Sunday, May 27, 2012

Every once in a while, it’s nice to take a stroll down memory lane.  For me, that can entail a trip to a food establishment that I’ve been going to since I was a kid.  But…unlike many things with my childhood, the memories I have of this particular restaurant are filled with pleasant thoughts. 

The restaurant specializes in amazing burgers doused in a layer of delicious chili.  Not extra thick or full of meaty chunks, but just plain, drips down your hands and wrists while you eat the burger chili.  Then there’s the cheese bread.  Thick slices of French bread that are drenched in butter then covered with a generous layer of cheese spread before being broiled to crispy perfection that melts in your mouth.  Of course, if you’re not a burger fan, then they serve killer broasted chicken meals where half a chicken is lightly breaded then cooked to crispy perfection in an oil pressure cooker that maintains the level of moisture in the meat and crisps the breading as if it had been deep-fried.  And let’s not forget the salads.  There are two to choose from.  One is chopped lettuce topped with a generous helping of chunky blue cheese dressing.  The other is a red cabbage salad, marinated in a sweet(ish) oil and red vinegar dressing.

Each of the food items is enticing enough to draw me back to the establishment for a stroll down memory lane through my taste buds.  And when I enter the place, now a new structure from its original, I can’t help but recall how this place was where I played my very first video game—pong. 

Oh, pong…how I adored mastering that game.  When I was little, this restaurant was the only one that had the game, so folks would come from far and wide to let their kids experience the new technology.  Upon entering the door, the parents would go and stand in line to get the meal, while the kids would rush to the end of the line to play pong.  And the best part….  Once you got to the front of the line, you could earn a priceless bonus of being able to remain playing the game unless someone else beat you!  I was one who spent quite a bit of time glued to that beloved pong game.  Eventually, though, I’d get called away to come and eat once the food arrived at our table.  Though the disappointment of having to yield my hard-fought winner position at the pong game stung, it was quickly soothed by my being able to sink my teeth into the delicious dinner of chiliburger, both salads and cheese bread that awaited me.

Ah, yes, it’s amazing to take a stroll down memory lane every once in a while and revisit that wonderful restaurant to allow my taste buds to transport me to a wonderful time in my youth….