0
comments
Now I know where to go when I want to feel young. Millie's is a fancy little breakfast/lunch place in a part of Tuscon we hadn't explored yet. So, I managed to get us almost completely lost trying to find it. Luckily we were driving around the hills only a half-mile or so from where we were supposed to be, so once we looked at the map, we found it quickly.
Millie's is one of those fancy places that grandparents like. The decor is very old-fashioned and most of the other diners were dressed up. Not us, we had to drive to San Diego. Liz ordered the regular pancakes and, acting on a tip from Roadfood, I had the Swedish pancakes. The Swedish pancakes, actually, is why we were there. I wanted to try them. And, I have to say, they did not disappoint. They were light, fluffy folded thin pancakes that seemed more like crepes, covered in a thick lingonberry sauce. Excellent and highly recommended. Liz's "short stack" of two enormous pancakes, on the other hand, were not nearly so good. Not that they were bad, but as far as I'm concerned, any place with "pancakes" in the name should have awesome pancakes. And, I've certainly had better (Sweet Sue's in Phoenicia, NY comes to mind). Service was good, and they had a lovely display of Frankenstein toys in a case next to our table. If you're in Tucson, I recommend hitting Millie's for the Swedish pancakes.
I am now several days behind for a couple of reasons. No, not because I was too busy having fun. I was busy with wedding events, but the main thing is the hotel. We stayed at the Westin Bonaventure in downtown Los Angeles. Unfortunately, our stay was not particularly pleasant. It wasn't just the enforced valet parking, the $12.95 per computer per day internet access charge, the fact that they wouldn't let us carry our own bags up to our room or that they wouldn't serve a group of six in the hotel lobby bar. It wasn't even that our room flooded, and then started to reek as it dried. It was all of this. And the short of it is that we didn't have internet access. We did go across the street to the Los Angeles Central Library to use their wifi, but we weren't there long enough for me to post anything.
We are currently in Williams, AZ in a little coffee shop. I would post more, but the lighting is looking good again and so I want to get outside and take more pictures.
We saw this happy sign at a rest stop in New Mexico, right before the rain started. Liz tried valiantly to record lightning during the storm, but was unsuccessful. I couldn't get any good pictures at this rest stop (I'm working on a series, Rest Stops of the United States), but I got a couple of cell phone pics.
Lunch in Las Cruces was at Nellie's, a little Mexican breakfast/lunch place that's been around forever. (Breakfast was a large coffee and dodgy croissant from the Starbucks by the hotel). It's tucked away off the main road in a small industrial-looking district. However, there was no shortage of people who found there way to Nellie's. The place was almost full when we got there. We were lucky enough to get a small table in the corner. I ordered water and coffee, as the large Starbucks was not quite enough. After browsing the menu, I decided that first, we needed to try the guacamole. Second, I decided to order enough food for two people, as I wanted to try the chile, and the "Menudo," a beef tripe and hominy soup.
Right after we ordered, they brought chips and a salsa that was hot enough for us to question ordering the green (4 chile) chile rather than the red (2 chile). The guacamole came soon after and was very good. This tastes like they actually make the stuff fresh in the restaurant. It was also covered with grated cheese, which was different than I'd had before, but good.
Next was the green chile plate, with beans and rice. The beans and rice were good, a step above what I usually receive in restaurants. The chile was excellent. I commented to Liz that I need to learn how to make that stuff. Good texture, nice flavor, spicy without ripping your face off. Very good. It's worth the trek out if you're anywhere in the area just for the chile.
While I was in the middle of the chile plate, the Menudo arrived. It was a tomato and beef broth, similar to what would be the base for a vegetable beef soup, with lots of hominy and pieces of beef tripe. The soup was excellent. It was nicely spiced, the tripe and hominy gave it an interesting texture. Good stuff. I was only able to eat about half of it, though, as I had ordered entirely too much food.
Morning in New Mexico, after a long drive through Texas, was quite lovely, although Bertram was certainly a bit worse for the wear.
The morning was spent making a good number of these posts, and driving up the hill to take more pictures. These are the last photos I pulled off my phone, so that's the last post for tonight.
