Several reminders about cooking on a flat top in the past couple of
days made me think about what was my favorite short order-type food
back in those days. After due reflection I think it was the western
(or denver) omelet. Second choice, the burger I used to make with
grilled onions to which I added plentiful garlic that my boss
repeatedly warned me not to include for any customers. Third choice,
for late nights, the dropped egg on an English muffin.

Did you go through a sandich shop/burger joint phase, too? -aem

On Dec 12, 1:30*pm, aem > wrote:
> Several reminders about cooking on a flat top in the past couple of
> days made me think about what was my favorite short order-type food
> back in those days. *After due reflection I think it was the western
> (or denver) omelet. *Second choice, the burger I used to make with
> grilled onions to which I added plentiful garlic that my boss
> repeatedly warned me not to include for any customers. *Third choice,
> for late nights, the dropped egg on an English muffin.
>
> Did you go through a sandich shop/burger joint phase, too? * -aem

Burgers
Fried Eggs
Pancakes
Sausage

aem wrote:
> Several reminders about cooking on a flat top in the past couple of
> days made me think about what was my favorite short order-type food
> back in those days. After due reflection I think it was the western
> (or denver) omelet. Second choice, the burger I used to make with
> grilled onions to which I added plentiful garlic that my boss
> repeatedly warned me not to include for any customers. Third choice,
> for late nights, the dropped egg on an English muffin.
>
> Did you go through a sandich shop/burger joint phase, too? -aem

Great minds think alike.

When I worked the grill, after the dinner rush I liked to make myself a
burger, but I'd make some garlic butter, spread that on the roll and
grill that, too. It got to be a favorite with some of the waitresses
and I'd make them burgers to order with anything they wanted. (one
waitress' favorite meal was deep fried hot dogs... she loved them)

My favorite omelet was the Denver, too... but no longer. I like a
cheese steak omelet with onions and in second place, a Denver with Swiss
cheese. I never knew how good Swiss was with eggs until I had an omelet
at a place in New Orleans a few years ago and got hooked.

George L

On Sat, 12 Dec 2009 13:30:32 -0800 (PST), aem >
wrote:

>Several reminders about cooking on a flat top in the past couple of
>days made me think about what was my favorite short order-type food
>back in those days. After due reflection I think it was the western
>(or denver) omelet. Second choice, the burger I used to make with
>grilled onions to which I added plentiful garlic that my boss
>repeatedly warned me not to include for any customers. Third choice,
>for late nights, the dropped egg on an English muffin.
>
>Did you go through a sandich shop/burger joint phase, too? -aem

Back in the day, Squaw Valley had a cafe at the highway called
something chief (big chief?). We ate there every time we were up.
They served a 3 egg omelet called a Fireman's Special. It had lots of
stuff in it, one thing was hot italian sausage. Oh, man that was a
good omelet! The place had been open so long I thought it would never
close. I was young and stupid back then or I'd know what they put in
it now - and be making it.

Just a few years ago, I went through a burger phase. I *needed* a
burger once a week and the Bulls Head was the place to get it. I also
got my burgers from Cable Car and Joe's of Westlake to break the
monotony of decor, but Bulls Head was my favorite place to go.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

sf wrote:
> On Sat, 12 Dec 2009 13:30:32 -0800 (PST), aem >
> wrote:
>
>> Several reminders about cooking on a flat top in the past couple of
>> days made me think about what was my favorite short order-type food
>> back in those days. After due reflection I think it was the western
>> (or denver) omelet. Second choice, the burger I used to make with
>> grilled onions to which I added plentiful garlic that my boss
>> repeatedly warned me not to include for any customers. Third choice,
>> for late nights, the dropped egg on an English muffin.
>>
>> Did you go through a sandich shop/burger joint phase, too? -aem
>
> Back in the day, Squaw Valley had a cafe at the highway called
> something chief (big chief?). We ate there every time we were up.
> They served a 3 egg omelet called a Fireman's Special. It had lots of
> stuff in it, one thing was hot italian sausage. Oh, man that was a
> good omelet! The place had been open so long I thought it would never
> close. I was young and stupid back then or I'd know what they put in
> it now - and be making it.
>
> Just a few years ago, I went through a burger phase. I *needed* a
> burger once a week and the Bulls Head was the place to get it. I also
> got my burgers from Cable Car and Joe's of Westlake to break the
> monotony of decor, but Bulls Head was my favorite place to go.
>

We've been going through one of those here lately.

