Chow Time: Four Clowns at a PANCAKE CIRCUS!

I finally understand the East Coast vs. West Coast rivalry rooted so deeply in the '90s hip hop community.  Fundamentally, I'm pretty sure that it's about breakfast food.

Obviously, the East Coast is the undefeated champion when it comes to streamlined chrome diners, all night joints where one can unashamedly order a kitchen-sink omelette just as easily at four in the afternoon as four in the morning.  Where the West wins is corny coffee shops - Googie-style affairs with kooky rooflines and even kookier theming.

Pancake Circus (1960) - Sacramento, CA

To visit Sacramento is to learn that Pancake Circus is the Tupac of themed coffee shops.  Seriously, when told that the kitchen would not make her pancakes in the form of Tupac's famous West Coast hand sign, Mary requested that they at least arrange her bacon in the shape of a "W."

The kitchen, the counter, and some of Pancake Circus' OGs.

Waiting for our meal to arrive, we engaged in all the usual coffee shop shenanigans - shooting the paper wrapping off our straws, loosening the lids on the pepper shakers, playing the rims of our water glasses etc.  It wasn't until we began balancing spoons on the ends of our noses, that I realized what was happening; at Pancake Circus, we were the circus.  The spoons were little more than large rubber balls and we were the seals.  Here, the two-dimensional animal cutouts watched as we, trapped in our naugahyde cages, wildly tore into the food delivered by our keepers/servers.

See what I mean?!

He's an animal!

Stalking her country potatoes like big cat! 

To distract myself from the startling realization that we could easily be mistaken for circus animals (and to rethink my questionable comparison of Pancake Circus to Tupac Shakur), I decided to take some pictures...

Under the lights of the BIG TOP!

If clowns (paintings, plushies, porcelain dolls, parachuters) are not your thing, then I still say go to Pancake Circus!  Think of it as phobia therapy.

Because these people are not clowning around!!!

Or are they?

Mind if we drop in?

"Uh...no, thanks!'

My favorite part of the Pancake Circus went unnoticed by nearly every other diner in the restaurant;
it's that accordion-style partition (above) that closes not in a straight line but in a swoosh!

I love my family.
I love this photo.
I also love the incredible walls, slightly obscured by the elephant
cutout; the matchstick mosaic is studded with tiger-eye glass tiles. 

Prior to running away with the Pancake Circus, we met an older couple in town who told us that going there would be a waste of time.  "Oh...there," said the wife, "It used to be cool."  I tried to maintain my composure but inside I was shouting, "No duh, lady."  I mean, it doesn't often happen that bastions of mid-century morning mealtime dramatically improve with age yet it remains our duty to support them!  Sure, the edges are worn, the finishes are dulled, and the clowns are many.  But as the old saying goes, "Circus breakfast is the most important meal of the day."

If not the animals, then we definitely left feeling like the
clowns; and that still makes Pancake Circus pretty cool...

Even after hours!

Pancake Circus
2101 Broadway
Sacramento, CA
(916)452-3322

pancakecircus.net


Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Signs of the Times: Gunther's Ice Cream

If nothing else, Instagram has taught me that there are many people who spend the bulk of their free time documenting interesting, historic, and beautiful signs.  One need only search the hashtags #coolsign or #vintageneon to see that #signgeeks are alive and well.  Never has the activity occupied enough of my time for me to consider it even much of an avocation.  A passing interest?  Maybe.  A road trip diversion?  Sure.  A whimsy?  Why not?

Gunther's Ice Cream (est. 1940) - Sacramento, CA

I suppose the time has come for me to reevaluate my place in the world of sign hunting.  However unpopular my stance, I must admit that I go for the big game.  Fancying myself an expert tracker, I sniff the winds for whiffs of neon and follow the telltale tracks.  If I could, I would triumphantly hoist one foot on top of the very best signs I bag, posing for the camera with a self-satisfied grin.  Among my prize trophies would be Gunther's Ice Cream in Sacramento, CA.

Gunther is all aglow and ready for action!

It can be challenging for a lactose-intolerant to justify embarking on a 1,000-mile safari to the ice cream epicenter of California's capitol, but that is precisely how I know that my devotion borders on the fanatical; I need no justification.  On one trip, I made my family drive approximately 45 miles out of the way (retracing our steps twice) because I got a hunch that there was a good sign I missed (and indeed there was).  I approach this endeavor with all the devotion of a newly-minted Hindu monk.

But if I'm going to worship at the altar of any multiple-
limbed deity, it will be Lord Gunther ...sorry Vishnu. 

Oh, yes.  Gunther's does serve ice cream.  If they didn't, they would have a quite a difficult time explaining the endless line that encircles the building.  Generations of Sacramentians, Sacramentites, Sacra-men's toes (or whatever you call 'em) have made Gunther's Ice Cream a favorite, sun-down watering hole - a truly ideal setting for observing the sign in its natural habitat.

