In-N-Out Burger

In-N-Out Burger
Somewhere in California

Warren was all about getting some In-N-Out Burger while we were in California. I'd been with him on one of my first visits to California, but didn't remember what the big deal was. Obviously, I wasn't the foodie I am today.

The monkeys (Satchel, 8, and Jiro, 6) are always up for a good cheeseburger. We stopped at one just before we left the state, near the Arizona border. They have a definite 50s vibe, both inside and out.


They make the workers wear these douche-y hats.


However, if you look beyond the douche-y hats (and let's be honest, shirts and pants), you can see the workers actually cutting potatoes and onions and making things nice and fresh. The menu is pretty simple" hamburgers, cheese burgers, french fries, soda, and milkshakes. The monkeys requested cheeseburgers and fries, and Warren and I went for regular hamburgers. Warren requested some stickers for the kids to play with while we waited.


They were actually cute little scenes and the monkeys loved putting people on the roof, hamburgers under tires, etc.


I filled up everyone's drinks and then went to retrieve our food when they called our number. I was immediately impressed by the sea of French fries.


I really liked how not greasy they were, and I didn't miss the salt. When we got to the bottom, we saw that they are really proud of their potatoes, and they should be.


Satchel pointed out that they made great Wolverine-esque claws.


He liked them so much, he decided to put them on his burger.


One final note on the fries. We noticed that the guy behind us was eating his fries with a bunch of stuff piled on top. I went to inquire at the counter and was told that they were "Animal Fries." They aren't on the menu so you have to know to ask for them. It's an order of fries with two slices of melted cheese, grilled onions, pickles, and the special "spread." Um, yum! I'm glad we didn't eat any though! (We had a gluttonous vacation!)

OK, let's talk about the burgers and that spread. They come standard with lettuce, tomato, onion, and spread. The spread is like Thousand Island dressing with a little relish thrown in. It tastes good, but after looking at the nutritional info (that all restaurants in California are required to provide), I decided that I'd order mine with ketchup next time and save myself 9 grams of fat.


Here Jiro demonstrates what it would look like if he were to actually eat his burger. Warren failed to order his with cheese and minus the offending lettuce, tomato, onion, and spread. I removed the offenders, but he didn't like what little spread had soaked into his burger. (Warren ended up eating it and I got Jiro one the way he likes it to go.)


The burgers are also impressive and they make sure to tell you why.


All in all, I was extremely impressed by In-N-Out. All fast food places should take a cue from them: local, fresh, fast, delicious, and NO styrofoam!

Christy's Donuts (Milpitas, CA)

Christy's Donuts
1291 East Calaveras Boulevard (Milpitas, CA)
(408) 942-1933

Warren always tells us about "the good ol' days" when he worked at the donut shop in high school. He went to high school in California, so naturally, when we went to Milpitas (outside San Jose) to visit his dad, I insisted that we go to the donut shop. It's just a couple of blocks away from his dad's house and as we walked he told us how he used to get up at 3:45am to go make the donuts before going to school. Impressive! (I got up at 5:45am to wash my hair and then went back to sleep until 6:45am.)

When he worked there it was called Dandy Donuts. Now it is officially Christy's Donuts.


The monkeys (Satchel, 8, and Jiro, 6) and I were very excited to finally check out the donut shop first hand. Jiro was psyched to see that they served ice cream, but I explained that he could not have ice cream for breakfast. "If I eat all of my donuts can I have ice cream for dessert?" he asked. Uh...NO,

There were many tasty treats to choose from. I was tempted by the croissant sandwiches, but I'm pretty sure that croissants actually have more fat in them than donuts.


Filled holes seem to be there specialty. I'll pause while you think of a dirty joke...okay done laughing? They have custard holes, jelly holes, and chocolate holes. It's okay, make another joke. I'll wait...


Yep, they have fruit sticks too!


And the usual donut offerings.


Overwhelmed by the offerings, I went with my usual double chocolate donut and a iced Vietnamese coffee. (Yum!)



Satchel got a sugar coated raised donut and started raving about ho wbig and fluffy it was. "It's like two donuts!"


Jiro got a glazed and sprinkled twist.


Warren's dad, who we call Oji, got a maple log.


Warren got the jelly holes, which he shared with me. They were delish.


We were all happy, sugared up, campers. (Notice that they use real plates. I like that a lot.)