Our standard, all around burger place is Whattaburger.
http://www.whataburger.com/ Blows the other chains like McDonald's and
Burger King away.

We really like Fudruckers http://www.fuddruckers.com/ but the local
place is small (in a mall) and seating can sometimes be a problem.

There is a place in town called Cheeburger Cheeburger
http://www.cheeburger.com/home2/index.asp Good meat, good seating but
their rolls leave a lot to be desired.

We tried Back Yard Burger last week http://www.backyardburgers.com/dnn/
Kind of a midpoint between a fast food place like Whattaburger and a
Fudruckers. The burger was pretty good... but the restaurant itself
could stand to be hosed down and steam cleaned. Friendly people, though.

Really haven't found any local places that were good enough to make me
want to go back.

George L

aem wrote:
> Several reminders about cooking on a flat top in the past couple of
> days made me think about what was my favorite short order-type food
> back in those days. After due reflection I think it was the western
> (or denver) omelet. Second choice, the burger I used to make with
> grilled onions to which I added plentiful garlic that my boss
> repeatedly warned me not to include for any customers. Third choice,
> for late nights, the dropped egg on an English muffin.
>


At college we had an on-campus hangout where sweet ladies in
hairnets, who called you "Dearie", grilled English muffins,
heavily buttered, before the hamburger lunch rush started.
They refused to make the muffins once the grill had been
"contaminated" with hamburger grease each day.

They served 3 halves, toasted crisp and golden, with grape jelly
on the side and a cup of coffee all for 25 cents.

gloria p

On Sat, 12 Dec 2009 18:54:21 -0600, George Leppla
> wrote:

>Really haven't found any local places that were good enough to make me
>want to go back.

Two of the three places I mentioned grind their own meat for sure,
none are chains and none are cheap. All are worth the $ expenditure.

There is a chain called Sliders Diner (three in my immediate area -
one downtown, one in the Castro and one in Daly City) that turns out
top quality burgers, a step or two above In & Out, for cheap. The
location I go to has a window into the area where they grind the meat
and form the burgers. Their price is certainly right, considering.
http://www.inetours.com/Pages/Dining...ers_Diner.html

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

On Sat, 12 Dec 2009 18:57:38 -0700, "gloria.p" >
wrote:

>At college we had an on-campus hangout where sweet ladies in
>hairnets, who called you "Dearie", grilled English muffins,
>heavily buttered, before the hamburger lunch rush started.
>They refused to make the muffins once the grill had been
>"contaminated" with hamburger grease each day.
>
>They served 3 halves, toasted crisp and golden, with grape jelly
>on the side and a cup of coffee all for 25 cents.

When I went to CCSF, the hotel and restaurant students ran and manned
the cafeteria. We got a cheeseburger and fries for 25¢. I don't
remember if a drink was included or extra.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

sf wrote:
> On Sat, 12 Dec 2009 18:57:38 -0700, >
> wrote:
>
>
>> At college we had an on-campus hangout where sweet ladies in
>> hairnets, who called you "Dearie", grilled English muffins,
>> heavily buttered, before the hamburger lunch rush started.
>> They refused to make the muffins once the grill had been
>> "contaminated" with hamburger grease each day.
>>
>> They served 3 halves, toasted crisp and golden, with grape jelly
>> on the side and a cup of coffee all for 25 cents.
>>
> When I went to CCSF, the hotel and restaurant students ran and manned
> the cafeteria. We got a cheeseburger and fries for 25¢. I don't
> remember if a drink was included or extra.
>
>
Gasoline was 30¢ a gallon then.

Rob

"aem" > wrote in message
...
> Several reminders about cooking on a flat top in the past couple of
> days made me think about what was my favorite short order-type food
> back in those days. After due reflection I think it was the western
> (or denver) omelet. Second choice, the burger I used to make with
> grilled onions to which I added plentiful garlic that my boss
> repeatedly warned me not to include for any customers. Third choice,
> for late nights, the dropped egg on an English muffin.
>
> Did you go through a sandich shop/burger joint phase, too? -aem



Pancakes! Or cornmeal griddle cakes. And of course, burgers

Jill

gloria.p wrote:

>
> At college we had an on-campus hangout where sweet ladies in hairnets,
> who called you "Dearie", grilled English muffins, heavily buttered,
> before the hamburger lunch rush started.
> They refused to make the muffins once the grill had been
> "contaminated" with hamburger grease each day.

Yep. Most of the places that have "breakfast available all day" have a
dedicated grill just for that. It isn't good to have pancakes tasting
like burgers.

