That Food Guy
Saturday, September 07, 2019
Rock-A-Billy Diner at the Cumberland Mountain General Store
Cumberland Mountain Store and the Rockabilly Dinner are
definitely off the beaten track in rural Tennessee. Your question is probably,
“Why there?” Since you asked, I am delighted to tell you the backstory and why
I have had a curiosity about the Cumberland Mountain Store for many years. I
guess it was about 1995 when I went to Florida to meet the prospective in-laws.
I had not been in Florida for the previous 38 years so I figured I would have a
lot of relearning to do. I must admit that father-in-law Sonny was an education
in himself. One of the things he showed
to me was a catalog from the Cumberland General Store.
That catalog was fascinating reading much like a vintage 1918 Sears Catalog , you
know; men’s dress shirts, $1.18, a horse blanket for $4.50, a 100-pound iron
anvil for $13.60 a new oak veneered front door for your house for $6.41 or a
pair of men’s fleece-lined cotton socks for 44 cents. Except for the clothing, the Cumberland
Mountain Store sells much of the same merchandise, cast iron stoves, wood-spoked
wheels for your mule cart and plows to pull behind your oxen. The only
difference is the Sears catalog is an image of the past whereas the Cumberland
catalog is for sale today at today’s prices. I know it is not all authentic
wares from the past but modern recreations and there may be a delivery delay
for material made to order.
Sonny enjoyed reading that catalog. It was like a paleontologist’s catalog of ancient relics. Although the catalog hardly varied from year to year Sonny ordered a new one almost annually. I was happy to take one of his back issues for my own. I have ordered a few items. I have also shared the catalog with my sister and she has ordered a few thing as well from time to time including parts to restore an old family heirloom lamp. Naturally, curiosity about the store increased over the years. Tennessee is rich in the history. The first European explorer was Hernando De Soto and one hundred years later explored by Frenchmen Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet. And we cannot forget the famous explorations of Daniel Boone. Amore recent historical tie-in is its location on the York Highway named for Alvin C. York the Congressional Medal of Honor recipient during World War I. All of the historical tie-ins made it a place of interest and worthy of a visit. However, doing my research I found out they had added a small burger shop on the back of the store. That settled it. I now had to go to the Cumberland Mountain General Store and try out the burgers at the Rock-A-Billy Diner.
It is a good idea to check their Web Site or call.
Things like the weather can significantly change their hours of operation. After a quick phone call we set out allowing
time for the 1 ½ hour trip to arrive a bit before the 11:00 AM diner opening.
Most of the journey was along Interstate 40. We exited onto US 127, The Sargent
York Highway, near Crossville, headed north and arrived a few minutes later at
the Cumberland Mountain Store.
I did not ask anyone
at the store but I surmise the following: The store and the catalog are related
but the store does not in fact display or sell most of the items listed in the
catalog, perhaps operated as distinct businesses. Most of the merchandise
offered in the store, with the exception of a few items like flour and sugar
sack prints material, is one of a kind, much like the offerings of an antique
store. If you are looking for a hands-on look at catalog items you will not
find them in the store. That is not to say the browsing isn’t interesting. I
found a lovely cut glass ship’s decanter, minus the stopper that I really
should have taken. Well, maybe it will still be there the next visit.
The young ladies tending the fountain and tables were
charmingly courteous and quick to serve. One side of the menu features the
sandwiches and such while the reverse lists soda fountain treats, malts,
sundaes and banana splits if you desire something lighter especially on those
hot Tennessee summer days. Janis ordered the 1/3 Pound Old Fashioned Steak
Burger Combo (Burger, fries and a drink - $7.95). I or
dered the Rock Basket (that
is a 1/3 Pound Steak Cheese Burger Combo with additional Onion Rings, $8.95,
plus 50 cents for the cheese).We ordered our drinks from the offered Coca Cola
products. The burgers are cooked to order and not sitting on a shelf under a
heat lamp. The burgers and fries arrive in a basket with a paper liner much
like drive-ins of old. The sandwiches are bare. The usual condiments, lettuce,
pickles, tomatoes and the like are at a self-serve station in the dining room –
you really can have it your way. The onion rings were real onion rings. They
were not the minced onions formed into little circles and then fried. No these
were real onions breaded and fried. They had a nice sweet flavor. The French
fries were piping hot, a nice golden brown.
A dash of salt and a bit of ketchup was all they needed. When I cook
burgers at home I like the a bit pink in the middle. When I am eating out and
the source of the meat is unknown I like the burger to be cooked through – but certainly
not over cooked. My burger has just cooked through on the griddle, was still
nice and juicy and good beef flavor. Had I grilled this burger at home I would
have been very happy with it.
The visit to the Cumberland Mountain General Store and the
Rock-A-Billy Diner was a positive experience. The retro diner was the major draw
that brought us there but the shopping tour of the general store was surely
sweet icing on the cake. Tennessee is rich in history and only lightly touched
in remote areas by modernization. You can evidence from the earliest days of
colonization, the opening of the West and trail-blazers like Daniel Boone, the
Civil War and more recent heroes of the Twentieth Century. All you have to do
is turn off the Interstate and follow the small roads into the hills. The
Cumberland Mountain General Store is part of that. I thoroughly enjoyed my trip
back in time and the cheeseburger at the Rock-A-Billy diner. There is much more
to the history of the store itself that I have not covered here. I’ll leave
that to you to find out on your next trip the General Store.
Birthday Lunch – Cumberland General Store - Rockabilly Diner
6807 South York Hwy (Hwy 127 North)
Clarkrange, Tennessee 38553
931 863-3880 Web Site
I usually don’t get to pick the places we go out to eat except,
perhaps, on my birthday. On this birthday I chose the Cumberland Mountain
General Store, or more specifically, their Rockabilly Diner. Except for local
traffic the Cumberland Mountain store is not a stop along the way you are
going. That is unless you are following the route of the world's longest yard sale but that is
another story for another time.
Cumberland Mountain Store and the Rockabilly Dinner are
definitely off the beaten track in rural Tennessee. Your question is probably,
“Why there?” Since you asked, I am delighted to tell you the backstory and why
I have had a curiosity about the Cumberland Mountain Store for many years. I
guess it was about 1995 when I went to Florida to meet the prospective in-laws.
