Owners of historic Aztec Hotel in Monrovia, Calif., plan to convert the establishment's Brass Elephant bar into a Mexican restaurant, according to a report by the Monrovia Planning Commission. The owners also want to offer alcoholic beverages and live music, but the commission tabled that request until the neighborhood's concerns can be heard. According to … Continue reading Mexican restaurant planned in Aztec Hotel
Category: Restaurants
Test results close chapter in Times Beach saga
The U.S. EPA announced that recent soil tests at Route 66 State Park near Eureka, Mo., showed remnants of dioxin are at a safe level for visitors and park rangers -- effectively closing a chapter of the long and tragic saga of the now-extinct Route 66 town of Times Beach. According to a news release … Continue reading Test results close chapter in Times Beach saga
Take the high road into Arizona
This episode of "Highroads with Dan Davis," produced by AAA, delves into Route 66 in northern Arizona, including La Posada, the town of Winslow, and Joe & Aggie's in Holbrook, and others. AZPHXs3-003 ROUTE 66 for vimeo from AAA Highroads on Vimeo. The video is about 27 minutes long, but interspersed with public-service announcements and … Continue reading Take the high road into Arizona
Rock soon will go on the block
Owner Dawn Welch says she is putting up for sale the Rock Cafe, a Route 66 landmark in Stroud, Okla. Welch, 43, who has owned the restaurant since 1993, will sign papers Friday with commercial real-estate firm Herndon & Kelley that will officially put the business on the market. The asking price of $300,000 will … Continue reading Rock soon will go on the block
It doesn’t pass the beer test
In an effort to add fun to fast-approaching Election Day and, more importantly, sell more adult beverages, the historic Barney's Beanery on Route 66 in West Hollywood, Calif., and four other Los Angeles-area locations is tapping its "Rock the Beer Vote" campaign. We'll let the press release explain: Each of the legendary restaurants’ venues has assigned … Continue reading It doesn’t pass the beer test
Flame being passed at the Magic Lamp Inn
The Magic Lamp Inn, a restaurant on Route 66 in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., for more than 60 years, is changing operators for the first time in decades, according to the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. Longtime owner and general manager Anthony Vernola is retiring. Sartaj Singh, who owns several restaurants in the region, including nearby Antonino's, … Continue reading Flame being passed at the Magic Lamp Inn
Building a better beast
In July, Sweet Pea, an 8-foot-tall mummy-like mascot that stood in front of the Cigars & Stripes restaurant and lounge for years on Route 66 in Berwyn, Ill., was spirited away. This brief clip shows what ol' Sweet Pea looked like: Sweet Pea from Jay Hagstrom on Vimeo. It turns out Sweet Pea wasn't stolen. … Continue reading Building a better beast
Good cookin’ at Cookin’ from Scratch
Watching this video made me mighty hungry. It's a clip produced by Rural Missouri magazine about Cookin' from Scratch, a restaurant off Route 66 in Doolittle, Mo. (Sometimes the restaurant is listed as being near Newburg, Mo.) https://youtu.be/K2fyneFSiEE Rural Missouri is a statewide publication from the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives. Its YouTube channel contains other … Continue reading Good cookin’ at Cookin’ from Scratch
A descendant of The Mill
This past weekend, Hallie's on The Square, owned by Brian and Cheri Huffman, marked its 10th anniversary in downtown Lincoln, Ill. This ordinarily wouldn't be terribly notable, but the eatery's lineage makes it of interest to Route 66ers. We'll let the Lincoln Daily News explain: Huffman is the great-grandson of the infamous, if not notorious, … Continue reading A descendant of The Mill
“Mater and the Ghost Light” commentary
This is fascinating. John Lasseter and Dan Scanlon provide director's commentary audio about the Pixar animated short, "Mater and the Ghost Light," which came out during the DVD release of the 2006 Disney-Pixar film "Cars." They prominently mention Eisler Bros. Store (aka Old Riverton Store) in Riverton, Kan., on Route 66, and "Route 66: The … Continue reading “Mater and the Ghost Light” commentary