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
Category: Restaurants
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
A video about Russell’s Travel Center
I stumbled onto this clip made by Russell's Truck & Travel Center, just a few miles west of Glenrio in New Mexico. And it's right on an alignment of Route 66. https://youtu.be/Shr-X4dNewM I wrote about Russell's shortly after it opened in 2010. We usually stop there during cross-country trips.
A long-ago visit to Joe & Aggie’s
Take a look at this 1998 promotional spot by John Fugelsang for the Showtime channel's Free Weekend. Fugelsang visited Joe & Aggie's, a historic Route 66 restaurant in Holbrook, Ariz. Stan's barbershop is behind the restaurant. Showtime Route 66 Free Weekend with John Fugelsang from 99Tigers on Vimeo.
A TV reporter’s takes on Route 66
In recent days, Mark Rivera, a reporter for WAND-TV in Decatur, Ill., has posted on YouTube a few of his Route 66-related stories from central Illinois. They're all pretty good. The first is Bill Shea's Gas Station Museum in Springfield: https://youtu.be/kLpM0m43tnw Next is the Palms Grill in Atlanta, Ill.: https://youtu.be/7gYG8BvP0w8 And finally is Funks Grove … Continue reading A TV reporter’s takes on Route 66
Coney Island restaurant moves into Springfield’s Sonrise Donuts building
The historic Coney Island restaurant in Springfield, Ill., has reopened in the equally historic Sonrise Donuts building, according to the Springfield State Journal-Register. Both restaurants boasted long tenures on Route 66. Emilio and Rosa Lomeli reopened The New Coney Island this month at Sonrise Donut at 1101 S. Ninth St. (aka Route 66). It is … Continue reading Coney Island restaurant moves into Springfield’s Sonrise Donuts building