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Atomic Lunch in Los Alamos, NM

9/30/2015

September 2015

I made Don take a little detour on our western road trip. We didn't exactly have a dining adventure in Los Alamos, but we picked up some lunch there.

Why Los Alamos?

I was curious. I had just read the book, The Wives of Los Alamos. I was curious about this community that grew on the top of a desert plateau, where wives mostly raised families and husbands secretly created the atomic bomb. As we pulled into town, I made Don stop so I could take a photo and text it to my book club. Then I got on TripAdvisor, and looked for a place to catch a quick lunch.

Chili Works

In a town that now has a population of over 17,000, you'd think we could have come up with something better. But it was drizzling and there was some frustrating traffic and we were hungry. So we trusted the good reviews for this hole in the wall joint and headed over for carryouts.

Creepy?

Well, sort of. But there were a lot of regulars rushing in and out. Some looked like office workers carrying lunch for a crowd. That's usually a good sign.

Through Screen Doors

I like a place with screen doors. The green one lead into the tiny ordering place. The other door opened to a small, crowded patio.

Placing My Order... Quickly

The man at the tiny window did not look patient. He was not in the mood for any hesitation, so I asked no questions and ordered the breakfast burrito and a beef burrito. I had read good reviews, after all.

I was very brave and snapped a quick picture, which does not capture the bustling activity in the crowded kitchen. Oh well.

Burrito Picnic

Don and I headed out of town and found a lovely spot in a State Park, with a self- pay fee-box, to pay for our park usage.

We didn't have any small bills, so we figured we'd just rush our unpaid picnic by splitting the breakfast burrito... which was lukewarm at this point. They should have called it the green pepper burrito. We kept digging down to see if there was egg anywhere?

Burrito #2 in a Cave

That evening we arrived at our Kokopelli Cave Hotel and toted our burrito in a paper bag and a couple backpacks down the rocky pathway to our cave house entrance.

We stopped earlier and bought some salad fixings and wine and thought we'd heat up that second burrito for a taste treat. After each taking a bite we had the same reaction. "It tastes metallic!" We were convinced the burrito was atomic and put it in the trash.

Lab Tricks?

I'm sorry, Los Alamos. I tried to embrace your town and support a local establishment. But I can't say we had a good food experience. Of course, we don't really believe our burritos were atomic, but I was reminded of a LAB FOOD story from over 35 years ago...

Don was working in a chemical lab in St. Louis when we were first married. He and a few co-workers had some fun with a White Castle burger one day. Don came home and laughed about how they put the burger in a container and purged it with a little nitrogen to make it airtight. Their experiment was to see if any "self-respecting mold" would grow on the ultimate junk food.

So hopefully no ex-lab worker got a job at The Chili Works! Science geeks can have a very funny sense of humor.

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Food, Drink & Friends in Tucumcari

9/29/2015

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Route 66 in New Mexico

Earlier this month Don and I spent one night in Tucumcari on the old Mother Road. There were so many neon signs and intriguing options, it was hard to decide where to dine.

This place with the stucco sombrero seemed like a fine choice, until I walked inside. Only one man was dining and the waitress, who was also running a flower shop seemed overwhelmed. We moved on.

Lounge at the Pow Wow Inn

Our host at the Blue Swallow Motor Court recommended this restaurant & bar at a nearby 1960's motor inn. Only on Route 66 will you find a blend of "Native American themed" motel with a "lizard themed" cocktail lounge!

The Lizard Lounge

Don shook hands with the fine lizard woman in the bar mural. Yogi, our bartender said that she wasn't the Lizard Woman of the wall image. Her Uncle Pat, who was sitting at the bar, said it was another one of his nieces.

We decided to sit right down at Yogi's bar and enjoy some of the locals, since we were already talking. Don had a local draft and I had the "Blue Swallow" margarita, named for the iconic motel, where we were staying. I'm not sure why it looked green. The Lizard Effect?

Lounge Decor

We enjoyed some of the ambience around us. There was a whole wall of history nearby. And a peek into the restaurant revealed some pretty curious painted walls near the booths. The artwork made it look like people were sitting in the empty booths. Wish I'd taken a photo.

Chatting With New Friends

I had a question for Rudy, who was seated a couple stools away. "Since you were born in Tucumcari, do you know anything about a water tower collapsing in 1951?"

(I'm not sure where I heard about this, but I figured it was a good conversation starter)

Rudy wasn't old enough to actually remember, but knew the history since he now lives next to the replacement tank. Rudy said the tank exploded in '51, flooded the town and caused one death. He looked at the picture wall with me and pointed to happier memories. "I used to work at El Rancho Bar!" He had fun pointing out the long gone buildings he remembered fondly.

Uncle Pat's Memories

"Uncle Pat" pointed to the photo of "Sands-Dorsey Drugs" in 1956.

He said the building burned down, but he has good memories of the wonderful malts!

I would have asked my other bar buddy to point out his favorite building, but I didn't want to trouble him. He had just gotten his collapsable cane (with spotlight) tucked away. Instead, he stayed seated and told me a story about how that cane got stuck in an elevator door once and they had to get someone to come pry the doors open.

"I was just trying to hold the elevator! Those doors close too fast!"

One More Friend

Don and I were honestly touched by the sincere pride these folks revealed when talking about their small town. They wanted us to be sure to visit the museum before we left town. "And don't forget to drive by the old theatre." And before leaving the lounge, they made sure I had a visit with the mechanical lizard, that came to life with the push of a hidden button!

Dinner?

We had a lot of fun over 1 drink, but figured we should move on to experience one more Route 66 joint.

It was dark and the neon was all aglow when we arrived at Del's down the street.

The place has been around since before I was born, but the inside updates made it less iconic. We were tired of chitchat and ready to eat. I got a salad bar and chili. Don got the raspberry chicken with mashed potatoes. All tasty enough, but we were no longer needing a dining adventure. Eat and run... back to the Blue Swallow for a good night's rest... with "100% Refrigerated Air!"

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