Wait, you gotta get a good look at the awesome retro tables and wallpaper, both of which were there back in Warren's day behind the counter.


Christy, the new owner, was in the store and she and Warren chatted a bit about the shop and what had changed in the years since he worked there. She was super nice and the donuts really were exceptional. I wasn't at all surprised to see a wall of awards near the front door.


If you are ever in Milpitas, or just in the general area, and need some sugar, you should definitely check out Christy's. Tell her Warren sent you!

Humphry Slocombe (San Francisco)

Humphry Slocombe
2790 Harrison Street
San Francisco, CA
(415) 550-6971

I'd like to thank the New York Times for publishing their provocatively titled article I’ll Take a Scoop of Prosciutto, Please, right before our trip to California. I told Warren that we absolutely, 100% had to go to Humphry Slocombe to taste the prosciutto ice cream. To help get the monkeys (Satchel, 8, and Jiro, 6) up the mountain on our backpacking trip prior to our San Francisco visit, I had told them tales of crazy ice cream flavors and promised them the most awesome ice cream adventure ever. "I'm getting cheddar cheese," Jiro happily announced. (Government Cheese is the actual flavor.)

Since we went to San Francisco with my brother-in-law and his family, I felt that I needed to prepare them. "They don't make normal flavors," I said. They had bypassed their normal trip to the Girardelli factory for me, so I felt a little pressure to deliver.

The ice cream shop is located in the Mission District and was fairly easy to locate despite it's subdued exterior. A blue awning whispers "ice cream" in small letters and a window decal shows the name. The inside is a tad spartan, but cool and funky all the same, with a definite sense of humor. We were lucky to arrive when there wasn't much of a line.


Humphry Slocombe features 10-12 flavors a day, and they are listed in a chalkboard and scrawled across the display case in dry erase marker. There are taster spoons so you don't have to blindly commit to one of their bold flavors. On the day we visited they had prosciutto, peanut butter curry, blue bottle Vietnamese breakfast, strawberry, tahitian vanilla, double malt chocolate, breakfast secret (bourbon and cornflakes!), salt & pepper, balsamic caramel, McEvoy Olive Oil, and a few more.


I really wanted to taste every flavor, but I could tell that the young, tank-topped servers could only stand so much despite their friendly smiles. Besides, it wasn't long before a line started to form behind us. I tried the prosciutto first and it didn't taste meaty like I had imagined or contain chunks of the salted ham like Warren thought. Instead it boasted a very bold and salty flavor. I liked it, but didn't think I could go for a whole scoop. So I ordered the peanut butter curry which was awesome. Jiro and Satchel each tasted a flavor before deciding on strawberry and chocolate. Warren got the blue bottle Vietnamese coffee. Our in-laws all went for chocolate or vanilla.


At some point we all passed our cones around so that everyone could have a taste. Everything is made with organic and/or farm fresh ingredients (not withstanding the corn flakes and booze) and it really shows. If I lived in San Francisco, I would most definitely be a regular. Other flavors I hope to try someday include: Thai chili lime, "red hot" banana, chevre strawberry jam, and sour cream.

Scoops were a very reasonable $2.75 each and the store is open from noon to 9pm seven days a week.

Mifune (San Francisco)

Mifune
Japan Center Kintetsu Building
1737 Post Street
San Francisco, CA
(415) 922-0337

We spent the day in San Francisco with Warren's brother and his family and our first stop was Japan Town. It was the monkeys' (Satchel, 8, and Jiro, 6) and my first visit and we were really excited. There were tons of restaurants to choose from, but we easily decided on Mifune since it was one of the places that Warren's mom (who is Japanese) liked. It's been open for ninety years (!!) and is known for its homemade noodles.

As you can see, it is common for the restaurants to display plastic versions of their most popular dishes in the window. Warren says there is a whole industry devoted to creating plastic food!


The restaurant was very busy and many Japanese people were dining there--two very good signs. We were seated near the restrooms which we agreed Oba (Warren's mom) would never stand for, but since she wasn't with us and we were starved, we didn't complain.

The only complaining going on was Satchel complaining that Jiro was annoying. He was very much interested in spending every moment with his cousin, Nini, and didn't want anyone, especially his little brother, interfering. I was finally able to convince Jiro to sit by me and then offered him my notebook to color in and stay busy. He did not like not having his big brother's full attention.