Cherries on top for everyone!

And while I couldn't indulge in the dairy-filled delights, I was more than sated by one of my favorite pastimes - THE HUNT (and thanks to the wacky tacky adventure team, not a single Cecil was injured)!

Sometimes the only way to fit all the sundae-
stuffed wacky tacky adventure team members into
a single photo is to stack 'em - TRIPLE SCOOP!!!

Gunther's Ice Cream
2801 Franklin Blvd
Sacramento, CA
(916)457-6646

gunthersicecream.com


Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Chow Time: Venice Room - STEAK Your Way!

At Monterey Park's Venice Room, it's strictly a case of "GYOS" (Grill Your Own Steak) - a novelty to which I would normally find myself entirely averse.  I mean, restaurant fondue is a definite fon-don't for me as I am morally opposed to paying for the privilege of preparing my own meal.  The charm also wears quite thin with things like shabu-shabu.  And the same holds true for pho; if I wanted to make soup, I would have simply stayed home and made soup!  While this has certainly prevented many a succulent encounter with Korean barbecue, I've learned that if you don't stand for something, then you'll fall for anything.  Principles.

Venice Room - Monterey Park, CA

Few things have the power to overcome my aversion to DIY dinners on the town like a mid-century steakhouse.  Opened in 1957, Venice Room is the true definition of a bar & grill.  In every sense, it is both a bar (about two-thirds of the facility is dedicated thusly) and a grill (literally, one communal grill in the corner that serves as the stage for steer-searing showmen of every variety).

Grill Masters enter here!!!

The dinner menu is limited at Venice Room.  So limited, in fact, that there is no menu at all.  As soon as our group of three was seated in one of the tufted, black-leather demilune booths, the lone waitress approached the table and, extending three fingers on her right hand, queried, "So...three steaks?"

"Beef, it's what's for dinner."

Sensing my hesitation, she quickly explained, "That's all we have - steak, baked potato, salad, and a roll."  My request for a dinner service sans steak was met with equal parts incredulity and pity.

I'm not going to say that non-steak eaters are considered second-class citizens,
but I could detect the sense of wonder as to why one who so staunchly abstains
from steak would come to a restaurant that specializes in nothing but. 

Keeping things ever more simple, only one cut and one size of steak is served at Venice Room.  But don't ask me what cut that is; I can't tell my T-bone from my top sirloin.

But even I could discern that this was quality meat.
I can definitely see some marbling and whatnot...

The method of food delivery is initially startling but pleasantly old-timey.  Guests are invited to help themselves (do you detect a theme here?) to the salad bar, a cafeteria-style affair complete with sneeze guard.  Moments later a platter arrives tableside that contains a foil-wrapped baked potato, a french roll the size of a football, and great slab of raw beef in wax paper.

I tend to err on the side of extreme caution when it comes to food contamination;
this little still life made me glad that I opted out but every other diner was licking
their chops in anticipation.

The steaks may be the stars of the show at Venice Room but behind every great steak is an even greater grill master.  Standing before a massive indoor barbecue, beneath the gleaming scallop trim of the copper vent hood, Ben cooked every morsel of meat to perfection...at least according to Erika.  But it was Ben's first time.  His performance at the Venice Room grill was nothing compared to "Don Julio."

Ben vs. Don Julio

From grill marks to jackets there was one clear winner. 

Small but mighty, Don Julio escorted a beautiful bevy of local talent who swooned as he turned the seasoning station into a scene straight out of Cocktail.  Spinning sauce bottles and twirling tongs at the end of his nimble fingers, Don Julio skillfully choreographed the flames in a dramatic fire dance.  An obvious expert, DJ's system even included adding a bit of char to the rolls.

We might have been outclassed when it came to showy preparation but
nobody could beat us for sheer enthusiasm where eating was concerned.

All was well before the meat sweats set in...

The room was so dim that Mr. Tiny had no idea that the
house dressing could easily stand in for nacho cheese. 

We did such a thorough job in cleaning our plates that the owner (son of original owner, Joe Lombardo) came over to our table to congratulate us.  Peppered throughout our polite small talk, we were sure to include compliments on maintaining this landmark restaurant and its many fine furnishings. 

Walls not covered by murals of Venetian canals, are given the full
glamour treatment in the form of multi-color, paisley, foil wallpaper. 

The show-stopping highlight of  Venice Room's thematic decor is its black-lit backbar.
Peeking through the portico, Venetian ships rendered in neon sail serenely down the canals.