I had not been in Florida for the previous 38 years so I figured I would have a
lot of relearning to do. I must admit that father-in-law Sonny was an education
in himself. One of the things he showed
to me was a catalog from the Cumberland General Store.
That catalog was fascinating reading much like a vintage 1918 Sears Catalog , you
know; men’s dress shirts, $1.18, a horse blanket for $4.50, a 100-pound iron
anvil for $13.60 a new oak veneered front door for your house for $6.41 or a
pair of men’s fleece-lined cotton socks for 44 cents. Except for the clothing, the Cumberland
Mountain Store sells much of the same merchandise, cast iron stoves, wood-spoked
wheels for your mule cart and plows to pull behind your oxen. The only
difference is the Sears catalog is an image of the past whereas the Cumberland
catalog is for sale today at today’s prices. I know it is not all authentic
wares from the past but modern recreations and there may be a delivery delay
for material made to order. 
Sonny enjoyed reading that catalog. It was like a paleontologist’s catalog of ancient relics. Although the catalog hardly varied from year to year Sonny ordered a new one almost annually. I was happy to take one of his back issues for my own. I have ordered a few items. I have also shared the catalog with my sister and she has ordered a few thing as well from time to time including parts to restore an old family heirloom lamp. Naturally, curiosity about the store increased over the years. Tennessee is rich in the history. The first European explorer was Hernando De Soto and one hundred years later explored by Frenchmen Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet. And we cannot forget the famous explorations of Daniel Boone. Amore recent historical tie-in is its location on the York Highway named for Alvin C. York the Congressional Medal of Honor recipient during World War I. All of the historical tie-ins made it a place of interest and worthy of a visit. However, doing my research I found out they had added a small burger shop on the back of the store. That settled it. I now had to go to the Cumberland Mountain General Store and try out the burgers at the Rock-A-Billy Diner.
It is a good idea to check their Web Site or call.
Things like the weather can significantly change their hours of operation. After a quick phone call we set out allowing
time for the 1 ½ hour trip to arrive a bit before the 11:00 AM diner opening.
Most of the journey was along Interstate 40. We exited onto US 127, The Sargent
York Highway, near Crossville, headed north and arrived a few minutes later at
the Cumberland Mountain Store.
The store had not been open very long; there were few cars
in the parking area. That afforded us a leisurely walkthrough the store. We
visited the main room and the side annexes. It is an interesting experience
walking through the store. It is like a museum where the artifacts are on sale.
Quite often there is something you recognize from an earlier era, perhaps
styles of dishes or cookware you remember as a child. There are things you can
recognize form your parent’s youth; bedside pitchers and basins, kerosene lamps
and old flour and sugar sacking grandma used to make clothing. It was a
charming sojourn into the past.
I did not ask anyone
at the store but I surmise the following: The store and the catalog are related
but the store does not in fact display or sell most of the items listed in the
catalog, perhaps operated as distinct businesses. Most of the merchandise
offered in the store, with the exception of a few items like flour and sugar
sack prints material, is one of a kind, much like the offerings of an antique
store. If you are looking for a hands-on look at catalog items you will not
find them in the store. That is not to say the browsing isn’t interesting. I
found a lovely cut glass ship’s decanter, minus the stopper that I really
should have taken. Well, maybe it will still be there the next visit.
Soon it was lunch time and time for a visit to the attached
Rock-A-Billy Diner. It was early so we had no problem finding a preferred
table. The diner is not a glass and chrome railroad car diner but more akin to
an off the side of the road 1950’s era diner with a bit of nostalgia rock and
roll décor. As you might expect the menu offers burgers, dogs, malts and the
like; it is a soda fountain burger shop geared to the lunch hour. However, something
I have yet to try is their Friday Fish Fry and Friday
Night Cruise-In.
The young ladies tending the fountain and tables were
charmingly courteous and quick to serve. One side of the menu features the
sandwiches and such while the reverse lists soda fountain treats, malts,
sundaes and banana splits if you desire something lighter especially on those
hot Tennessee summer days. Janis ordered the 1/3 Pound Old Fashioned Steak
Burger Combo (Burger, fries and a drink - $7.95). I or
dered the Rock Basket (that
is a 1/3 Pound Steak Cheese Burger Combo with additional Onion Rings, $8.95,
plus 50 cents for the cheese).We ordered our drinks from the offered Coca Cola
products. The burgers are cooked to order and not sitting on a shelf under a
heat lamp. The burgers and fries arrive in a basket with a paper liner much
like drive-ins of old. The sandwiches are bare. The usual condiments, lettuce,
pickles, tomatoes and the like are at a self-serve station in the dining room –
you really can have it your way. The onion rings were real onion rings. They
were not the minced onions formed into little circles and then fried. No these
were real onions breaded and fried. They had a nice sweet flavor. The French
fries were piping hot, a nice golden brown.
A dash of salt and a bit of ketchup was all they needed. When I cook
burgers at home I like the a bit pink in the middle. When I am eating out and
the source of the meat is unknown I like the burger to be cooked through – but certainly
not over cooked. My burger has just cooked through on the griddle, was still
nice and juicy and good beef flavor. Had I grilled this burger at home I would
have been very happy with it.
The visit to the Cumberland Mountain General Store and the
Rock-A-Billy Diner was a positive experience. The retro diner was the major draw
that brought us there but the shopping tour of the general store was surely
sweet icing on the cake. Tennessee is rich in history and only lightly touched
in remote areas by modernization. You can evidence from the earliest days of
colonization, the opening of the West and trail-blazers like Daniel Boone, the
Civil War and more recent heroes of the Twentieth Century. All you have to do
is turn off the Interstate and follow the small roads into the hills. The
Cumberland Mountain General Store is part of that. I thoroughly enjoyed my trip
back in time and the cheeseburger at the Rock-A-Billy diner. There is much more
to the history of the store itself that I have not covered here. I’ll leave
that to you to find out on your next trip the General Store.