This map was posted at the rest stop outside Van Horn. This was the last rest stop in Texas. We started in San Antonio, and this portion of the map only hints at the long day we had. Soon after, we would be in El Paso, and then, finally, New Mexico.
Sometimes you take what you can get. Dinner was at the Sonic in Fort Stockton, TX. Our original plan was to get off early enough to eat in El Paso. Once we figured out that we'd never get out early enough, we decided to get breakfast and lunch in San Antonio, then get take out and eat when we got hungry. We got out even later than we wanted and had to leave dinner to the Road Gods. What the Road Gods gave us was Fort Stockton, TX, a town of 7000 in the middle of nowhere. There was a Sonic, a couple of crappy looking motels, a few gas stations and, I think, a Dairy Queen.
Real big. We foolishly drive all the way across it. Not in one day, but close. Day 3 was spent driving from Beaumont (just inside the eastern border) to Austin, then to San Antonio. Day 4 was San Antonio to Las Cruces, NM, quite a long drive. There is almost nothing in between San Antonio and EL Paso, on the western border. We stopped at several rest stops, both to rest and to take loads of pictures.
It's not often you see pay phones these days. The West Texas rest stops also had wireless internet connections, but they were a bit flaky (thus, no rest stop posts). 
The coming storm aka Bertram at the rest stop.
Unfortunately, our travel schedule necessitated a very short stay in San Antonio. However, we did manage to squeeze in two meals. The first was at Olmos Pharmacy, on the corner of McCullough and Hildebrand. When I was previously here, it was still an actual pharmacy and drug store, with a breakfast/lunch counter. It was a good place to get a good, cheap meal. When we arrived this time, Liz noticed a sign advertising wifi. We walked in and the whole half of the building that was the drug store was cleared out and tables put in. The pharmacy was replaced with what looks like a wine bar. It appears that Olmos Pharmacy is now a full-time restaurant. While unfortunate, the food is still reasonably good and reasonably cheap, although a touch more expensive. Still a good place for breakfast in San Antonio.
Following our breakfast adventure, we headed to the Alamo. I have no cell phone pictures, but I shot most of a roll, so I should have a few good ones eventually.
Lunch was at Bill Miller BBQ, a San Antonio institution. Over the years, they've gone from one location to 49 in San Antonio (and a few each in Austin and Corpus Christi). There's a Bill Miller BBQ every 50 feet in San Antonio. They're more ubiquitous than Starbucks. They're a cafeteria-style restaurant as is popular in South Florida. They feature chicken, brisket, sausage, ham and turkey, along with a few sides including beans, rice, potatoes, hashbrowns and cole slaw. The food isn't great, but it's not bad. I had the three meat plate with sausage, brisket and ham. The ham was nothing special. The brisket was good, but it could have been smoked a bit more. The sausage, however, was quite good if a bit greasy. It was a kielbasa-type sausage, so grease comes with the territory. I wouldn't eat a whole meal of it, so I recommend some of it with the brisket. Liz had a chicken po'boy that was quite good. The chicken was a touch dry, but good nonetheless. Hashbrowns and beans were also good. I do miss the Dinosaur, though. I haven't had much as good since I left Syracuse. Hopefully we'll hit some more barbecue joints on the way back through Texas.
After dinner at Threadgill's and cookbook purchasing at Half Price Books, we made our way to the Austin Department of Elections, where they were holding an all-day voter registration event. Liz's friend Greg's band Opposite Day got drafted to play this event. Unfortunately, by the time they played, there were only a few people there, most of whom worked for the Department of Elections. A couple of them were tossing around a football and a group of the girls kept requesting songs like "Hotel California." I was reminded of the time I was working with Fun With Tungsten and they were booked to play at a professional wrestling match.
Dinner night 3 was at Threadgill's in Austin. Having successfully managed to spend large amounts of money at Waterloo downtown, we made our way up to Threadgill's to meet one of Liz's friends. Threadgill's is an unassuming former gas station with lots of neon and old gas signs. Park out back and you see a large neon sign that reads, "Howdy, Stranger... Come on in."