As lovely as the murals are and as much truth as there is in the adage, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," I am always looking at even the finest venues with a critical eye.  For simmering just beneath the jolly surface of this wacky tacky diner is a frustrated restaurateur and production designer wanting to create atmospheric and gastronomic perfection.  I just so happen to have a few ideas handy:

1. This one seems like a gimme but, in a Venetian-themed restaurant clad in canal scenes, it seems to me that the staff should be dressed as gondoliers (singing gondoliers would be a bonus).
2.  The "salad bar" - a term I use as lightly as a downy feather - could use some revamping.  It's a system that would certainly not suffer from the addition of tomatoes or a few shoestring beets.  My feelings would certainly not be hurt if somehow the "bar" took the form of a gondola...or maybe I'm just taking the theme one step too far.
3. This will make me sound gluttonous but nobody ever said, "That's too much butter!" Mathematically speaking, a pre-portioned teaspoon of butter simply isn't enough for a large baked potato and a roll as big as my head (a head that falls in the 99th percentile).

A few quibbles notwithstanding, Venice Room is practical wacky tacky perfection - particularly if you are the type who wants to grill your own steak in front of a live studio audience (I'm looking at you Don Julio).  On this point, I am certainly willing to concede to a landmark with a record of nearly 60 years of successful service.  So make your way for steak your way!



Venice Room Bar & Grill
2428 S Garfield Ave
Monterey Park
(323)722-3075

theveniceroom.com


Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Signs of the Times: DFW in Lights!!!

On our recent jaunt to the great state of Texas, I had to remind myself that every adventure need not necessarily be a wacky tacky fact-finding mission.  It's okay, I told myself, to to put down the camera and simply enjoy my surroundings.  It's perfectly reasonable, I concluded, to abstain from researching bowling alleys, bakeries, and beauty shops.  It is good etiquette, so I'd read, to connect on a personal level with local residents (particularly if those locals happen to be your awesome extended family members).  But sometimes it is also acceptable to acknowledge that the heart wants what it wants.  And this heart of mine, enlarged by too many trayfuls of good, old-fashioned, Texas barbecue, wants signage - crackling, glowing, neon signage! 

Blue Bonnet Bakery - Fort Worth, TX

The first sign we encountered was in the historic Crescent Heights neighborhood of
Fort Worth; the 80-year-old Blue Bonnet Bakery's new-ish sign added some roadside
whimsy to the 1922 Christian Science Church from which the bakery now operates.  

With a couple of exceptions, signs in the greater Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex defy the stereotype that everything is bigger in Texas.  In fact, most of the signs are relatively modest compared to, not just the businesses they advertise, but also the vast prairie country they inhabit.  Thank goodness that we at wacky tacky are not size snobs; new or old, meek or bold, we are of the opinion that when it comes to signs, even modest can be hottest.

Messina's Shoe Repair - Grapevine, TX

It doesn't get much more simple than Messina's sheet-metal & neon shoe.  And yet, there is nothing
so quaint and old-timey as hanging your shingle in the shape of the services/wares that are offered.

Coburn's Cafeteria & Catering - Fort Worth, TX

Unfortunately, the cafeteria inside Coburn's is long gone but they
continue to offer some of North-Central Texas' best catering.

Rose - Fort Worth, TX

I'm not sure what they're advertising but whatever they're sellling, I'm buying.

Leddy's Boots & Saddlery - Fort Worth, TX

You can keep your football; this is my kind of Friday Night lights!!!

Riscky's Steakhouse - Fort Worth, TX

Cool sign - no bull.

Theo's Drive-In - Grand Prairie, TX

Theo's Drive-In - Grand Prairie, TX

Don't you all of the sudden have a serious craving for Cre-Mel Root Beer...whatever that is.

Texas Liquor - Dallas, TX

Buck & Ruck - Dallas, TX

Stop n' Save Liquors - Dallas, TX

The reverse of Stop n' Save Liquors - Dallas, TX

Standard Spring & Brakes - Dallas, TX

Deep Ellum - Dallas, TX

Rollin' deep!

Joe T. Garcia's Mexican Dishes - Grand Prairie, TX

Deep Ellum - Dallas, TX

Adam Hats - Dallas, TX

Twisted Root Burgers - Dallas, TX

Even though this is the one and only time Pee-Wee has ever led us astray (the promise that every Texan we encountered would clap along with us given the appropriate prompting was left unfulfilled after many, many attempts), we still adore Mr. Herman and the signs of DFW.  Although we didn't stick around long enough past sundown to see any of these beauties in their full glory, that didn't dim the twinkle they left in our eyes.  To coin a new phrase, "the signs at night are small but bright, deep in the heart of Texas!!!"

"Deep in the Heart of Texas" - The Ranch Party Gang (1957)

(It should be noted that Town Hall Ranch Party 

was broadcast from Compton, CA - woot woot!)

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny