We find all the cool places that no one writes about… Wandrlust seeks interesting restaurants, architecture, and hidden locales that no one else has discovered.
H & H Car Wash and Coffee Shop embodies a such a stark juxtaposition of contraditratory elements; It is a fairly squalid looking Car Wash, one that gives the impression that if you were to have your vehicle washed here, it would emerge dirtier than when it entered, as well as being a noted eatery of repute: Continue reading ‘H & H Car Wash and Coffee Shop - El Paso, TX here’
Some people love donuts. Cops for example are stereotypically associated with the donut. Maybe they do love donuts as much as they are portrayed to, but I have a theory, one that comes down to the donut shop. See, the majority of representations we see of officers of the law come from film and television, most of these shows take place in Los Angeles, even if the setting isn’t LA, generally they are shot here. Of all the places I have ever been to, I have never seen a city so filled with donut shops (that and places that serve pastrami all over shit) as LA. Yelp has around 465 donuts listed in LA County - although I think its much more than that even. My point is, with the hours cops have and the surprising lack of places that are open 24 hours a day, donut shops are sort of the default establishment for cops. Or maybe cops just love donuts.
Continue reading ‘The Donut Hole - La Puente, CA’
While staying in Sioux City, I realized I didn’t have the time or energy to make the 5 hour pilgrimage to Iowa City to attend the Most Serene Republic concert I had purchased a ticket for, so I opted for a more, subdued, adventure…
…Sioux Falls!, a brisk 90 miles north on the I-29, and although I heard that Sioux Falls was a pretty “happening” city it couldn’t be further from the truth. It could have partly been the cold but I was in and out of there in a few hours. I did snap a few pics of some of the good and/or amusing signs in the area for your (my) enjoyment, such as the one above. T & A seems to go well with a bottle of booze generally speaking, or a king for that matter, but Sioux Falls doesn’t shy from provocative double meanings as is shown by the name of this lovely convenience store:
Continue reading ‘Signs ‘O’ the Times #4: The Signage of Sioux Falls - Sioux Falls, SD’
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The first time I had a loose meat sandwich was at a Maid Rite franchisee in Phoenix. It was tucked away off Bell in a shopping plaza that had what was called a Waldenbooks and More. It was like a Waldenbooks but instead of being at a mall, it was a stand-alone store – larger than your average Waldenbooks. It was the closet thing to a Borders or Barnes & Noble before they took over and Borders eventually bought up all the Walden’s. I was waiting for hours at this store with my mom for some sort of Walter Cronkite book signing and the Maid Right was the only food in the plaza.
Also known as a Tavern, very exciting a loose meat sandwich is not. The Tavern is like a burger but instead of a patty it’s made with what is basically unspiced taco meat, like a sauceless sloppy joe. I remember thinking the Maid Rite sandwich being not only unimpressive but pretty gross. It was one of those things that you had to grow up on and when introduced to new communities through franchises they don’t necessarily connect. This was confirmed by the fact that all the Phoenix locations (there was another Maid Rite at what was once called Westridge Mall, now Desert Sky) closed, but what I didn’t know was that Tavern was created in Sioux City, IA and then popularized in the area by Maid Rite.
Continue reading ‘The Battle of the Loose Meat Sandwich - Sioux City, IA’
For even the layperson, Omaha has a reputation for its great steaks (a reputation that is more subconsciously based as the frozen mail order steaks of Omaha Steaks are probably laying somewhere in your cerebral cortex). When you are an asshole who thought he could get some sleep on a flight from LA to Omaha that left at 12:50 am and arrived at 11:30 am with connections – you hope that the meal you have been starving for after attempting to gorge yourself with pretzels, will be one that will satisfy that starvation and make you forget a sleepless flight of refusing to watch Alvin and the Chipmunks.
That being said, I went straight from the airport to Johnny’s Café. The only thing I knew about Johnny’s was that it was the “oldest steakhouse in Omaha” , Established in 1922, but what I didn’t know is that I was about to be blown the fuck away.
Continue reading ‘Johnny’s Cafe - Omaha, NE’
On paper, the Venice Room sounds like one of Los Angeles County’s great hidden gems. A red-boothed dive bar reminiscent of type of establishment frequented by the likes of the Rat Pack in its 1960’s heyday or the cast of Mean Streets in its more current state. Similar to what I am told is the superior Turf Supper Club in San Diego; at the Venice Room you cook up your own steaks to perceived perfection on a communal grill.
Located in Monterey Park, the Venice Room is an unlikely destination for those outside of East LA or the San Gabriel Valley, but those within distance can find a place completely removed from Los Angeles and possibly your perception of reality.
Continue reading ‘Venice Room - Monterey Park, CA’