Another favorite of mine was corn muffins, cut in half, buttered and
grilled. Sticky buns done like that were good, too!

George L

"George Leppla" > wrote in message
...
> gloria.p wrote:
>
>>
>> At college we had an on-campus hangout where sweet ladies in hairnets,
>> who called you "Dearie", grilled English muffins, heavily buttered,
>> before the hamburger lunch rush started.
>> They refused to make the muffins once the grill had been
>> "contaminated" with hamburger grease each day.
>
> Yep. Most of the places that have "breakfast available all day" have a
> dedicated grill just for that. It isn't good to have pancakes tasting
> like burgers.
>
> Another favorite of mine was corn muffins, cut in half, buttered and
> grilled. Sticky buns done like that were good, too!
>
> George L

STOP!! STOP right now. I don't know of a place around here that does
things like that any more and you're making me hungry and I'm just thinking
about breakfast.

We do muffins at home that way too, but a good "greasy spoon" is hard to
beat.

In article >,
"jmcquown" > wrote:

> "aem" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Several reminders about cooking on a flat top in the past couple of
> > days made me think about what was my favorite short order-type food
> > back in those days. After due reflection I think it was the western
> > (or denver) omelet. Second choice, the burger I used to make with
> > grilled onions to which I added plentiful garlic that my boss
> > repeatedly warned me not to include for any customers. Third choice,
> > for late nights, the dropped egg on an English muffin.
> >
> > Did you go through a sandich shop/burger joint phase, too? -aem
>
>
>
> Pancakes! Or cornmeal griddle cakes. And of course, burgers

Pancakes for me too if its breakfast time, but I rarely eat them due to
their high carb content. For lunch or dinner, it would be a toss up for
me between burgers and Philly cheese steaks.

On Sun, 13 Dec 2009 06:09:58 -0600, George Leppla
> wrote:

>Yep. Most of the places that have "breakfast available all day" have a
>dedicated grill just for that. It isn't good to have pancakes tasting
>like burgers.

You know I never thought about it before this. I *have* seen two
grills, but didn't notice what happened where. I'll pay better
attention next time.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

On Sun, 13 Dec 2009 08:01:56 -0500, "Ed Pawlowski" >
wrote:

>We do muffins at home that way too, but a good "greasy spoon" is hard to
>beat.

Do you live in SF, Ed? If so, take a trip down to Breakfast At
Tiffany's on San Bruno sometime. I think they close around 1-2PM.
Big weekend crowds from as far away as Bernal Heights.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/breakfast-at...-san-francisco

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

On Sat, 12 Dec 2009 13:30:32 -0800 (PST), aem wrote:

> Several reminders about cooking on a flat top in the past couple of
> days made me think about what was my favorite short order-type food
> back in those days. After due reflection I think it was the western
> (or denver) omelet. Second choice, the burger I used to make with
> grilled onions to which I added plentiful garlic that my boss
> repeatedly warned me not to include for any customers. Third choice,
> for late nights, the dropped egg on an English muffin.
>
> Did you go through a sandich shop/burger joint phase, too? -aem

when i worked at a pizza/sub shop in high school, i would make a roast beef
sub with mayonnaise, probably some lettuce, and some green pepper rings.
(it was decent beef, too.)

your pal,
blake

On Dec 13, 2:46 pm, blake murphy > wrote:
> On Sat, 12 Dec 2009 13:30:32 -0800 (PST), aem wrote:
> > Several reminders about cooking on a flat top in the past couple of
> > days made me think about what was my favorite short order-type food
> > back in those days. After due reflection I think it was the western
> > (or denver) omelet. Second choice, the burger I used to make with
> > grilled onions to which I added plentiful garlic that my boss
> > repeatedly warned me not to include for any customers. Third choice,
> > for late nights, the dropped egg on an English muffin.
>
> > Did you go through a sandich shop/burger joint phase, too? -aem
>
> when i worked at a pizza/sub shop in high school, i would make a roast beef
> sub with mayonnaise, probably some lettuce, and some green pepper rings.
> (it was decent beef, too.)
>
> your pal,
> blake

My favorite griddle food -

Late '70s, VCU, Richmond VA, on campus but not univeristy owned, a
scary, unsanitary-looking shack. They may have served other things,
but mainly porkchops (can you do a long slow cook on a flattop?), with
grilled onions that have melted to butter, served on cheap white bread
that would be soaked to mush before you got out the door.

When I was the midnight cook, I'd occasionally be asked to make an
"Egg McMuffin" for the dishwasher, but I survived on black coffee and
handfuls of the chips we used for chocolate chip pancakes.

I had a college friend who told me that on slow nights at his HS McJob
they played a game called "What would this look like deep-fried?"

B

"sf" > wrote in message
news
> On Sun, 13 Dec 2009 08:01:56 -0500, "Ed Pawlowski" >
> wrote:
>
>>We do muffins at home that way too, but a good "greasy spoon" is hard to
>>beat.
>
> Do you live in SF, Ed? If so, take a trip down to Breakfast At
> Tiffany's on San Bruno sometime. I think they close around 1-2PM.
> Big weekend crowds from as far away as Bernal Heights.
> http://www.yelp.com/biz/breakfast-at...-san-francisco
>

I'm in CT, but that place looks like it would be worth the airfare just for
breakfast.

To often we end up going to the chain restaurants or the hotel we're staying
at for breakfast, but when time permits, the local places are best. One
morning I was in Chicago with some time to kill. I saw a dinky place in a
somewhat industrial area and some cab drivers were stopped there. The food
was great, but watching the cook on the griddle was good entertainment too.

sf wrote:
> On Sun, 13 Dec 2009 06:09:58 -0600, George Leppla
> > wrote:
>
>> Yep. Most of the places that have "breakfast available all day" have a
>> dedicated grill just for that. It isn't good to have pancakes tasting
>> like burgers.
>
> You know I never thought about it before this. I *have* seen two
> grills, but didn't notice what happened where. I'll pay better
> attention next time.

Depending on how big the grill is, it is possible to have one side for
breakfast and the other for meat, lunch, etc.

Most grills are big enough for there to be two areas with different
temperatures... a warm "holding" side and a hot "cooking" side. For
breakfast, you'll often see the holding side full of hash browns, fried
onions, etc. The order cooking gets done on the hot side.

Different cooks like to set their grills differently and a lot depends
on the layout of the rest of the kitchen.

Unfortunately, you seldom get to see a short order cook in action except
in places like some diners and joints like the Waffle House.

George L

aem wrote:
>
> Several reminders about cooking on a flat top in the past couple of
> days made me think about what was my favorite short order-type food
> back in those days. After due reflection I think it was the western
> (or denver) omelet. Second choice, the burger I used to make with
> grilled onions to which I added plentiful garlic that my boss
> repeatedly warned me not to include for any customers. Third choice,
> for late nights, the dropped egg on an English muffin.
>
> Did you go through a sandich shop/burger joint phase, too? -aem


LOL! Sort of lost my taste for griddled foods after working one

However was always partial to the 'Italian Hot Dogs' of northern NJ;
particularly those of Jimmy Buff's. Everything was griddled: the hot
dogs, the onions/green and red peppers/, the chunks of fried potatoes.
The bread never was, for some reason. Pure grease and utterly tasty!

In article >,
George Leppla > wrote:

> We really like Fudruckers http://www.fuddruckers.com/ but the local
> place is small (in a mall) and seating can sometimes be a problem.

Next to "Grins" <http://www.grinsrestaurant.com> (not a chain),
Fuddruckers is my favorite burger place. ;-d
--
Peace! Om

"Human nature seems to be to control other people until they put their foot down."
--Steve Rothstein

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>

Subscribe:

"Ed Pawlowski" > wrote in message
...
>
> "sf" > wrote in message
> news
>> On Sun, 13 Dec 2009 08:01:56 -0500, "Ed Pawlowski" >
>> wrote:
>>
>>>We do muffins at home that way too, but a good "greasy spoon" is hard to
>>>beat.
>>
>> Do you live in SF, Ed? If so, take a trip down to Breakfast At
>> Tiffany's on San Bruno sometime. I think they close around 1-2PM.
>> Big weekend crowds from as far away as Bernal Heights.
>> http://www.yelp.com/biz/breakfast-at...-san-francisco
>>
>
> I'm in CT, but that place looks like it would be worth the airfare just
> for breakfast.
>
> To often we end up going to the chain restaurants or the hotel we're
> staying at for breakfast, but when time permits, the local places are
> best. One morning I was in Chicago with some time to kill. I saw a dinky
> place in a somewhat industrial area and some cab drivers were stopped
> there. The food was great, but watching the cook on the griddle was good
> entertainment too.
>
I stopped and some Mom and Pop type place in Missouri for brunch that had an
open to the dining room grill. It was about the noisiest place I've ever
eaten in and the food wasn't all that great either.

Ms P