Our waitress brought us all (the adults and teen anyway) a cup of green tea free of charge. (Oba always said this is the sign of a REAL Japanese restaurant.)


We had pretty much figured out what we wanted to eat by looking at the plastic food, but we did some price comparisons between the lunch specials and the kids' meals.

Satchel wanted soba and unagi donburi (eel on rice) from the lunch special. It was a huge serving.


Mmmm...unagi.


Jiro got the bullet train kids' meal which came in a plastic bullet train car. I thought it was also a really good portion size. It included soba and shrimp and vegetable tempura (including seaweed tempura).


The soba was extra good. You could tell it was made fresh.


Warren had a really hard time deciding what to get. "There's so much I want to eat!" he said. He eventually decided on the Nabeyaki udon: A sort of udon hot-pot, with seafood and vegetables cooked in a nabe, or metal pot. It had tempura shrimp with mushrooms and an egg cracked on top.


I knew right away what I wanted--the tuna and avocado don. It's similar to the Tekka Ju I like to sometimes get at Tsunami, but it was about three times as big and included avocado and seaweed. It was dressed with sriracha and kewpie, two of my favorite Japanese condiments. The rice was sushi rice--nice and sweet. And there was definitely some wasabi mixed in. It was awesome! My dish also came with a side salad and some miso soup. The miso soup was also very fresh and homemade, definitely not from a mix. It contained a lot of veggies and it was so rich it reminded me of a seafood bisque.


All of the entrees came with tsukemono, which is commonly pickled cabbage. Another sign of authenticity.

Our only snafu at the meal was the omission of Neal and Edith's lunches. They both ordered tempura as did their oldest daughter, Ali, but instead of hearing "three" tempuras, our (Japanese speaking) waitress only heard "one." Now I've never been a waitress, but I think I would notice if I had eight people at the table and only six items written on my list. Once we alerted her to the problem she corrected it pretty quickly. However there was no apology or discount or anything special done.

Once we all had food and started eating, we didn't stop until it was gone. It was exceptional. Go there! (Jiro and I made a bathroom visit and it was one of the tiniest I've ever seen, so don't plan on changing a diaper!)

Taco Bueno (Amarillo, TX)

Taco Bueno
6001 W Interstate 40
Amarillo, TX
(806) 352-7526

Driving through Texas we of course considered going to the Big Texan for a "free 72oz steak," but we were in a rush. I asked Jiro (age 6) what he wanted to eat and he replied, "Uh, McDonald's? That's the only thing I can think of." He and his brother, Satchel (age 8), aren't really fans of McDonald's food as much as they are fans of McDonald's toys. They reeeally want the Last Airbender toys. When Warren and I groaned, Satchel piped in with, "Taco Bell!" I'd seen a sign for Taco Bueno, which I assumed was close in menu items and price, and then Warren saw it on the exit sign, so we went for it.


We were the only people there, but I'm pretty sure it was a weird time to be eating lunch--maybe 2:30pm? The man who took our order appeared to also be the manager because he was super friendly and chatty. There were lots of pictures of the food and a very prominent salsa bar by the counter.


I placed our order and exchanged niceties with the manager while the boys got a table. Here Jiro demonstrates some typical monkey behavior that usually occurs prior to the food arriving...


Our food came out quickly and looked pretty good. I decided to get the Mexi Dips which included bean dip, guacamole, and cheese dip.


I also hit the salsa bar.


Warren wanted a party meal that came with two burritos and a taco. I got the monkeys a kids' meal which came with a bean burrito, chips and dip, and the equivalent of Cinnamon Crispas. The monkeys had very little interest in the food, but for whatever reason they were entranced by the activity book.


Satchel actually said he needed his own table in order to fully enjoy the book.


Meanwhile, I was busy telling Warren that I didn't like the guacamole and that it tasted frost bitten. "I'm sure it was frozen," I said. The manager, who I don't think heard me, came over just to check on us and noticed I hadn't eaten my guac. I told him why and he said they made it fresh several times a day and that I must have gotten the end of the morning's batch. He then went and got me another serving of the fresher guacamole. I didn't think it tasted much better, but decided it was just the recipe. Regardless I liked getting that kind of service at a fast food restaurant.

When I was about done, Jiro, who had rejected his bean burrito and donated it to Warren, requested a chicken roll up. I had actually thought I'd ordered him one to begin with, but checked my receipt and it wasn't on there. While we waited for him to eat it, Satchel continued coloring, and Warren, our driver, checked in on Facebook. This is what he looks like when he posts a clever comment.


