Category: Food

Clifton’s Cafeteria looks so absolutely unremarkable from the outside that many probably don’t even give it a second look.

But should the adventurous city traveler step through the door to be met by this arrangement,

he or she might reconsider whether this is really your average cafeteria eating style place.

Walking up the staircase,

past some more bears engaged in slightly unusual activities,

one has a good view of the lower level eating area.

My personal favorite is the moose on the balcony.

Quite impressive, I must say. Judging from the size of the head, this was not a small animal at all. I probably would have given it a wide berth, had I come across it in the wild.

And there you have it – Clifton’s Cafeteria is certainly not unremarkable. It is not a fine dining place, but one of the last bastions of honest fare so dear to many who remember this kind of food from their childhood. I highly recommend it for breakfast, if one wants to attend events at the Convention Center, which is only a short stroll of a few blocks away.

All details of the history of this place, the last one left of several restaurants owned by the Clinton family in the Los Angeles area, can be found here. How long Clifton’s will survive is unsure – the family just put the building up for sale. What happens next – nobody knows.

There is nothing one cannot buy in Los Angeles. Well, maybe not quite – as far as I know “Rouladennadeln” are not available, but maybe they are, I just haven’t found that secret little store yet where they are on offer. But apart from that, everything is on sale in Los Angeles.

Let’s leave aside the more … hmmm… exotic merchandise and concentrate on groceries. I know a lot of people who have the same goal as I have – getting the best deals while having fun at the same time. So there are the supermarkets from regular to upscale. Nice, but not that much fun. Then there are the tiny stores, always interesting, but with a limited variety of goods. Farmer’s Markets – more like an alternative to a county fair. Now, who buys groceries at a county fair? But sometimes they do have petting zoos, so that is nice.

And then there is the Super King (2716 N San Fernando Rd).

The Super King is big on wonderful fruit, vegetables, cheeses, meats, spices, wines and spirits, huge varieties of all things Middle Eastern, an even larger variety of things one does not know what it is / can’t find out what it is / finds out what it is and wishes one hadn’t. All at amazingly low prices. I mean, Amazingly! Low! The store is like the US equivalent of  a bazaar in Istanbul – big, big fun.

Of course a store like this has lots of lovers of all things good and inexpensive. Which means, crowds. Which means, always waiting to get a spot on the parking lot. Which means, long lines at the deli counter. Which means, shopping cart gridlock. Which means, all the things the average shopper dislikes one encounters here.

So, I would not suggest this store for the faint of heart. Those who prefer dainty trips through Gelson’s might feel a bit out of place. But lovers of perfect merchandise, with a sense for the adventurous and new will not find a better place to shop.

Roaming around Los Angeles on the quest for quirky places to eat we hit The Bucket in Eagle Rock. This tiny place is famous in L.A. It was opened in 1935 by a Julio, who – according to some old timers – was quite the guy. You did things his way, or else. Julio is not around any longer, the place has new owners, but with the eatery he also sold the recipes for his famous burgers, the Julio Shrimp and his secret spicy sauce.

So there we were, sitting outside in the newly added patio (before that, the place seated barely 10) and were ready to order. One Bucket Burger, one Julio Shrimp, fries. For drinks we ordered a Coke and a Red Bull. The Coke arrived, but I was informed that they were out of Red Bull. Right, I said, then I’d like a coffee, please. Whereupon the charming server  said: “No coffee machine, no microwave, no ice – it’s The Bucket.” That is not something one hears too often in these parts of the world. I settled for a water without ice, which is exactly what I am always drinking.

Then we waited for the food. That’s something else unique to The Bucket – there is a wait, because the food is always freshly prepared. But once it arrived, it was as good as we had heard. The burger was juicy and meaty and the Julio Shrimp was quite an adventure: two shrimp, butterflied, stuffed with crab meat, wrapped in bacon and deep fried, served with the secret spicy sauce. Well, well.

Another place one can highly recommend for eating outside the box; and drinks without ice.

Let’s be frank – I cook a mean chili. The recipe developed over the course of two years, then I was satisfied with the result. Now the list of ingredients is safely stored away in my memory, not to be disclosed ever. It is after all my secret and it is going to stay that way.

Now and then I like to sample the chilis of the competition. More often than not that’s it – the dish is not up to scratch according to my taste buds. However, there is one exception:

At Chili John’s in Burbank the chili served is prepared after a secret recipe from Wisconsin. According to local folklore it was developed over a century ago and apparently the so-called “Wisconsin style chili” is all but extinct now. Which is something I do not understand, because it is really, really good, even though it is completely different from my own chili.

This is the bowl for the big eater, before the piling on of cheese and onions. I stick to the small bowl of chili and beans sans spaghetti, forgo the cheese and stick to the onions. A perfect dish, good and tasty every time.

They are keeping their secret well – just as I do mine.