Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Co.

Years ago a friend of mine heard of the Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Co. in Chicago and we decided to try it while we were in town for a concert.
The address has been etched in my mind ever since, even though we live in a small town in Central IL.
On my first visit, the two of us arrived at the narrow brick house at 2121 N. Clark on a Saturday night to find the place packed to the gills. A white-haired gentleman eventually made it to the entrance area and asked us how many were in our party. We said two, and he said "an hour and 10 minutes". He did not take any names. We learned that one of the notable things about the restaurant is that they will not take names, they remember you by sight, and are pretty damn accurate about your potential wait time.
We waited at the bar and enjoyed big glasses of red wine. At one hour and 10 minutes after our arrival, right on the nose we were tapped on the shoulder and taken to our cozy wooden booth where, now ravenous, we immediately ordered the first thing we could see on the menu: Mediterranean bread.
Our waiter soon brought the flat bread, draped over a platter and covered in dried herbs and cheese to our table where we tore at it like wild dogs.
Soon our 1/2 pound steaming pizza pot pies arrived, baked in ceramic bowls. I had the sausage and mushroom and my friend Minney, who does not eat pork or beef, had just mushrooms. Deeeeee-licious!!
I later told my husband about the entire experience, and after we saw the restaurant featured on the Food Network he wanted to try the place for himself.
I told him that I could taste green peppers in the sauce (since he is a pepper hater), but I wasn't sure if the flavor would bother him or not.
The two of us visited and had a repeat great experience (he absolutely loves the pies, green peppers and all), and now we make a point to go once a year.
It has become a tradition during December. We go to Chicago for Christkindlmarket, eat dinner at the Pizza and Oven Grinder Co. and take two frozen pot pies home which we prepare and eat together over wine on Christmas eve.
I would also suspect that it is a good place to work, even with the standing room only crowds, since year after year we recognize the waiters and bartenders as those who have been there for years.
The restaurant alone is historic in that it has been serving up these wonderful pizza pies since 1972, but according to the following from their web site, the location itself has some interesting history.
"If the building ever did possess gentility, though, it was abruptly forsaken on February 14, 1929, as the guttural yammering of submachine guns in a garage almost directly across the street brought the notorious 'St. Valentine’s Day Massacre' to headlines around the world. Rumor even has it that the house at 2121 North Clark served as a lookout post for hoodlum henchmen of the Valentine gunners."
So, if you go for the great food, the possible history or the hosts who can distinguish you from the waiting crowd, the Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Co. does not disappoint.

Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Co.
2121 North Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60614

Triple XXX Family Restaurant

Driving through Lafayette, Indiana one time, my husband and I noticed a rather gaudy orange and brown striped building on the hill. We saw a sign that said Triple XXX, and wrote it off as some odd college shop or bar.Much to our surprise while watching Diners, Drive-ins and Dives on the Food Network a few months later, we recognized the orange and brown building, which was featured on a burgers episode.

It was then that we decided the next time we were in Lafayette, we had to check the place out.

Why the name Triple XXX? The restaurant was named after a root beer brand of the same name sold in the 1900s.

There were once several Triple XXX root beer stands. Besides the Lafayette, IN location, one remains in Issaquah, WA.

Arriving at the restaurant in Lafayette in late August, we pulled up to the former drive-in area, which was filled with tables of people waiting to get inside and eat.

On this Saturday, it didn't appear that they were offering curb side service, and I am not sure if they do so anymore.

Walking in, we were told that it would be a few minutes wait for seating inside, so we started to head out to wait, but just as we reached the door we were told to grab a couple of the round orange vinyl stools that had just opened up.

All of the seating in the Triple XXX Family Restaurant is counter seating, and depending on which section of the room you're in, you may be starting across the oval counter at someone sitting just across from you.

The restaurant has been serving up chop steak burgers (from sirloin ground in house) since the late 1920s, so of course we both selected items off the burger menu, after ordering a chocolate malt for me and a root beer for my husband. After the fact, I noticed they had butterscotch malts and wished I had ordered one of those.

I decided to be a bit adventurous with my meal after seeing this description on the menu: "The Duane Purvis All-American - A very special taste treat! 1/4 lb. of 100% ground sirloin served on a toasted sesame bun with melted cheese on top with lettuce, tomato, pickle, Spanish onion and French fries. Add thick creamy peanut butter on the lower deck and you're in for the touchdown!"

While we waited for our food, my husband headed to the small ATM located in the corner of the restaurant, as the only form of payment accepted was cash. He headed back to his stool, and soon our food arrived.

Surprisingly, the peanut butter was not a big standout when I bit in to my burger, but was more of an interesting side note.

