| Imperial County, California (a time
machine county!) |
This little known desert county, next to
San Diego County, is mostly frozen in the
1930's and 1940's (in a good way - loaded
with history). It's
straight out of the "Grapes of Wrath". A
largely farming area - this county soaks up
a lion's share of the Colorado River. Each
small city in this county has at least one
time machine restaurant (although I can't
remember the names of the one's in
Westmoreland and Brawley). In El Centro,
you have to visit the Owl Cafe, 674 W Main
St , El Centro, CA 92243-2920 - (760)
352-4803. This well preserved bar and grill
dates from the twenties. It has two long
counters on each side - one for eating and
one for drinking. El Centro (at least
as of nine
years ago) has two well preserved mini-movie
palaces from the 30's or 40's. Every city
in Imperial County has covered sidewalks
downtown with pressed tin ceilings to
protect shoppers from the normal 115 degree
summer days (I had a plastic TV literally
melt in the back of my car once). The
greatest adventure in Imperial County may be
trying to find the next two classic
restaurants because they are truly out in
the middle of nowhere. You may have to go
with a local to find them. One is the
Mount
Signal Cafe (1958), 1201 West Highway 98,
Calexico, 760-357-1379. This historic
and unique place
was started by a woman who was a
bullfighting aficionado (perhaps even a
bullfighter? Someone write me if they know
about this place) and bullfighting
memorabilia adorns every wall. Fantastic
site to film an Indie movie. Sure hope that
wonderful lady is still there. The other
out in the middle of nowhere place is
Camacho's Place, 796 West Wahl Road El
Centro, CA 92243-9513. You'd be surprised
how many people, even in El Centro, are
unaware of this place. If you reach any of
these restaurants, you will be in Mexican-Americana
Nirvana. These are the type of places where
small town Southwest Americans (Hispanic and
Anglo alike) used to eat and chew the fat
and these places are completely unchanged by
the franchise chain restaurant craze of the
2000's. Both of these places sell a special
quesadilla that puffs up like a balloon.
I've never seen this anywhere else. Two
other places to see on your tour of Imperial
County are Barbara Worth Country Club, 2050
Country Club Drive, Holtville, CA 92250, and
the De Anza Hotel (1931) 233 E. 4th St.
Calexico, CA - (760) 357-1112 . Barbara
Worth is a bit remodeled but has excellent
food. The De Anza is a great piece of
history. I had
the good fortune of meeting the famous
Mexican singer, song writer, and entertainer
Juan Gabriel in the restaurant there. You
occasionally hear big city folk in San Diego
talking down El Centro, but you would be
hard pressed to find nicer people than those
in Imperial County anywhere else in the
world! |
| TIJUANA, MEXICO |
I haven't been to Mexico in twelve years or
more, so I can't tell you what it's like
now (especially regarding safety). But there are a number of spots I used
to like very much. The Caesar's Hotel
in Tijuana (and by the way it's pronounced
"Ti hwana" - not "Tia Wana" - hey - everyone
has to be a snob about something!) dates
from the prohibition time when Americans
used to go to Tijuana principally to
imbibe. For Food Historians - this is
where the Caesar's Salad was invented -
something I would always order. Caesar's used to have a wonderful
restaurant and bar - dark and woody, with
ancient waiters, that was once a hangout for
bullfighters and American movie stars. I
really loved that place. The
place suddenly closed with a sign saying the
employees were on strike. It was still
closed last time I checked over 12 years
ago (let me know if it ever reopened).
Another great place is Cafe La Especial, Avenida Revolución #718 Tijuana, 685-6654.
You have to walk down a flight of stairs
toward a curio market to find this place.
