Three more Route 66 restaurants featured on Food Network February 4, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Food, Restaurants, Television.2 comments
The Salsa Brava restaurant on Route 66 in Flagstaff, Ariz., was featured on the Food Network’s popular “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” program on Monday night, reported the Arizona Daily Sun.
According to the Food Network Web site, the segment, “Return to Route 66,” is an eastward tour of Route 66, with stops at Salsa Brava, billed as a “family-style restaurant serving scratch-made Southwest favorites,” a diner in Albuquerque and a “joint” in Chicago. [...]
“Diners, Drive- ins and Dives,” affectionately called “Triple D” by regular viewers, is hosted by Guy Fieri, who was given his own show in 2006 when he beat out seven other contestants during season two of “The Next Food Network Star.”
The other two Route 66 restaurants were the Standard Diner in Albuquerque and Del Rhea’s Chicken Basket in Willowbrook, Ill., according to the show’s Web site.
According to the Daily Sun:
Guests intently watched the segment as Conley and Fieri whipped up some killer salsas and stuffed poblano peppers with shrimp and lobster.
They gave the Conleys big applause when it was over.
The episode will air again at 9 and 9:30 p.m. Eastern on Friday and 3 and 3:30 p.m. Eastern on Sunday.
In a previous season, “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” has featured the Route 66 restaurants of Cafe on the Route in Baxter Springs, Kan.; Clanton’s Cafe in Vinita, Okla., and Rock Cafe in Stroud, Okla. The Rock Cafe is closed because of a fire, but should reopen by summer.
Route 66, by way of New Orleans February 3, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Music.2 comments
This jam session during a version of Bobby Troup’s “Route 66″ is smoking hot. You’ve got Doc Alters on harmonica, Renee Manning on vocals, Earl McIntyre on trombone, Steve Simon on clarinet, and a few members of the Fabulous Thunderbirds as the rhythm section.
It’s definitely got a Crescent City feel.
Historic real estate site launched February 2, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Businesses, Preservation, Web sites.1 comment so far
For those seeking or wanting to sell historic property along Route 66, a new site launched last week that may provide a good resourse for such things.
HistoricForSale.com, a subsidiary of PreservationDirectory.com, launched on Wednesday. It’s an online directory of vintage homes and historic commercial property for sale, and real-estate agents who specialize in such markets.
A listing on the site includes:
- Up to 11 photos, complete seller contact information, and unlimited text that describes the property’s physical description and history.
- Instantaneous listings
- Manage listings 24 hours a day with password-protected members area.
- Upload photos directly through the listing form (no need to e-mail separately).
- Google Maps integration.
- Track hits to listing in real time.
- “Email to a Friend” feature.
The only criteria is that the property must be at least 50 years old. It does not have to be listed on the local, state or National Register of Historic Places.
Fees range from $60 for a two-month listing to $220 for a one-year listing. There is a slightly higher fee to list the property on both HistoricForSale.com and PreservationDirectory.com. There are other additional fees if you want to expand the visibility of a listing, such as the “Featured Property Page.”
I haven’t seen any property listed along the Route 66 corridor yet. But, then again, the site’s been live for only a few days.
Route 66 News has a “For Sale” page, but I don’t have the time to devote to it as much as I’d like. I’m more than happy to plug a site that would help someone sell an old Route 66 property or a preservationist who wants to buy one.
(Hat tip: Kaisa Barthuli)
A Muffler Man primer February 1, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Businesses, History.1 comment so far
Carrie Steinweg, a correspondent for The Times in Munster, Ind., has an excellent overview of the significance and history of Muffler Men — the fiberglass giants that were (and still are) used by businesses to get the attention of potential customers.
Many of the statues were purchased by muffler shops — hence, the Muffler Man nickname.
Steinweg can credit a roadie for her obsession:
My fascination with the statues began about eight years ago when I sat in on an historical society presentation by John Weiss, an expert on the Illinois section of Route 66, which began in Chicago and extended to California.
He pointed out what he called the “four giants” that resided along the original Route 66 from Chicago to St. Louis.
The Muffler Men were made by Prewitt Fiberglass of Venice, Calif., from about 1962 to 1976. Although the molds were destroyed, there are still dozens of Muffler Men across the country.
Roadside America also has a comprehensive guide to the known Muffler Men across the country.
Remembering RoVal’s February 1, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in History, People, Restaurants.add a comment
The Inland Valley Daily Bulletin uncovered a story from Route 66′s past about the long-gone RoVal’s steak house in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., at 11871 Foothill Blvd. (aka Route 66).
The restaurant’s namesake, RoVal Jones, died at age 89 last week.
RoVal’s first restaurant was on Ninth Street in Rancho Cucamonga. But its second location on Foothill Boulevard, built in 1958, was the one that endured for the long-term.
RoVal’s signature feature was a big, round smoke oven, which was placed in a corner of the dining room. Jack acquired it from a restaurant in Arizona. As described by Bill Jones, a grate above the oven’s firebox was where all the meat was seared: chickens, ribs, steaks, even lobsters.
At one point, a lobster dinner would set you back $3.50. Of course, that’s not as cheap as it sounds. Not after you add 35 cents for a tip.
“A killer place,” recalls reader Philip Montgomery, who told me RoVal’s was the valley’s premier steakhouse.
But the first thing you’d see inside RoVal’s wasn’t the oven. It was RoVal Jones.
“She was hostess,” Bill Jones said. “Very outgoing, very personable. Never met a stranger.”
The restaurant was eventually turned over to a son in the 1970s. It went through several ownership changes, including its conversion into a topless bar in the early 1980s. It finally closed for good in 1992.
The writer of the article, David Allen, has more interesting tidbits about RoVal’s on his blog, including a drawing of the restaurant and one its ads from the phone book.