Jiro gave the thumbs up to the chicken roll up and then proudly showed us his kids' meal masterpiece.


So would we eat there again? I'm not sure. It was definitely better than the average fast food place, but it will probably come down to whether we feel like eating a 72oz steak or not.

Feltner's Whatta-Burger (Russellville, AR)

Feltner's Whatta-Burger
1410 North Arkansas Avenue
Russellville, AR
(479) 968-1410

As we set forth towards California on Interstate 40, we got hungry near Russellville, Arkansas. We'd been camping near there a few months ago and lamented the fact that we didn't stop at the Butcher Boy for a burger. Our last attempt was on a Sunday and they were closed. Ditto for Monday. (It was the Monday after the fourth of July if that makes a difference.) Luckily I had my Road Food book with me and the Sterns highly recommended Feltner's Whatta-Burger which was just a mile and a half away. (Just far enough off the highway as to not be immediately obvious.) The monkeys (Satchel, 8, and Jiro, 6) love a good burger.

As you can see from the sign, this place has been around awhile. 1967 to be exact.


It has that distinctive Whatta-Burger look. "It has height!" according to Satchel.


The Road Food review said to have your order ready when you walked in because someone would quickly come to take it. I was explaining this to Warren as we walked in. We joined the back of a very long line and Warren was in the midst of making some snide remark about it being awhile before we had to order when a kid came over and asked what we wanted.

I tried to simply order us all burgers, but we had to be very specific about sizes and toppings and whatnot. He was scribbling our order down on a white paper bag, apparently incorrectly because soon a girl came over to correct him. She also helped pin us down on sizes and toppings. When I ordered fries the dude asked, "Personal size?" I stared blankly and said, "Uh, just regular." The girl nodded at me and said to the guy, "Small fries." Once we got the burger and fries down, I proceeded to tell them our drink order, but they stopped me. "You'll order drinks at the front of the line." Alrighty...

While we were in line we took in the ambiance. There are cutesy signs everywhere (Procrastinate Tomorrow, No Tresspassing Allowed, We guarantee fast service no matter how long it takes); things hanging from the ceiling; newspaper clippings; etc. You definitely won't get bored in line, but if you are like me, you will find it hard not to make fun of the fact that there are twelve people (at least) working behind the counter and it still takes 15 minutes to get your food.


It's clear that Feltner's is an institution in Russellvillle, and I guess that means they like to employ the entire graduating senior class for the summer! It is truly astounding to watch the way each step of the burger making process has been broken down. I'm pretty sure one girl spends the day putting tomatoes on a bun. And that's it! But hey, they did have some good lookin' tomatoes. Definitely locally grown.

Once I secured our drinks, I sent the boys to get a table. Warren thought they were Subway hand me downs, but I'm not so sure about that.


With a minimum of twelve people on staff, I would expect one of them to deliver the food to the table, but they don't. I patiently waited for our white paper bag to be filled with burgers and fries and handed to me. Once that happened, I was allowed to pay. Our grand total was about $20. Very nice. And no line for tipping or a tip jar in sight I might add.

Speaking of money, I feel compelled to mention that Feltner's has the weirdest pricing I've ever seen. For example, a large drink was $2.01. A Whatta drink (the size larger than large) was $2.35. Everything was like that. There were no .99, $1.99, $2.99, etc. My initial thought was, "Huh, I guess they put a lot of thought into their pricing." My next thought was, "I bet the girl who has to remember the prices makes better grades than the tomato girl."

I headed back to the table with the food and we all dug in. I was impressed by the kids' meal. (I think they call it a Dino Jr.?) The burger, fries, drink, and cookies (your choice of Oreos or Teddy Grahams) was definitely a good size for my hungry boys.


Yes, this is Jiro eating his Oreos first. (Satchel's are still in my purse.)


Warren, just a little road weary, reported that the onion rings were delicious.


Here's a peek at those tomatoes I've been talking about.


All in all we liked the food and had a better experience that we would have at McDonald's. Was it the best burger ever? No. But was it worth stopping for? Yes.

We all visited the bathrooms which were outside. They were large and clean. Surprisingly no changing table though. Oh Warren and I were impressed that just the cups were styrofoam. Everything else was paper or cardboard.