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A Welcoming Lumberjack How could we pass up the opportunity to dine at a place with a giant lumberjack in front? The lumberjack lured us, but so did the banner. "Dining Room Now Open!"  Our Summer of 2021 Pandemic Travels, made for some tricky, on-the-road-eating. A year before, we had done only drive through and picnics. But last July, we were vaccinated and appreciative of safe dining rooms. Willits, CA Don and I found the restaurant with the giant log cutter, while driving through the town of Willits.  I was mighty impressed by the grand arch! "Gateway to the Redwoods". Familiar? I thought the sign seemed little familiar.  I'm not sure how many arched signs Reno has had over the years. But evidently, the Biggest Little City, donated one of their old signs to Willits. Al's Redwood Room While driving down the main drag in Willits, I spotted another fine sign. This is really where I wanted to eat! That's a nifty neon sign, worthy of old Reno!
I love the martini on top and I love knowing it opened in 1901! But it was closed. Possibly closed down. Saws and Logs So after our drive through town, we turned around and headed back to Lumberjacks.  If we couldn't have martinis at Al's Redwood Room, I was happy to enjoy a Saw and Log Theme, at Lumberjacks. Cozy Booths There were lots of open tables, in the two dining rooms.  I was glad to see lots of wood. If you're going to eat in a Lumberjack themed restaurant, you want to see some wood. Ladies Room I've seen some fine artwork in restaurant bathrooms, over the years. This lumberjack mural was quite a hoot and worthy of a photo.  At first, I thought this was a Lady Lumberjack, swishing along with her long skirt and axe. I'm actually not sure about the gender, but I'm pretty sure that this lumberjack has some very defined glute muscles. I'm guessing axe swinging must help with that. "Where the Big Boys Eat" The dated tagline on the restaurant's sign, made me think this restaurant might have started up 50 years ago. But, in truth this is a fairly new biz. It opened in 2004.  Since I'm not a Big Boy, I decided to go with a Dainty Dinner Salad. (not the real name) I was pleasantly surprised that this little "$5.99 salad was so tasty! Crispy croutons, bacon and cucumbers... fresh tomato, onion and thick thousand island on the side. Honestly, this was a treat! My Lumberjack with a Biscuit! When I first met Don over 40 years ago, he had a beard and wore flannel shirts a lot. He could have passed for a lumberjack. In 2021, Don was not intimidated by the macho decor or slogan. He happily ordered a $9.99 "Senior Breakfast" and it was pretty darn good.  Don's omelet and potatoes were hearty enough for any aging lumberjack. But the most memorable goodie, was the biscuit! That fluffy hot biscuit was big enough to feed the big statue in front! Worthy of a Write Up Ordinarily the old blog posts are about odd or old, cafes and diners. A chain restaurant that's less than 20 years old, doesn't usually make the cut.
But I have to give a place some credit when it does well with it's theme.
Plus the food and prices were worthy! I should have gone for some homemade pie, after my dainty salad. The pies looked mighty good. Posing Of course I had to pose, before we headed to the car.  Next time I come, I'll wear a plaid shirt. Maybe I'll ask if the lumberjack has a name. I'm guessing the staff has a few stories to tell about this big guy.
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Upper Lake, California This little saloon-cafe, was just a lucky find!  Don and I were traveling in Northern California last summer, when we found this classy little place! Upper Lake We followed our GPS into the small California town, last July.  The entrance looked pretty darn nice, for a town with only about 1,000 residents. I read that Upper Lake is the gateway to Mendocino National Forest. If we kept going straight, would we reach the forest? Cute Main Street I'm not sure if the town's main road led to the forest. We only went as far as the historic downtown. Very pretty on a blue day.  The old storefronts were cute and colorful. Some of the old buildings might have been around 1.5 centuries ago, when the town's economy revolved around canning beans, raising cattle and growing alfalfa. (Thanks Wikipedia) Welcome Soon after driving under the town's sign. we spotted the sweet little saloon-cafe. We angle parked, right in front and headed towards the old metal chairs.
