did some shopping. Surely it can't always be that bad, but beware.

UPDATE- April 2010
#1DC Antoinette recently went back to Foxy's and got to eat inside. She had the shrimp wrap and I had the chicken salad croissant. The wrap was only okay but I really liked my sandwich. The croissant wasn't too buttery and the chicken salad was pretty good. The french fries were pretty outstanding. One thing that I missed on our initial visit was that they have toasters on the table's inside! No wonder Antoinette's English muffin was burnt when we sat outside--the staff have little experience with having to toast the breads.

Food-Decent to Good.
Service-Decent, except for the banana lie.
Price-Very reasonable.
Pie-No pie.


Foxy's Restaurant
206 W. Colorado St.
Glendale, CA 91204
(818) 246-0244

On the Road: Spokane's Diners Pt.1 and 2- Frank's Diner and Pioneer Pies

I lived in Spokane, Washington, for only 6 years. Those were middle school and high school years, though--years that really shape you as person. I graduated from Joel E. Ferris High School in 1997. I've been back periodically over the years, but this trip was for a thing that some people dread: The 10 Year Reunion.

But this this isn't a blog about that. This is not a blog about disappointment and failure. It's about those diners and greasy spoons we so love. During the Spokane leg of my vacation, I was able to hit three full-fledged diners as well as two other places worth mentioning. Without further ado...

Pt. 1 Frank's Diner

If you're from Spokane and you go out to breakfast at least once a month, you have intimate knowledge of Frank's Diner or its crosstown brother, Knights Diner. They were once both real, working railroad cars. This means they are often cramped and have limited seating. Unless you get real lucky, like Jon and I did on our trip there. You can expect a ten to fifteen minute wait, but it is always worth the wait. Unfortunately for Knights Diner, they are closed on Monday's and I didn't get to eat there on this trip; therefore, this is where it will exit the review.

Frank's Diner has been been voted the "Best Breakfast in Spokane" for ten years now. Spokane might have a lot of problems, but knowing where to get its first meal of the day is not one of them.

"Frank's serves 15,000 eggs and 2 1/2 tons of hash browns a month...one meal at a time," boasts a sign in the interior. I know I lack elegance when I say, "That's a hell of a lot."

I ordered the coffee while Jon ordered the hot chocolate. I hate to say the coffee tasted a bit burnt and required actual sugar, not my beloved Splenda or the pink or blue stuff, to make it palatable enough for me to get through a cup. Jon's hot chocolate was something truly special to behold.

Jon said "the chocolate chips added to the bon vivantof the drink."

...Jon is not a writer. I'm barely one, but anyway...

I got into a habit on this trip of ordering things with a person's name in the them. Remember how every place with "Joe" in the name had a "Joe's Special?" Well, there sure are a lot of "Frank's _______" on this menu. So you know what I got? The "Joe's Special:" 3 eggs scrambled, spinach, ground beef with grated Parmesan cheese, served with hash browns and a bread. It sounded delicious with just a little bit of the unusual. I was pleasantly surprised at how well everything went together.

Jon, not being that big on breakfast breakfast, surprised me with a pretty hardcore meal of smothered hash browns and two crispy sausage links. Jon and I both agreed that the hash browns were fantastic. Very unique to me, they were slices of potato, almost like thin cut french fries. They were not greasy at all but definitely had that fried taste you hope for with a good plate of hash browns. Jon did think there was a bit too much gravy. You might want to order it-- not on the side really--just on half the plate and mix it all together yourself.

You can't beat a Frank's breakfast. If you are traveling through town it is a must for any diner lover. If you live in Spokane, eat there at least once or twice a month. Dinerwood commands it!

Food: Delicious

Service: Craig the counter guy was friendly and knowledgeable. Some of the waitresses can get a bit snippy because of the need for quick turnover.

Price: 6-10

Pie: No, pie. Only cobbler.

1516 W. 2nd Ave

Spokane, WA 99204

509.747.8798

PART 2. Pioneer Pies

Pioneer Pies is still a mainstay in some parts of the country. Old timey, folksy decor and delicious pies made it a favorite for families and pie lovers everywhere. Or in my case, a mysterious wonderland: my family never went to Pioneer Pies for some reason. Sadly, the Pioneer Pies in Spokane shuttered it's pie-sills and the building became a casino, much like every closed down building around here nowadays. For Spokanites, the legend gets to live on as part of Conley's Place restaurant in the Spokane Valley. Conley's Place is an odd Irish-y restaurant with a lot of lattice work. I don't know what the connection between the two restaurants is but, Conley's Place serves Pioneer Pies' pies. It even has a Pioneer Pies sign on the building. And since the picture of the Conley's Place sign turned out even worse than this, all you get is the Pioneer Pies part of the sign.

Jon, his girlfriend Stephanie, my friend Bill's wife Lynn (Bill will be appearing later in the blog)and I, all went out for dinner. Well, originally it was to go roller skating, but SOMEBODY isn't so good at listening to phone recordings and got the hours of operation of the roller rink wrong. I won't review the food at Conley's because it's not a diner or a greasy spoon. I will however review the delicious piece of pie I had.

Meet the Almond Joy. With Halloween all up on it I have had the pleasure of rediscovering the...dare I say it? The JOY of the Almond Joy candy bar. This pie strives to recreate that candy combo in pie form. Here's the slice; bottom layer of chocolate cream, then a thin layer of slice almonds, then a layer of coconut cream, another layer of almonds, then whipped cream with a few chocolate chips on top. Now, it didn't taste just like he candy bar, which I didn't really expect it to, but it invoked the essence. The tasty, tasty essence.

Food: Tasty

Service: The restaurant was closing early because we were the only diners, but they didn't rush us or even mention it until we were out the door.

Price: Pie 3-4

Pie:...well, yeah.

12618 E Sprague Ave

Spokane, WA

Tel: (509) 924-5411