Threadgill's is known for large portions, and at one point in the past had to cut them because they were too large. Now the staff ask if you want "seconds" on any of the sides. I can't imagine too many people take them up on it as you still are given a fairly large plate of food. This was, of course, another Roadfood find. I had also been here once before, when I was in San Antonio last year for ALA Midwinter. That time I had the five vegetable plate. The word "vegetable" is used here rather loosely and basically includes all the sides. The side list is a litany of Southern cooking: red beans and rice, black eyed peas, macaroni and cheese, fried okra, mashed potatoes, etc. The five vegetable plate was so much food that I had to take my dessert back to San Antonio with me. This time I opted for the Sunday special: turkey with dressing. That was a more sane amount of food and I left the place full rather than overstuffed. The turkey was good, mashed potatoes were good, the broccoli cheese casserole was even better than I remembered it being. Good stuff. A worthwhile stop in any Austin trip (note: though not an overwhelming list, vegan options are noted on the menu).
I didn't get much in the way of pictures, unfortunately. There are plenty, however, in the Threadgill's Cookbook, which I highly recommend. I bought a copy when last in Austin and it is an excellent source for Southern recipes.
Night 2 was spent in a motel just off I-10 in Beaumont, TX. The motel used to be called the Interstate Inn, but has recently been purchased by a big motel chain. When originally built, the place must have been really nice, but years of neglect have taken their toll. The new management appears to be working on that, though. To that end, they have implemented this lovely color scheme.
We had dinner on day 2 at Wintzell's Oyster House in Mobile, AL. As is often the case, I found the place on Roadfood. Wintzell's is on a corner in what looks like a small historic/shopping area in Mobile. Inside, the walls are plastered with sayings from floor to ceiling. Apparently, the place has been sold to some company that is franchising it. The food, however, was excellent. Liz had an insane oyster combo plate that had oysters cooked four different ways. I opted for the soft-shell crab po'boy and the seafood gumbo. The po'boy wiped the walls with the shrimp po'boy I had in New Orleans. That was a dry roll with some fried breaded shrimp thrown on. This one had a nice toasted roll, tomato, lettuce, and a nice fried crab. The gumbo was also very good. At least as good as what I had at Mulate's in New Orleans, if not better. I have no pictures because the lighting was too low for cell phone cam. I shot half a roll outside with the film camera. Many were of some building downtown with interesting lighting. Hopefully one or two of them turn out.
The drive through Florida is incredibly long and dull. They do, however, have these neat picnic tables in the rest areas.
This photo was taken somewhere in northern Florida. We stopped for gas and this place was next door. Unfortunately, they are no longer in business.
Alachua, FL, best rural town in Florida in 1995. We stopped here for breakfast, because we couldn't find anything in the part of Gainesville our motel was in except for Waffle House, Shoney's and a ghetto Barnes and Noble that didn't have a cafe.
Motel 6, Gainesville, FL. We drive late into the night, take the wrong exit and drive all the way around Gainesville to find out that the motel is right off the exit we missed. All that to find the world's tackiest bedspread awaiting us in our room.
I took some pictures of the Japanese restaurant across the street, but they're all on film. In the meantime, enjoy this snap of Bertram at the Motel 6 in Gainesville. 
(Argh the video upload broke. I'll fix it later)
In case you weren't aware, driving through Florida is fairly dull and takes an incredibly long time. I've helpfully condensed a drive through Florida for you so you too can experience the drive without spending nine hours doing it.
Some readers may know (ok, if you got the URL for this, you know) we're currently on a cross-country drive to Los Angeles for a wedding. We, of course, live in Hollywood, FL and we'll be staying near Hollywood, CA. So, the name and theme of our trip is Hollywood to Hollywood.
We're a good three days in now, but this is the first I've had access to a decent network connection. I'll toss up as much as possible right now, and then add more when we're in Tucson tonight.
I've brought along my new (to me) Pentax K-1000, and I'm shooting a bunch of photos. Until the film gets off and back from the lab, though, you'll have to live with cell phone pics. The first one was taken at Havana in West Palm Beach, our favorite Cuban restaurant. We stopped here on Friday night for sandwiches. Havana has an all-night sandwich counter and a couple of benches outside. It, along with Howleys, has become a traditional stopping point on the way anywhere, or for late night dining following a show (such as the recent Henry Rollins two-night stand). Tonight the Media Noche were quite good, the mango milkshakes were excellent and the mariquitos con mojo were, as always, incredibly messy.
Posts