Once there you will find a classic Mexican
restaurant, full of kitsch paintings and
decorations, that dates from the 60's. With
career waiters and great food that at least
in the past was very cheap, this was my
favorite place in Tijuana. Another good
place, although not old, also on Avenida
Revolucion, is Sanborns, which used to
attract what appeared to be an affluent
crowd of locals. Finally, there is Chiki
Jai, Avenida Revolución #1388, Zona Centro,
Tijuana, 685-4955. This Basque restaurant
from the fifties has great old pictures
painted on the walls and wonderful blue
cheese and bread appetizers. As I said, I
haven't been to Tijuana or Mexicali for a
very long time. People tell me they are not
as safe as they once were for a tourist.
I'll leave it to you to check out. In these
times, I never leave the protection of good
old fashion American Due Process! Plenty of
good food in San Ysidro and Calexico.
The historic "long bar" - about a block
long in the white building in the middle is
long gone. The white building on the right
was still there (originally a bank - then a
curio shop) the last time I was in TJ many years ago.
Incredible Menu from Patio Agua Caliente in
Tijuana, Mexico - probably in the Agua
Caliente resort - with caricatures by Xavier
Cugat. From the collection of Jessica W. |
| BAKER, CALIFORNIA - San Bernardino
County |
|
| Bun Boy Restaurant, est. 1926 (760) 733-4660
|
Baker California seems to exist
principally as a convenient place for people
to stop going to and from Las Vegas. The
Bun Boy Restaurant was founded in the 20s
and is completely remodeled, but I like its
Googie sign. Things seem to be changing at
Bun Boy recently. New owner? UPDATE:
This branch in Baker is adios. It's now
a Bob's Big Boy (at least the "boy"
remains!?!?). I believe there is a Bun
Boy on Rt. 66 in Barstow that has good food
and may have been related to the Baker one
at some point in time. At least Bob's has
some history to it. |
| Arne's Royal Hawaiian Motel, 200 W.
Baker Blvd Baker, California 92309
The world's loneliest Tiki.
|
A rare Tiki find in the middle of
nowhere. There's a tiki in front of the
lobby of this well preserved classic motel.
That might be the extent of the Tiki nature
of this place however. Not to be confused
with the Royal Hawaiian in Laguna Beach. |
| Victorville/Hesperia/Phelan/Yermo, California |
|
| Emma Jean's Holland Burger Cafe,
17143 N. D St. Victorville, CA 92393 (760)
243 9938
T T T T |
Great Rt. 66 find right off the 15 on
the edge of Victorville. I'd pass it when I
would take Rt. 66 from Barstow to
Victorville, not realizing it was just off
the 15. This is the oldest restaurant in
Victorville, run by a family that is proud
of the gem they have, keeping its history
alive. Good old
fashioned American comfort food made with
care. Run by a husband and wife team.
Super friendly place. Beats the heck out of
any chain restaurant most Vegas tourists
stop at in Victorville. Holland Burger was
the original name, but the new owner's have
been there for decades. Not far from two
other great places - the Summit Inn and the
Outpost Cafe. |
| The Summit Inn - along Rt. 66 near
Phelan, California (right before the Cajon
Pass going South) 
T T T T |
Just outside of Victorville - this is a
great old Rt. 66 coffee shop from the 50's
- they serve Ostrich egg omelets. Very
friendly staff and lots of great memories.
Interesting, down home locals. There is some
Elvis history here - he is rumored to have eaten here.
Coin napkin holders that tell your fortune
(like in the William Shatner Twilight Zone
story - but I'm not sure they are
operational). Not far from the Outpost Cafe.
Highly recommended.
 |
| The Outpost Cafe, 8685 Highway 395,
Hesperia, CA
|
Another nice Rt. 66 holdout near
Victorville that serves classic Americana
comfort food.
I like when they make (as they do here)
cheese omelets with big slices of American
Cheese on top of the omelet.