I would not be shocked to find myself putting some peanut butter on a burger some time in the future, but if you had told me that before I tried the Duane Purvis, I would have thought you were crazy.

The fries were okay.

The restaurant is currently open 24 hours and also serves breakfast.

The thing I enjoyed about dining at the Triple XXX was the hustle and bustle of everything, and the fun of people watching while basking in a bit of history.

Triple XXX Family Restaurant

2 N Salisbury St

West Lafayette, IN 47906

Indiana Beach

Several summers while growing up, my mom loaded my brother and I in the car and make the fairly boring drive to Flora, Indiana to visit family, while my brother slept for four hours and I stared out the car window.

I have lots of great memories of those days: visiting my great-grandparents; staying with Grandma; walking to the gas station behind her apartment for Slush Puppies and donuts; the sheep at Aunt Mary's house; a pontoon boat ride along the lake where ducks had just left their eggs to fend for themselves.

And one of the big highlights of those summer visits was trips to Indiana Beach in Monticello.

I've gone back several times over the years.

My first road trips sans parents were at age 17 and 18 to Indiana Beach with a high school friend.

I remember paying admission to the swimming area, trudging up the stairs to the bathhouse to get a wire basket to stash our stuff in while we went to sun ourselves on the beach for the day.

Another group of friends and I visited several years after that and had a great time.

And now I am lucky to have a husband who loves road trips, loves amusement parks and loves kitsch, so we try to go every year.

Opened in 1926, Indiana Beach offers roller coasters, arcade games, a swimming beach and more, tucked among cottages and motels offering lodging right nearby.

There are wooden roller coasters on site, as well as the Steel Hawg, Indiana's tallest steel coaster.

Indiana Beach is also home to one of the last few remaining Fascination parlors, a wooden table game in the same family as Skee Ball.

For me, a trip to Indiana Beach can mean a ride on the Shafer Queen paddle wheel boat; riding the antique cars; a ride from one end of the park to the other on the chair lift; feeding the huge fish; riding the Scrambler over the lake; a stop at the creepy fortune teller guy in the arcade; a visit to the beach shop and gift shop and a round of Skee Ball.

For my husband and I, our trip now also involves a trip down the log plume ride and some of the World's Best Tacos.

Yes, when we first saw the sign touting the World's Best Tacos just ahead, we snickered. Please, the WORLD'S BEST tacos are at Indiana Beach?? I don't even recall why we tried them. But we absolutely love these tacos and rave about them every time. Sometimes, we drive three hours to the park, make a pass through the grounds, eat our tacos and head back home.

We didn't get to visit the park last year. This year, they waived admission to the grounds.

At some point since our last visit, they have made some changes, perhaps for the better, perhaps not.

I was dismayed to see as we approached the park that the former wood-sided boardwalk buildings have been covered in ordinary tan vinyl siding.

We also noticed that all of the arcade games no longer accept coins, but now use swipe cards, which are also used to pay for rides.

One thing I noticed on this visit was that there are many employees over the age of 50. I did see a few teenagers manning some rides, but overall there were many mature employees. I don't have anything against teenagers as employees at the park, but it was very refreshing to see so many mature people working, and seemingly enjoying themselves.

The food choices are still plentiful, and reasonable. There are several fair food options, and tacos will only set you back $2 each.

After enjoying our tacos on this year's visit, we continued our walk to the other end of the park.

We walked across the suspension bridge, which I had learned some history about recently.

In 1966 Tom Spackman, son of Earl Spackman, the original founder, expanded the park further over the waters of Lake Shafer with the addition of the largest suspension bridge in the Midwest.

The pedestrian bridge offers a beautiful view of the park and lake, especially on as nice of a day as it was when we visited.

Indiana Beach

5224 E. Indiana Beach Road

Monticello, IN 47960

The Mother Road

We hit the open road today, off to pick up a purchase in Plainfield, Illinois, but had other adventures in mind as well.
Being pretty familiar with Route 66 from Dwight heading south, we decided to pick up the route in Dwight and head north for a change.
We kicked off our Route 66 leg of the trip by stopping at the Route 66 Java Stop, a newer addition in Dwight, IL, built using a couple of former shipping containers.
We've driven by several times on holidays, only to find the place closed. Today we were in luck.
Five minutes later, with coffees and some yummy oatmeal muffins in hand, we hit the highway.

Once in Plainfield, we saw a nice business district filled with historic buildings, so we stopped to poke around.
We went to Miller's Old Fashioned Butcher Shop and bought a large, homemade frozen chicken pot pie. Should make a nice dinner for Monday night.

We drove by the Polk-a-Dot Drive In in Braidwood, a 50s-style drive in, but will have to save that stop for another time, as we had plans in mind for dinner.