A sign on the door greeted us. It showed Benjamin Franklin wearing a face mask, announcing the latest face mask requirement. Even for those vaccinated. I was more than happy with that. Cute and Clean Don and I stepped inside wearing our masks. We were greeted by a friendly and masked staff.  After lots of wishy washy pandemic travel, it was suddenly a relief to be in a dining environment that just stated the rules. The place looked inviting and clean! It felt safe. And I loved those checkerboard tiles! Cute Interior Don and I were the only inside diners for a while. The space felt charming and old, but I wasn't sure...  The bar had lots of old character, but the wood ceilings and paneling looked almost too perfect. If it's this hard to tell the age, then I'm impressed. Music The old piano made me picture a saloon in the late 1800's.  Better yet, it made me picture this very place in 2021. The Blue Wing Saloon offers live music on weekends. (which may not include this piano) But, oh how I miss pre-pandemic days, when we could enjoy some live music on our travels. Tall Windows The high ceilings felt even higher, with the redwood wainscoting and soaring, narrow windows.
The window near our table, gave us a view of the patio. Porch & Yard Dining I suddenly realized why there weren't many inside diners.  The outside was so inviting, even though it was nearly 100 degrees out there. The shade and breeze helped! Burger and Salad The food arrived! I couldn't have been happier with my cheeseburger and salad.  The burger was pretty heavenly, served on a powdery, homemade roll! The mixed greens tasted crisp and fresh and the dressing was just the right amount of sweet. Plus it was served by a very professional, yet relaxed server. A nice surprise during pandemic travel. Tallman Hotel While dining, I kept peeking out the window. My eyes were drawn to an old hotel, on the other side of the patio.  The Tallman Hotel was built in 1895 and I'm dying to stay there, now. It was built to replace an even older hotel that had burned down. History in the Bathroom My trip to the restroom had me scratching my head once again. Is this old?  The small backroom looked like Grandma's farmhouse, with the painted bead-board. The hooks under the windows, held historic photos of Upper Lake. "Toilet" The restroom doors felt very European with their "Toilet" signs. When I stepped inside, I was forced to take a bathroom photo.  Look at all that painted wood! How could this be new construction? I studied the old photos. Hotel and Saloon Here's the hotel after it changed names. The Riffe's Hotel.  I studied the old photo again. It sure looked like the Blue Wing Saloon, with the western facade! Stepping Out When we finished our meal, we took another look outside before hitting the road. We learned that the hotel and saloon are under the same ownership. What a pair.  I loved our meal. I loved the tiny town and the wood plank walkway. I put Tallman Hotel on our list of historic hotels, to book for the future. Driving Out As we drove out, I imagined the wide street long ago, when it wasn't paved.  As we traveled on, I did some cellphone research. So the Blue Wing Saloon was constructed in recent years. I found my answer. The Old Saloon The current saloon is a recreation of the town's original saloon, that was demolished during prohibition. All those beautiful pieces of wood in the Blue Wing, were salvaged from the old hotel, when the current owners did some renovation.  I'm so glad we stumbled across this town and saloon. The Blue Wing wasn't old, but it ties in beautifully with the historic hotel. What a sweet town and what a lovely hotel & restaurant combo. I can't wait to come back.
Going Down Memory Lane I try not to clutter my dining blog with touristy places that you can read about on Yelp.