If you're driving from Vegas
to Los Angeles, you can eat here, the Summit Inn,
Peggy Sue's, Idle Spurs Steak
House, the Palm Cafe, the Village Cafe, or
Emma Jean's Holland Burger Cafe for an
historic lunch or dinner, or wait until you
get to Vince's Spaghetti or the Iron Skillet
in Ontario. |
| Peggy Sue's, 35654 E Yermo Rd.,
Yermo, CA 92398 (760) 254-3370 and
Peggy Sue's 50's Diner, 16885 Frontage
Rd. Victorville, CA 951-5001 The
Yermo diner
(below) dates from 1954
 The Victorville
location is found below:
 |
Two fun stop offs midway between Vegas
and Los Angeles owned by people who
obviously love 50's history. The Yermo location
is one of the very few
(only?) real diners in Southern California,
although I'm not sure what the official
definition of a diner is or whether this was
constructed from a train car (perhaps that
means the Formosa Cafe and Pacific Dining
Car qualify as diners?). The menu speaks of
the place being built out of train tracks! Friendly place
where there are some remnants of the
original Western culture in the locals here. Yermo is just outside Barstow (it's my
favorite of the two). Both places have
lots of memorabilia - one of the owners was
associated with the Hollywood film industry
apparently. Good American comfort food.
UPDATE: A waitress at Peggy
Sue's in Yermo who is familiar with the
history of the place tells me that the
restaurant was constructed on site out of
railroad ties. So it was not
previously a railroad car. Don't know
if that qualifies it as an official diner or
not.
UPDATE II: Peggy Sue's in Victorville
has become a Mexican Restaurant with a new
owner and name.
 |
| BARSTOW, CALIFORNIA |
|
| Harvey House (Casa del Desierto),
2780 Lenwood Road, Barstow, CA 92311-9591
 |
Once a restaurant/train stop in part of
the great Harvey House chain created by Fred
Harvey. The interior is gone except for a
few minor details, but the outside structure
is in great shape. Train travel must have
been a real experience in those days! This
is definitely a real piece of railroad
history, easily missed by people speeding
down Rt. 15. Follow
the signs in downtown Barstow/Rt. 66 to find
this place. There is also a Rt. 66 history museum
and a train museum here. So many people
speed past Barstow or stop in a fast food
joint, but there's really much of historic
interest here - so slow down and check it
out! See the plaque picture for
more info. |
| Idle Spurs Steak House, 690 US
Highway 58, Barstow, CA 92311 (760) 256-8888
 |
The Ranch House that holds this place
dates from the 50's, so I guess I'm not
breaking my 1970 cut off rule. They
tell me there's a sign on Rt. 15, but I must
have driven by it 100 times without
noticing. It was only on the suggestion of a
patron at Emma Jean's Holland Burger that I
found this place. It has a great
local, Western feel. Must be a major hang
for Barstow residents. Wonderful service and
excellent food at good prices. A fun place
indeed. Definitely a good stop going to or
coming from Las Vegas. Not far from the
Palm Cafe, the Village Cafe, and about a
half an hour from Emma Jean's Holland
Burger, the Summit Inn and the Outpost Cafe
for a great tour of history. |
| Palm Cafe, Rt. 66 near Downtown Barstow.
|
This nondescript Chinese restaurant is
kind of fun. While it has sort of an old
feel, it's full of odds and ends for sale
like Indian dolls and jewelry. What I love
about it is going there Sunday morning for
breakfast. The counter tends to fill up
with old timer's from Barstow in Cowboy
hats. These are obviously people of the
original Western American culture that is so
rapidly disappearing. Las Vegas used to be
full of true Western Americans (Hispanic,
Anglo and Native Americans who grew up in
the area before it became the commercial
enterprise it is today). Now you'd
be very hard pressed to find these people
without a lot of inside knowledge or random
luck. The true Western accent of this area
is also almost completely gone. I guess it's sad but
inevitable given the advent of TV and the
migration trends that so many subcultures of
America are disappearing. |
| The Village Cafe (Chop Suey), 205
E Main St (Rt. 66), Barstow, CA 760-256-5152
 |
Talk about a hole in the wall, you could
pass this place 100 times and never notice
it. But it's a great slice of old Americana
(or more accurately Chinese-Americana).