Labels: Boone, cheeseburger, Clarkrange, Cumberland, Daniel, Diner, French fries, General Store, Mountain, onion rings, Plateau, Rock-A-Billy, Sergeant York, Tennessee
¶ 11:30 AM 0 Comments
Monday, July 08, 2019
Burger Master - Townsend, Tennessee
Burger Master – Townsend, Tennessee
Townsend, TN 37882
865-448-8408 Burger Master Website
Summer – Memorial Day thru Labor Day week
Mon – Sun 11am – 9pm grill, 10pm for ice cream
It was July, certainly a hot time of the year. I had been away from home for an extended period. We took advantage of some nice weather to take a drive through Smoky Mountain National Park. The deep shadows of the forest provided welcome shade and offered a pleasant drive with lots of scenic views. Exiting the Park we passed through Townsend and decided to stop for a late lunch at the Burger Master Drive In. The Burger Master, under various names, has been a roadside diner and place of interest for many years. It has a lot of history as does much of Tennessee. I have included a short passage from their website at the end.
There are a lot of touristy attractions in and around the park and Townsend. The Burger master is located adjacent to one of the river rafting concerns. You can’t miss the bright red and white façade. It does resemble what you would expect to find alongside the byways of years ago, before the Interstates. It is a drive-in, not a drive-thru. You order at one window and pick up your order at the next window. There isn’t any inside seating but there are some picnic tables under the awning and some others scattered about the grassy areas under the trees.
You can’t just go to an old fashioned drive-in and not try
the burgers and we did. The full menu is available on their website. We ordered
combos. Combos include sandwich, drink
and regular fries. I ordered the Cheeseburger Combo with a quarter pound burger
for $8.25. Janis ordered the regular Hamburger Combo quarter pound burger for
$7.90. Our faithful companion, Chena, was along for the ride. An avid
passenger, it seems that we can’t leave home without her. There was something
on the menu for her too. We ordered he the Dog Treat – Small dab of ice cream
& Milkbone® dog treat $0.50 which she thoroughly enjoyed. She does
like ice cream and her dog biscuits.
We found an empty table. IT was a bit weather worn but
sturdy. It was in the shade of a tree. IT was a very pleasant day but the sun
can still be quite hot. The burgers are not like the cookie cutter clone
burgers from the fast food chains. Don’t get me wrong. I do like those burgers
too but you have to admit they are all alike, made just so, exact amounts of
this and that. They are all exactly the same and only vary in their stages of squish
and squash. The Burger Master burgers are more akin to the hamburgers you would
make on your patio barbecue, with the lettuce, onions, tomato, etc., just the
way you like it. Sometimes they come out a bit lopsided but that is okay
because they taste just the way you want.
We ordered our burgers just how we liked them at one window.
When they were ready we picked them up at the other window, grabbed some
condiments and headed for our table. Personally I like squeeze bottles for
catsup, mustard, mayo and the like. But I can understand the ease and cost for
the provider so I do tolerate the little foil packets. We had more than enough of the condiments for
the sandwich and the fries. It took just a few seconds to be ready to eat.
The lettuce was crisp. There was a thick slice of beefsteak
tomato, some sliced onion and dill pickle chips. The patty was full sized, not
much shrinkage during cooking. The inside was cooked just about right, pink
just gone (At home I cook to medium rare but when I don’t know the source of the ground meat –
and that includes all burger places – I prefer it cooked just until the pink is
gone.) cooked but not overcooked and dry. All in all it was a very tasty and
enjoyable cheeseburger. The fries come in a thick paper cone, of ample contents
and just a bit of seasoned salt. A very pleasant weather day, a scenic drive
through the countryside, a tasty burger and fries ; what more could you ask
for?
“Known to the old-timers as simply “The Chalet,” Burger
Master Drive-In was built by the famous fisherman J.C. Morgan, in 1967. Morgan
and his family had recently relocated to Townsend from Knoxville. The ice cream
chalet was a good fit for the family’s growing horse riding business and
C-store, which was next door. J.C. Morgan had an entrepreneurial spirit that
never stopped. From horses and ice cream, to live fish wells and a buffalo
petting zoo, the Great Smoky Mountains offered something for everyone.
Fifty years later, the original lighted ice cream chalet
sign, attached to the signature sloped red roof is still shining bright to let
the faithful customers know it is finally summertime in Townsend, Tennessee.
The River Rat Tubing outpost sits next door on the old concrete pad of the Davy
Crockett C-store and where one can still see the backend of what was once part
of the horse stables. Come be a part of history, visiting the Peaceful Side of
the Smokies with a stop at the Burger Master Drive-In. Family owned and
operated!” Quoted from the Burger Master
Website.
Burger Master – Townsend, TennesseeTownsend, TN 37882
865-448-8408 Burger Master Website
July 28, 2019
Hours
(varies by season – check their website)Summer – Memorial Day thru Labor Day week
Mon – Sun 11am – 9pm grill, 10pm for ice cream
It was July, certainly a hot time of the year. I had been away from home for an extended period. We took advantage of some nice weather to take a drive through Smoky Mountain National Park. The deep shadows of the forest provided welcome shade and offered a pleasant drive with lots of scenic views. Exiting the Park we passed through Townsend and decided to stop for a late lunch at the Burger Master Drive In. The Burger Master, under various names, has been a roadside diner and place of interest for many years. It has a lot of history as does much of Tennessee. I have included a short passage from their website at the end.
There are a lot of touristy attractions in and around the park and Townsend. The Burger master is located adjacent to one of the river rafting concerns. You can’t miss the bright red and white façade. It does resemble what you would expect to find alongside the byways of years ago, before the Interstates. It is a drive-in, not a drive-thru. You order at one window and pick up your order at the next window. There isn’t any inside seating but there are some picnic tables under the awning and some others scattered about the grassy areas under the trees.
You can’t just go to an old fashioned drive-in and not try
the burgers and we did. The full menu is available on their website. We ordered
combos. Combos include sandwich, drink
and regular fries. I ordered the Cheeseburger Combo with a quarter pound burger
for $8.25. Janis ordered the regular Hamburger Combo quarter pound burger for
$7.90. Our faithful companion, Chena, was along for the ride. An avid
passenger, it seems that we can’t leave home without her. There was something
on the menu for her too. We ordered he the Dog Treat – Small dab of ice cream
& Milkbone® dog treat $0.50 which she thoroughly enjoyed. She does
like ice cream and her dog biscuits.
We found an empty table. IT was a bit weather worn but
sturdy. It was in the shade of a tree. IT was a very pleasant day but the sun
can still be quite hot. The burgers are not like the cookie cutter clone
burgers from the fast food chains. Don’t get me wrong. I do like those burgers
too but you have to admit they are all alike, made just so, exact amounts of
this and that. They are all exactly the same and only vary in their stages of squish
and squash. The Burger Master burgers are more akin to the hamburgers you would
make on your patio barbecue, with the lettuce, onions, tomato, etc., just the
way you like it. Sometimes they come out a bit lopsided but that is okay
because they taste just the way you want. 
We ordered our burgers just how we liked them at one window.
When they were ready we picked them up at the other window, grabbed some
condiments and headed for our table. Personally I like squeeze bottles for
catsup, mustard, mayo and the like. But I can understand the ease and cost for
the provider so I do tolerate the little foil packets. We had more than enough of the condiments for
the sandwich and the fries. It took just a few seconds to be ready to eat.
The lettuce was crisp. There was a thick slice of beefsteak
tomato, some sliced onion and dill pickle chips. The patty was full sized, not
much shrinkage during cooking. The inside was cooked just about right, pink
just gone (At home I cook to medium rare but when I don’t know the source of the ground meat –
and that includes all burger places – I prefer it cooked just until the pink is
gone.) cooked but not overcooked and dry. All in all it was a very tasty and
enjoyable cheeseburger. The fries come in a thick paper cone, of ample contents
and just a bit of seasoned salt. A very pleasant weather day, a scenic drive
through the countryside, a tasty burger and fries ; what more could you ask
for?
If you are lucky enough to be in the area one day, follow SR321,
the Lamar Alexander Parkway East until just before you would enter the Smoky
Mountain National Park. There you will find Burger Master and will have the
opportunity to have a very satisfying burger and fries. Don’t forget to bring
along the family dog. They will enjoy it too.
“Known to the old-timers as simply “The Chalet,” Burger
Master Drive-In was built by the famous fisherman J.C. Morgan, in 1967. Morgan
and his family had recently relocated to Townsend from Knoxville. The ice cream
chalet was a good fit for the family’s growing horse riding business and
C-store, which was next door. J.C. Morgan had an entrepreneurial spirit that
never stopped. From horses and ice cream, to live fish wells and a buffalo
petting zoo, the Great Smoky Mountains offered something for everyone.
The horse business grew to become the Morgan family’s focus.
The Chalet would pass through many more business owners creating memories for
the tourists who stopped for a classic drive-in dinner and ice cream cone. The
name “Burger Master” was added in the 1980’s and the covered awning in 90’s. In
2016, the Burger Master was purchased from Bob and Barb, who had added the
iconic extra-large serving on the ice cream cone along with lots of love and
care. The new owner happens to be the grandson of the late JC Morgan, bitten by
the same, apparently genetic, entrepreneurial bug as his grandfather!
Fifty years later, the original lighted ice cream chalet
sign, attached to the signature sloped red roof is still shining bright to let
the faithful customers know it is finally summertime in Townsend, Tennessee.
The River Rat Tubing outpost sits next door on the old concrete pad of the Davy
Crockett C-store and where one can still see the backend of what was once part
of the horse stables. Come be a part of history, visiting the Peaceful Side of
the Smokies with a stop at the Burger Master Drive-In. Family owned and
operated!” Quoted from the Burger Master
Website.Labels: Auitumn, burger, cheeseburger, color change, dog, fakk, French, fries, hamburger, leaf, Master, Miklkbone, Mountain, national, park, Smoky, Townsend
¶ 2:00 PM 0 Comments
Tuesday, April 08, 2014
PJ's Oyster Bar and Seafood Restaurant - Indian Rocks Beach, Florida
www.pjsoysterbar.com
These burgers are in
the style of the roadside diner of the Route 66 era; cooked on a large hot
griddle, the buns toasting on the same griddle. Griddle cooked burgers have
their distinctive taste. The cook was trying to cook to order but perhaps just
a tad too long; on Gil’s well done order you can’t tell but my medium well was
almost well done but not dry. Nevertheless, the about 1/3 pound patties were tasty,
with a nice meaty flavor, the cheese nicely melted on top. The lettuce was
crisp leaves of Romaine lettuce and the tomato was ripe, juicy and flavorful.
We both enjoyed our cheeseburgers very much. Portions were adequate and we had
a filling lunch.
PJ’s Oyster Bar and Seafood Restaurant
500 1st Street
Indian Rocks Beach,
FL 33785596-5898
www.pjsoysterbar.com
My wife’s Aunt Effie and Uncle Gil needed a bit of help with
their computer. A promise of lunch out in exchange was a tempting offer I could
not refuse. On a rainy, blustery late morning we went to work on a computer. It
was a simple task really, downloading and installing software which was well
within their capabilities. It was more just insure that if something went wrong
there wouldn’t be a long delay in getting help. All went as it should have
(well, maybe one little snag) and a little after the noon hour we started off
for PJ’s Oyster bar and Seafood Restaurant. By the time we arrived it was still
cloudy and overcast but the rain had stopped.
The building has been there a long time. It is small, tired,
faded and worn but in reasonable repair. Inside the décor is what you might
call eclectic. There is a collection of items, some seacoast related and some
not, hanging from the ceiling. Perhaps PJ’s is best known for the dollar bills
that adorn just about every available wall space. On request a server will
bring you a felt pen and staple gun to add your autographed dollar bill to the
collection. After about 35 years in this location PJ’s is moving to a newer
building almost directly across the street. When the move comes the dollar bill
collection will be removed and the money donated to a local charity. Patrons
can jot down their guess as to how many bills there are on the back of their receipts
and place them in a jar at the exit. The three closest will be awarded a substantial
gift certificate.
A blurb on their menu states that when they opened their
door for business in 1985 their intent was to provide a family atmosphere, good
food at reasonable prices. We were about to test how well they succeeded in
their resolve. The small parking area in front of the restaurant was full and
there were several cars in the overflow parking across the street. It promised
to be busy inside. The interior is roomier than it would appear from outside.
We were shown almost immediately to a table in the center of the restaurant
next to a pony wall that divides the dining room in half lengthwise. From there
we had a vantage point to see the entire restaurant. Menus quickly arrived and beverage orders
taken.
It is not surprising that with a name like PJ’s Oyster Bar
and Sea Food Restaurant that the majority of the menu is seafood items. There
are salads, chicken, beef and pasta selections to satisfy the “Land Lovers” as
the menu says. Aunt Effie and Uncle Gilbert have been here several times and
they have their favorites. Aunt Effie ordered the Shrimp Salad Sandwich
($6.99 All sandwiches served with French
fries or slaw. No Substitutes.) The shrimp salad was piled high on her
split-top sesame seed bun. It was accompanied with crisp, green lettuce and a
slice of ripe tomato. The accompanying slaw was in a small serving dish on the
plate. Effie said the slaw was very good, a little sweet, a little tart, not
too wet and not too dry; just about right. She had no trouble finishing the
sandwich. She used her fork to pare down the pile of salad before making the
sandwich. She said it was good bur perhaps not as flavorful as she remembered
but qualified that saying it may well be the little case of sniffles that was
dulling her taste. Nonetheless, she did enjoy her meal.
My wife Janis ordered a Hamburger ($6.59 These burgers are for the true connoisseur
and grilled to perfection All burgers are served with French fries or slaw,
lettuce, tomato and onion on the side. No Substitutes.) True to the menu,
she was asked how she wanted it cooked. She chose medium for a pink center and
also chose French fries for her side dish. When the hamburger arrived it was
served with crisp green lettuce, a slice of ripe tomato and a nice serving of
crisp, golden brown French fries. Everything seemed to be in order save perhaps
the center of the patty was a faintly pink, just a bit over cooked from the
order. Other than that, the hamburger had good flavor as did the fries. It may
have been slightly over cooked but there was none left to take home in a little
bag for the hungry hounds.
Gilbert and I both ordered the Cheeseburger ($6.99 These burgers are for the true connoisseur
and grilled to perfection All burgers are served with French fries or slaw,
lettuce, tomato and onion on the side. No Substitutes.) Gilbert ordered
well done and selected French fries. I also chose the French fries but ordered
my burger cooked medium well. When the cheeseburgers arrive they were served
with crisp lettuce greens and slices of ripe tomato. The French fries were an
inviting crispy golden brown.
The menu also says that the staff members are sometimes a
bit “quirky” but dedicated… I’m not sure about the quirky part but the staff is
busy doing the host thing and doing well at making you feel at home. The food
is good as is the service. The karma certainly isn’t pretentious and one can
feel right at home in just a few minutes. To that end it would appear that PJ’s
has succeeded in their grand opening quest. When they move to the new facility
across the street they may lose a bit of the charm that has accumulated over
the years in their original building. I wouldn’t mind going back to see and
enjoy another cheeseburger or be even more adventurous and order something else
form the menu. I might just look a bit unto the future and see how things might
be by visiting their newer sister location in St Pete Beach (595 Corey Avenue St. Pete Beach, Florida
33706 (727)367-3309). I think you will enjoy what they have to offer.
About the money on the walls; the menu explains thusly, “ Returning from their plundering escapades,
pirates would come to shore to spend all their booty at local taverns on rum,
wine, women, alcohol and food. Legend has it, in order for the tavern owners to
insure that the tab would be paid, the pirates would mark their money and give
it to the barmaids to hang up behind the bar. At the end of the night
(sometimes even the weekend) the bartenders would simply take the money off the
walls to pay the check. Here at P.J,'s if your dollars come off the
wall, they are donated to All Children's Hospital. Your server will provide you
with a marker and staple gun to be a part of history and leave your mark...
Happy Dining.”
Labels: cheeseburger, dollar bills, hamburger, Indian Rocks Beach, Oyster Bar, PJ's, seafood, shrimp salad, St Pete Beach
¶ 1:15 PM 0 Comments
Monday, September 23, 2013
Checker's Drive In - Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich
Checkers Drive In 6730 Central Ave St Petersburg, FL 33707
(727) 347-4686 http://www.checkers.com/
If you drive any at all you have probably passed a Checkers
Drive in one time or another. They seem
to be in about thirty-two states, scattered coast to coast. In fact, there is a
Checkers Drive Thru a five minute walk from where I am sitting while I write
this. It is that close a walk but I would seldom venture there on foot. That
entails a crossing at a very busy divided highway intersection. A lot of
Florida’s old retirees regard the speed limit and red lights as merely
suggestions. Driving there entails getting the car to be going the right
direction on the proper side of the street which makes for a lot of going
around this or that block to get aligned; awkward to get to this store is one
of those places you wait until you just happen to go that way.
Over many years I have been to Checkers only a few
times. I suppose that if it were a Red
Robin I would have been a more frequent customer. That got me to thinking about what it was
about Checkers that didn’t draw me as perhaps another brand name would It also
got me to thinking about the criteria I use when I critique a food
establishment. All of this came about as
a result of an advertisement I read in the local paper one morning; Philly
Cheesesteak Sandwich, $1.99.
I have never had anything bad at Checkers. I have just never
had anything exceptional at either. If I
had to rate them against other fast food restaurants I would have to rank them
a bit below the more popular McDonalds, Burger King and Wendy’s. In spite of all the advertising hoopla I
think a blind taste test of similar items would prove to be very difficult to
tell the major players apart. Checkers is not quite to that level but then
Checkers menu is less expensive than the others. Checker’s offerings are
consistent and okay, just not great. Perhaps that is why I haven’t written
about checkers before. It is hard, for me at least, to grasp just what they are
and where they fit into the scheme of fast food restaurants.
Many food critics compare food to a fixed arbitrary
standard; sometime very picayune standards. I am a bit more liberal and judge
on a relative scale, by what I and you would expect to be proper for that
establishment. For example, if I go to
a McDonald’s and I am served a perfect a perfect Big Mac I would rate that
McDonald’s as excellent. But if I was served that very same Big Mac at a Red
Robin I would have to note that Red Robin was not serving food up to the
expected standard. Both the Big Mac and
the Red Robin burgers are great and I would love to have one or the other right
now at this late night hour. Neither is bad, one is just inherently better than
the other and I would judge them on the basis of what I would expect from that
establishment. 
That brings us to the inspiration for this blog, the
Checkers Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich. It is too new an offering to be listed on
their on-line menu as of yet. I learned about it from a newspaper insert
offering the new Philly Cheesesteak Sub for $1.99. Ask anyone from “Philly” and
they will tell you an authentic cheesesteak sandwich is made thin sliced rib
eye steak and onions grilled and chopped to perfection, loaded on an Italian
roll and most often served with cheese, Cheese
Whiz or provolone. Anything else is just a poor copy.
Copies that they may be, local restaurants Feola’s and
Kissin’ Cuzzins offer their versions made with steak, onions, peppers and
mushrooms all covered in mozzarella cheese. They are scrumptious. But what about Checkers?
Checkers offering is steak and onions grilled with Swiss cheese on a sub roll.
Pretty close to the “Philly” standard. You can when ordering, augment you
sandwich with the burger topping at hand, lettuce, tomato and bacon. When I
ordered at the drive-thru they asked if I wanted to add bacon to it. Bacon?
What’s to lose? I said put it all on. That got me the lettuce and tomato. In
retrospect that was a mistake although not a bad one. There were enough flavors
in the meat and onions that the lettuce and tomato were almost lost. It would have
been better if they were not there but it was no great distraction either. I
had to look but there was bacon, also almost lost in the main ingredients. I
haven’t had an authentic Philly Cheesesteak sandwich since 1958 and have no
basis for comparison. Therefore I will compare Checkers to Feola’s and Kissin’
Cuzzins and I love both of their sandwiches. Checker’s is a bit smaller, has
Swiss rather than the mozzarella and it doesn’t have the grilled peppers and
mushrooms. Those things aside, the fillings all taste very much the same; all
are very tasty and satisfying. The Checker’s sandwich delivers a lot of good
flavor. Given the choice between a Feola’s and
Checker’s sandwich I would of course choose the Feola’s offering. But if
Feola’s or Kissin’ Kuzzins is not available, then Checker’s is a most worth
substitute. Considering that I can buy
three Checker’s sandwiches for the price of one at the other restaurants makes
the Checker’s offering a very good deal indeed. I also did a comparison picture
of the advertising picture and the product as delivered; very close indeed, one
is recognizable as the other.
Just a footnote:
Most Checker’s are prefabricated clone structures that make
setting up a new store almost a weekend affair after the foundation is laid.
They feature double drive through lanes, one on each side of the building. There
is no inside seating but most offer a small patio area for walk up customers.
Some new stores that have been placed in dense urban areas are using the store
front scheme as well. It may be a fluke of geography but the three closest Checker’s
to my location are on busy divided highway intersection corners. Plan your
visit ahead of time.
Labels: Checkers, cheese, Cheese Whiz, cheeseburger, cheesesteak, chicken, drive thru, fish, hamburger, mozzarella, mushrooms, onions, peppers, Philly, provolone, rib eye, spicy, steak
¶ 11:54 AM 0 Comments
Monday, June 03, 2013
Aboard the MV Columbia 10/16/12 – 10/19/12
Aboard the MV Columbia 10/16/12 – 10/19/12
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| MV Columbia underway on the Lynn Canal. Passing Haines en route to Skagway. |
Alaska Marine Highway System
Haines, Alaska to Bellingham, Washington
 |
| Dining Room |
First off I would remind the reader that the vessels of the Alaska
Marine Highway System are there provide transportation to the far flung and
isolated ports of call along the inland waterway. They will haul your vehicle, seemingly
no matter what the size, and if you can’t afford the cost of a cabin you can
snuggle down in the chairs of the observation lounge or pitch your tent on the
fantail. In that respect they have no equal. They are not cruise ships but they
do things the cruise ships cannot. Whatever else the ships of the Alaska Marine
Highway System do provide is an extra, a convenience for the traveler. In that
respect they do an exceptional job as well. This blog will be a cumulative narration
of the meals I enjoyed during my trip from Haines, Alaska to Bellingham,
Washington aboard the MV Columbia.
 |
| Breakfast - eggs, bacon, hash browns, toast and coffee. |
There are two places to eat aboard the Columbia. One is the
dining room, a more formal experience with linen tablecloths and real
silverware and you order from a menu. The other is the snack bar cafeteria, a
more casual affair. Snacks are available all night and during mealtimes the
short order cook can provide you with burgers, hot dog, grilled sandwiches or
steam-table entrees that change daily. I decided to try out the fare the first
morning in the dining room.
The dining room was not busy at the moment and I was shown
directly to a table. My server, Celistino, was there a moment later and took my
order. As is my breakfast custom, I went looking for bacon, hash browns and
eggs. That was listed as combination number 1 (2 eggs any style, ham, bacon or sausage, breakfast potatoes, toast.
$9.75) Celistino was careful to remind me that I might also enjoy a morning
cup of coffee. I did not have a long wait. While I was waiting I took the time
to look around the dining room. It was neat and clean. The tables were all set
with tablecloths, napkins and silverware, glasses and coffee cups and saucers;
a bit of elegance on the high seas. The order was prepared quickly. Neatly
arranged on a platter with a slice of orange for a garnish, the eggs were to
order though perhaps cooked a bit too long on the one side. The hash browns
were nicely browned, crispy outside and cooked through the middle. The bacon was fried nice and crisp and there
were four slices to the order. Two slices of toasted white bread with the
butter and the jellies on the side all made for a hearty breakfast. Aside from the eggs being slightly overcooked,
the meal was prepared and served well. It was a relaxed meal, no rush and I
felt I could linger as long as I liked; Celistino, my server, refilled my
coffee cup when near empty until I bade him to stop.
There is a sign on the table. It explains that the staff of
the MV Columbia as well as all the employees of the Alaska Marine Highway
System are State of Alaska employees, officers if you will, and the rules
forbids then from accepting tips or gratuities. Even though the staff was not
working for tips, their service on this trip has been of high quality and
certainly in any other circumstance would have earned them a generous reward.
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| Sweet and Sour Pork, Egg Roll Also, canned green beans and a biscuit |
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| Snack Bar Dining Room |
My next meal aboard the MV Columbia was the next day for
lunch. I decided to try out the snack bar and get a cheeseburger and fries.
After all, if you can’t make a good hamburger, or fries for that matter, the
rest of the offerings are suspect. It is a combination facility. There are
prepared sandwiches, salads and desserts in a refrigerated self serve counter.
That is available on a twenty four basis. For scheduled lunch and dinner hours,
there is a short order grill offering the usual hamburgers, hot dogs and
grilled sandwiches. There is also a small steam table where entrees for the
daily special are prepared in the kitchen that adjoins the dining room and the
snack bar. I was a bit early and got in line to order my cheeseburger. However,
a hand lettered sign offered the daily special, sweet and sour pork (Lunch Special 31, $9.00). I couldn’t
pass that up. The rice and the sweet and
sour pork were already in the steam table trays. The cook was momentarily
flustered and he told me that the egg rolls hadn’t yet been cooked. I told him
I would wait. It only took a few minutes before the egg rolls were done and he
ladled out a generous helping of rice and sweet and sour pork. As a curiosity, I will add that it was just an
entrée and the usual serving is the entrée, a vegetable and a roll. He asked me
if I wanted the green beans and being hungry I said yes. He added the roll and
the egg roll to complete the serving. While I was waiting I also picked out a fruit
salad ($4.00) and a 12-ounce soda ($1.75). The green beans were from a big can
and heated up for serving. They were as good as canned green beans can get. The
rice was well cooked, a nice sticky oriental style. The sweet and sour was well
made. The sauce was not overpowering; I had pineapple chunks, some carrots and
sweet red peppers. The pork serving was several large pieces of a mix of roast
and ribs. It was a large serving with only a couple of small bones. It was
tasty and the meat tender, easy to cut with the plastic knife and fork. The egg
roll, a large one at that, was also a prepared heat and serve from the
distributor. Basically, It was a seasoned
cabbage filler. It was an egg roll but not outstanding. It would have
benefitted from some sort of dipping sauce. The fruit salad was a prepared
offering in a plastic container. It consisted of melon, cantaloupe and
honeydew, with red grapes. The melon was ripe without being mushy. I would
judge the salad fresh as there was virtually no liquid in the bottom of the
container. It was a tasty meal, served in large portions and one that I
enjoyed. Considering that it was a steam table cafeteria offering it was very
good. Add to that the cook had to hurry and fill my order all the while working
on the other orders and he did it with a smile. It was an enjoyable meal. The
dining area is neat and clean, well tended. It also can be busy at meal times
so I didn’t linger as much as I would have liked to make room for other diners.
 |
| Cheeseburger and French fries |
The next day my next meal really was a cheeseburger and
French fries. I picked up a tray and moved past the prepared foods to the short
order area. I ordered a cheeseburger and fries ($8.75 – Remember, we are paying
Alaska prices). While I waited for my
order, I poured myself a Coca Cola from the serve yourself dispenser. My
preference is for a grilled meat patty. Since open fires and flaring grease are
not exactly a good idea aboard a ship, the griddle fried patty was acceptable. The patty was cooked through but not
overcooked and dry. The cheese was
thoroughly melted over the top of the patty. The burger was served open faced
with lettuce, tomato, onion and dill hamburger slices. The French fries were
served in a bowl alongside. I proceeded to the cashier. Although the ship does
not offer wi-fi or satellite services for personal computers, the ship does
have satellite communications capability. You can pay with your credit or debit
card just as if you were in any major city in the lower Forty Eight; just a
swipe of your card and enter your PIN. A dispenser near the cashier offers all the
condiments you might need; just press the plunger and fill your portion cup.
 |
| Fry cook making my cheeseburger |
Business was light so I quickly found and empty booth. I was
looking over my order in front of me while I pulled out my camera to take a
picture. The hamburger bun was the large
size, fresh and soft and the cooked hamburger patty came almost to the edge of
the bun. The lettuce was a large leaf of curly leaf lettuce, vibrant green,
crisp and fresh. The tomato slice was from a large, red and ripe tomato. The
onion slice, a thick slab, was from a flavorful red onion. There were seven or
eight hamburger dill slices as well. Put the burger on a regular ceramic
platter to have enough room to add the fries, it would have been in place, fit
in, in just about any eat in restaurant you can think of. But what was most
amazing to me, on this car carrying ferry boat, is that they serve fresh,
vibrant and favorable vegetables. It is even more amazing when you consider
where the ship is and what a complicated and sinuous path they had to follow to
be aboard the ship right now. The logistics are simply amazing. A bit of that
awe, knowing where I am and seeing what I had before me, was parcel to every meal
I had aboard the MV Columbia. I almost forgot; it was an excellent
cheeseburger. The patty was cooked through, fresh off the grill, juicy and hot,
the vegetables fresh and tasty and just the right amount of dressing – after all,
I put it there myself.
 |
| Ham and Cheese Omelet, hash browns, toast and coffee |
The next morning I decided to treat myself and I went to the
dining room for breakfast. I selected
the ham and cheese omelet (Daily Special number 5: $9.75 Three egg omelet - Denver,
ham and cheese or Spanish – breakfast potatoes and toast. I also had my morning
coffee, $1.75) The coffee, fresh as usual, had a good flavor comparable to any
other upscale restaurant. The servers make frequent tours filling coffee cups
to the brim. Sugar is individual serving packets and cream in is offered individual
creamers. There were four slices of toast, a nice toasted golden brown, served
with ample supplies of butter and jam. The breakfast potatoes were an ample
serving of hash browns. They were cooked through with a dark golden brown,
slightly crispy outside. They were not at all oily. All they needed was a dash
of salt. That brings us to the omelet. Some scaring episodes in my early life
have left me very particular about my eggs; about egg shells, grease, over-cooked
and undercooked. This omelet was not offensive on any account. It was pan
cooked, light and fluffy almost a soufflé. It wasn’t one of those omelets
cooked on a griddle where the eggs spread out thin and get cooked to a nice
rubbery consistency. It also wasn’t one of those French omelets, folded onto a
plate without cooking the other side, rolling the still raw egg on the inside
to make what the French omelet chef’s apologize for as being “creamy.” The
filling of peppers, onions and ham is cooked on the side. The filling plus some
grated cheese blend is folded inside and additional cheese over the top. The
filling was ample, the filling cooked till the vegetables were just soft but
not mushy. The egg itself was cooked to just the lightest golden brown nd the
inside light and fluffy and fully cooked. What’s not to like. I really enjoyed
that breakfast; it was almost as if the chef had asked me exactly how I wanted
my omelet cooked.
 |
| My Second Cheeseburger |
That evening for dinner I went to the snack bar. I ordered a
cheeseburger and fries ($8.75). Cooked on the spot, my order was ready in just
a few minutes. This meal was not as artistically arrange as my previous
cheeseburger. The bun was stacked instead of open faced which made room for the
fries on the plate. The once big leaf of crispy lettuce was now a token chip.
We were three days out of Haines and I suppose supplies of fresh lettuce would be
running low. On the side there was ample sliced red onion, fresh ripe red
tomato and four slices of dill hamburger slices. The patty was cooked a bit
more than needed, had a little more shrinkage, but not over cooked to dryness.
The fries were cooked golden brown and were not greasy. They had been in a
holding pan so were not piping hot out of the fryer but they were still warm
enough to be appetizing. The ingredients and preparation were the same as the
previous cheeseburger save perhaps a low supply of lettuce and a minute more on
the grill and a bit less artistic skill. It tasted just as good and was
satisfying. To put it in perspective, if this cheeseburger had been
preassembled with a bit too much dressing, wrapped in paper and then pre-squashed,
placed in a paper bag, it would more than held its own against anything McDonalds
or Burger King could offer.
 |
| Delicious Shrimp Salad |
In the late evening, after the rill has closed for the day,
the snack bar dining room is a popular place to meet, play cards, sit and chat,
write letters home. I found a table with a convenient electrical outlet and it
made for a comfortable place to come and use my laptop computer. I went through
the food line to get a soda to sip on while I typed. In the prepared food
section there was a shrimp salad. I have always liked shrimp salad, liked it a
lot (see http://www.twentymile.com/Cookbook/shrimpsalad2009.htm
). The temptation was just too great and I just had to have shrimp salad for a
late night snack. I had actually seen a shrimp salad sitting on the crushed ice
in that very spot for the last day or so. I wasn’t sure if it was the same one.
I looked it over very carefully through the neat Saran wrapping. Here waqs a
small trove of crisp looking lettuce, the tomato, egg and cucumber all looked
to be fresh cut. The shrimp had the dull look, not weeping and glossy like
shrimp past its prime. I took a chance. When I unwrapped the salad I took a
careful sniff. I could smell shrimp but it was a mild fresh smell not like the
fishing pier on a hot sunny day. It was as fresh as the shrimp I could buy from
the market in the home town of Chugiak-Eagle River. The salad couldn’t have been more than a few
hours old. The shrimp must come aboard frozen and just defrosted to make new
salads as needed. Crisp green lettuce, fresh tomato, crisp and cold cucumber
and a sliced hardboiled egg all made for an excellent salad and a nice late
night snack.
 |
| Chuck Wagon Breakfast Biscuit, scrambled eggs and corned beef hash |
The MV Columbia is a car ferry. Its schedule depends on a
timely loading and unloading of the vehicles. My vehicle was loaded at near the
origin of this voyage. As a result, it is poised to be the second vehicle off
the ferry when we arrive in Bellingham, Washington. It is an early morning
arrival in Bellingham; the sun had not yet risen as we pulled into the berth at
Bellingham. As a result, there just isn’t any time for a leisurely breakfast.
In fact, the main dining room wasn’t even scheduled to open. However, to accommodate
passengers up very early, the snack bar had a special they called the Chuck
Wagon Breakfast ($4.50 Scrambled eggs, corned beef hash and a biscuit). It was
a nice way to feed the up early passengers hurrying to get ready to depart the
ferry. I, of course, jumped at the opportunity to have a full belly or the rush
to the freeway. The server didn’t skimp on the serving; he just kept ladling
the hash. The biscuit: it was a flaky,
layered biscuit. It was nicely bake, golden brown on top. It had a good
appearance, split easily between layers for some butter. It was a good biscuit
but not great; perhaps a bit on the heavy side. It was, however, more than
adequate in the early morning. I think the eggs were whole eggs. They cooked a
lot of eggs on the griddle and that tends to change the texture, makes then
denser, not as light as pan cooked scrambled eggs. They were very tasty. The corned
beef hash came from a can, a very big can. There was a steam table tray full of
corned beef hash. If you have ever used corned beef hash you know that it tends
to be a bit greasy. If you fry it up in a pan the grease seems to go away. Or,
you can drain it for a few minutes in a colander and let the grease drain away.
IN this case the corned beef in the steam table tray still had all the grease. You
can see it oozing out from the corned beef in the picture. I ate the eggs, the biscuit
and the top layer of the corned beef. The bottom layer I just had to waste and
throw it away. If it hadn’t been for the grease it would have been an almost
perfect quick and easy get up and go breakfast. For all the meals that had aboard the MV Columbia
I guess this would be my only complaint and that may be the significant point
in this blog. Basically, the food aboard the MV Columbia is A-Okay.
When one considers that the MV Columbia and her sister ships
have a captive audience and whatever they chose to provide for the passengers
depends upon the character of the Maritime Highway System and the captain and
crews of the vessels. They basically have
free rein. To their credit they do an exceptional job and as a result a journey
on the Alaska Marine Highway System is a pleasure. To emphasize the point we
should compare the Marine Highway System to another major transportation
provider for people going to and from Alaska, the airlines. Oh, that’s right.
There is no comparison at all.
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| Snack Bar Kitchen During the quiet hours |
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| Passage Way Between Snack Bar Kitchen and Main Dining Room Kitchen |
Labels: Alaska, Bellingham, cheeseburger, dining room, Haines, Highway, Marine, MV Columbia, pork, shrimp salad, snack bar, sweet and sour, System, Washington
¶ 6:00 PM 2 Comments