We pulled in to the Riviera Restaurant in Gardner shortly after they began serving dinner.
Built in 1928, this was a favorite haunt of Al Capone and was known as a gangster hangout. Gambling and alcohol were secretly offered here during prohibition.
We made our way to the basement restaurant and took a seat. This almost seemed like dining in Grandma's farmhouse basement, on plastic patio furniture with vinyl table cloths, complete with battleship gray painted concrete floors and low ceilings.
The patio furniture is a newer addition, due to the occasional invasion of water from the nearby river. It's easier to move around, and can withstand the elements.
We placed our order, chicken breasts with poppyseed gravy for me, and prime rib for my husband.
We watched the waitress clip the order sheet to a string on a pulley, and send it on its way to the kitchen.
Our salad course arrived via dumbwaiter, mine cole slaw, which seemed homemade with it's milky dressing sprinkled with dill, topping a nice array of chopped veggies and cabbages. These were accompanied by a basket of crackers and some Italian bread, served with a nice pimento spread.
We soon found out that the gentleman who came down the stairs and sat at a table next to us is one of the owners, Bob Kraft. He regaled us with some stories of visitors he's met from far and wide, including Brazil and Russia.
Our meals arrived. My chicken was piping hot, topped with a milk-style gravy peppered with poppyseeds.
My husband's prime rib was tender enough to be cut with a fork, served with a cup of au jus and a side of horseradish.
Both meals were served with some artfully arranged small fruit or vegetable plates.
While waiting for a slice of strawberry rhubarb pie, another waitress gave us a tour of some of the hidden treasures and hideaways in the building, and the bartender told me I had to check out the ladies' room, so I headed in.
The, er, throne, is perched upon a trio of concrete steps, graced with an iron hand rail. Once you start up the stairs, you have to start hunching over as your head quickly approaches the basement ceiling. She explained that the toilets are set up like this due to flooding from time to time.
When I got back to the table, the pie had arrived, served warm and delicious.
All of this and a few drinks set us back a grand total of $36, including a 20% tip.
We bid our farewell to the friendly crew, and headed out to the backyard for some pictures of the streetcar diner that is located on the property.
The Illinois Route 66 Association rescued it from destruction and have been involved in the preservation.
Over a hundred years old, the streetcar was horse drawn at one time, originally operated by the Kankakee Transit System. In 1932 George Kaldem purchased it and moved it to Gardner, converting it to a basic roadside diner.
The diner closed in 1939, and over the years it saw many uses, from a summer cottage to a children’s playhouse, even a rental property for workers at the Joliet Arsenal in W.W. II.
In 1955 Gordon Gunderson, who had married the original owner of the Riviera's daughter, purchased the streetcar, and the streetcar was moved to its present location behind the Riviera.
The streetcar is open so guests can step in and appreciate the character of this gem, from the arched wooden ceiling to the original streetcar bell.

Before we hit I-55 to start heading home, we drove through Gardner once more and took a peek at the historic two celled jail, circa 1906.
I imagine a few patrons of the Riviera roadhouse spent some time cooling their heels in these quarters.

Route 66 Java Stop
502 W Mazon Ave,
Dwight, IL 60420

Riviera Restaurant
5650 Highway 53 S,
Gardner, IL 60424

City Jail
302 N. Center
Gardner, IL 60424

September, 2009 — According to information posted on Roadside America's site, the Riviera Roadhouse was put up for sale earlier in 2009, sold and later received a shut down letter from the city. The restaurant is currently closed.

June, 2010 — More bad news for the Riviera Roadhouse, which has now suffered a fire: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-il-roadhousefire,0,1689188.story

Coletta's Restaurant

We visited Coletta's the week of December 24, 2007

Our last meal in Memphis, Tennessee this trip was at Coletta's Restaurant.
I saw Coletta's listed on the Food Network's web site, and it is also Memphis' oldest restaurant. They also claim to be the originators of Elvis' favorite pizza, the BBQ pizza. All of this was sufficient for me to want to check the place out.
Coletta's is now in it's fifth generation of family ownership.
There are now two locations, but we chose the original 1923 location.
The restaurant was probably quite nice in it's heyday, however the floors and ceiling could use some real updating now.
We both decided to try pizza, but not the Elvis special. I had an Italian spinach pizza and StfRon went with sausage.
The pizzas were very good, with a nice crisp, thin crust and salty, buttery browned cheese on top. The spinach pizza was covered with tons of spinach, so much so that I started pulling it off after a while.
We were there a little late in the evening, on a Sunday night, and the restaurant was rather quiet.
If you're looking for the oldest restaurant in Memphis, Coletta's original location is the place for you.

Coletta's Restaurant
1063 S. Parkway East
Memphis, TN 38106