Springfield (Ill.) Journal-Register columnist Dave Bakke took a look at the surviving momentoes salvaged from the fire that destroyed the Pig Hip Museum on Route 66 in Broadwell, Ill. It's a terrific read, including the description of longtime proprieter Ernie Edwards poking at the body of a dead squirrel that's believed to have caused the … Continue reading Pig Hip ponderings
Category: Restaurants
Historic Amarillo restaurant closes
Preservation Online, which is published by the National Trust of Historic Preservation, reports that the historic and distinctive-looking Beef Barrel Burger restaurant in Amarillo, Texas, closed about a month ago. Owner Bill Fischer, whose father-in-law, F.E. Waller, bought the barrel-shaped building in 1947, said high energy bills, food prices, and competition from fast-food eateries forced … Continue reading Historic Amarillo restaurant closes
Al’s Route 66 Cafe up for sale
Barely a year after Allen and Susan Shamburg moved from Colorado, bought a historic cafe in Sapulpa, Okla., and renovated it, word comes that they are reluctantly putting it on the market. The main reason Al's Route 66 Cafe is for sale is that Allen is encountering serious health problems that are keeping him from … Continue reading Al’s Route 66 Cafe up for sale
Pig Hip updates
I've started this new thread about the Pig Hip Museum fire and its aftermath for the stories that keep coming in. I also updated the previous thread about the Pig Hip clear into early Wednesday morning. Today, Dave Hoekstra of the Chicago Sun-Times has some interesting musings about the Pig Hip in his Travel Dispatches … Continue reading Pig Hip updates
Litchfield cafe-motel complex named to National Register
The Belvedere Cafe and Motel on 817 Old Route 66 in Litchfield, Ill., was named to the National Register of Historic Places on March 2. The Belvedere is better-known as the former home of the Route 66 Cafe before it moved down the street a few years ago. Last I heard, the restaurant building was … Continue reading Litchfield cafe-motel complex named to National Register
Pig Hip Museum destroyed by fire
The Pig Hip Museum, a longtime restaurant on Route 66 in Broadwell, Ill., before owner Ernie Edwards converted it into a museum, burned to the ground Monday, reports the Bloomington Pantagraph. I also received a forwarded e-mail from Kathy Miller, publisher and co-editor of the 66 News by the Illinois Route 66 Association: My heart … Continue reading Pig Hip Museum destroyed by fire
Booze and book tours don’t mix
I don't care how good this guy's math is -- this is a bad idea. Sy Nazif, author of "Never Mind the Track," plans for a month-long ride from Los Angeles to Chicago along old Route 66, and continuing on to New York City promoting his book. In the spirit of the novel, which features … Continue reading Booze and book tours don’t mix
Filling Station marks 25 years
The Bloomington (Ill.) Pantagraph recounts the history of The Filling Station, just off Route 66 in Lexington, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary. The restaurant has been a strong Route 66 supporter for years and has its legions of fans. The Filling Station also is listed in the Route 66 Dining & Lodging Guide, published … Continue reading Filling Station marks 25 years
Dining at Al’s
Scott Cherry, food writer for the Tulsa World, stopped by Al's Route 66 Diner in Sapulpa, Okla. Al's is gaining notice for its Big Daddy -- a 66-ounce burger, three pounds of french fries and a 32-ounce milkshake. If you have a big enough appetite for it, call a day ahead and it will cost … Continue reading Dining at Al’s
Big Chief restaurant’s new incarnation
Joe Bonwich of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reviewed B. Donovan's, the former Big Chief restaurant at 17352 Manchester Road (Route 66) in Wildwood, Mo., that has been extensively refurbished and reopened. The Big Chief's presence on the Mother Road dates to the 1930s. It's a somewhat mixed review, with Bonwich remarking that the restaurant is … Continue reading Big Chief restaurant’s new incarnation