It was once not only a cafe but on of those
ancient 1930's hotels that has a very narrow
hall way, rooms only big enough for a bed
and a small bathroom down the hall. The
hotel rooms are still there (and would make
a great movie set!). The restaurant is a
classic ultra cheap Chinese/American affair
and the characters that come in here are
classic small towners. Very friendly, cheap
and large quantities of very non-gourmet but
tasty food at rock bottom prices. A good stop on a Rt. 66 road trip.
The current owner, Henry Wong, has been
running the place since 1974, but it's a lot
older than that. It's a shame that
more big town places are not this friendly. |
| TEMECULA AND RAINBOW, California |
|
| Swing Inn Cafe, 28676 Front St.,
Temecula (established 1927)
|
This is a classic local spot for good old
comfort food and some traces of the original
Western culture in Temecula. Famous for its
99 cent biscuits and gravy. I lived in
Temecula for about six years when it was
still a fairly small town. Great place to
raise a family. It has grown explosively in
recent years. Old Town Temecula is an
important stop off when visiting the
Wineries here as well. Funny fake graveyard
on the side.
 |
| Rainbow Oaks Restaurant, Rainbow
Oaks Blvd. Rainbow, CA
 |
It's easy to pass Rainbow, California
by. It's a small town just south of
Temecula. Take the Rainbow exit off of 15
and go South and you'll find it. A simple
cafe with good milkshakes. This place seems
to be turning into a "Tom's Farm type" stop.
This used to be old US 395. Take a deep
breath and slowly let it out, and go back in history when life was
not a constant rush and strangers and locals
could strike up a casual conversation at the
counter. |
| Rt. 66 between Barstow and Needles |
|
| Bagdad Cafe, 46548 National Trails Hwy
(Rt. 66), Newberry Springs, CA 760-257-3101
T T T T
|
Rt. 66 between Barstow and Needles is
long, desolate and in really bad shape (hard
on the shock absorbers - I would not
recommend riding on this section of
Rt. 66 in anything except a seasoned Ford
F-150 Work Series with new shocks and
springs
- it could be used as a pot-hole museum, but Hwy 40 parallels most of it), but this restaurant
makes the trip worth it. Wonderful old hole in
the wall where the cult film Bagdad Cafe was
filmed. Owned by Andrea Pruett, who could
not be nicer, it's a real slice of history.
The milkshakes here brought back precise
memories of the real drug store milkshakes
of Maryland when I was a kid (you've got to
have those Hamilton Beach machines to make
them!). Stop on by. And the best thing - no
insurgents! |
| SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS |
|
Schilo's Delicatessen,
424 E. Commerce St.,
San Antonio, TX 78205
210-223-6692
|
I really enjoyed this place. Much of the
interior is still original. The great thing
here is the homemade root beer, which is
constantly refilled and the "homemade" pea soup. San
Antonio must have one of the best
preservation movements in the U.S. There are
tons of well preserved classic buildings and
movie palaces. I really wanted to move
here, but the job did not come through. |
| SEATTLE, WASHINGTON |
|
Merchant's Cafe,109 Yesler Way, Seattle,
WA 98104
206-624-1515 |
This is a wonderful time machine,
perfectly preserved. It doesn't get much
better than this and thank heavens the owner
realizes what a treasure he has. The food
is excellent and very reasonably priced.
Located in the historic Pioneer Square area in
Seattle, which has a number of well
preserved bars. This is a must see in
Seattle! It's got to be the best time
machine in the city. This is true living
history. |
|
Athenian Inn, 1517 Pike Place Market,
Seattle, WA 98101, (206) 624-7166 |
Nice old place with plenty of old wooden
booths, an old counter and good food. Great
views as well. Filmed in "Sleepless in
Seattle". |
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