But for nostalgia's sake, I need to throw out a few words about Las Brisas! 1990s I don't have a photo from the early 1980's when Don and I lived up the road and often walked to the restaurant, for Happy Hours on the patio. At that time it had just been open a couple of years, as Las Brisas.  I have just one photo taken in 1994, when Don and I spent a few nights in Laguna Beach with our kids. This nicely cropped photo doesn't give many hints of the old decor, but we look happy! 10 Years Later This is a photo I took in May 2014.  Don and I were staying in a nearby hotel and were able to visit a couple times. Long Ago Back in 1938, when Laguna Beach was a more isolated beach town, the building with its grand ocean view, was the Victor Hugo Inn. That was long before Don and I used to come.  This photo is also long before O.J. Simpson used to frequent the place. It's a little creepy that we hung out at Las Brisas, about the same time period that he did. Walk to Happy Hour From our hotel in 2014, it was just a short walk to Happy Hour at Las Brisas. 30 years before we had a much longer walk, from our apartment. But we were younger then!  It was early evening when Don and arrived on the first day in May. The blue umbrellas were shading us from the hot sun. I was glad to see the blue and white theme was still happening.  The patio was as packed as we remembered. Back in the '80's, you had to be sly and quick, to grab a table. I also remember only eating Mexican food. The menu had expanded and we enjoyed some excellent sushi. Another Visit We spent a whole week in Laguna Beach on that trip. So we headed over again, on the evening of Cinco de Mayo.
At least one of us had to have a margarita, to celebrate the occasion. Getting Chilly I knew I was back in California, when I noticed the changing temps. My brow felt damp from the hot sun... then the sun began to lower and I felt a shiver of cool!
In a matter of minutes, the staff was running around, turning up the flames of the standing heaters and lighting the fire pit. Mariachis on Cinco de Mayo! I don't recall seeing mariachis at Las Brisas in the 1980s.  But suddenly we were surrounded! Perfecto!
We requested our favorite song "Malaguena" which requires at least one very decent singer, who can hold notes for a long time! These guys got a good tip! One More Visit The next morning, I paid one more visit to Las Brisas, during an early morning run.  I snapped a cell phone pic and sighed at the old favorite, with the wonderful view of the Pacific. Empty It was odd to see the place empty, especially the tiled table that circled the fire pit.  So many had gathered around that pit on the other evenings. Bette Davis... a Few Days Later After leaving Laguna Beach and heading back to Texas, we stopped at a hotel in Tucson. As always, I checked to see if the hotel TV got the Turner Classic Movie station.
It did, and what should be playing? The 1942 film, "Now Voyager" starring Bette Davis. In this scene the movie's star is seated on the patio, of the old Victor Hugo Inn... in just about the same spot as the fire pit! Small world! I love it! UPDATE in 2022! In October 2022, Don and I returned to Laguna Beach and visited Las Brisas, again. We brought our old cookbook, put out by Ford Motor Company in 1954.
The cookbook featured a recipe for Creme Vichyssoise, which was evidently served back in the Victor Hugo Inn days! The Patio Don and I hoped to once again have drinks on the lovely patio overlooking Laguna Bay.  I was eager to attempt an order of the Vichyssoise, then show off the book! But the patio was only serving dining guests with reservations. Rats. Hints of the 1980's We headed inside. I recognized the blue and white awnings. The round rooms and arches brought back memories of the 1980's. We searched for the old bar/lounge that we remembered. I was excited to study the old photos that I recalled seeing on the walls. I could compare images of the old Victor Hugo Inn, to the illustration in the book. But where was that bar? Where's the Blue? And where was all the blue decor that I remembered? I felt totally lost. They had renovated and the bar had moved to a different spot. The place was lovely, but it felt foreign. And where were those vintage photos? Our waiter didn't know. Cheers! It wasn't busy at 5:30, so the timing was good. We could pull out the old cookbook for a bit of amusement, with staff. But our waiter seemed a little too young. I was hesitant.  He did kindly take our photo though. Who Might Care? Sometimes our "Cookbook Encounters" fail. Not everyone is curious about a restaurant's history.
But I was determined to open up our book to someone before we left. The musician? No. We didn't bother him, but Don have him nice tip. "Samosa" We ended up showing the book to a man named Anasazzio, who was tending bar. He told us he'd been working at Las Brisas since 1984. Cheers to that! He had a history with Las Brisas, which meant he was delighted to see the book. He also told us that we could call him "Samosa", What a great guy!
Samosa's job involves ingredients like tequila and gin, not potatoes and sour cream. But he was still interested in the funny old book and recipe. We laughed that he'd probably made us a margarita or 2, in the past. Samosa got on his phone and pulled up an old photo of himself working the bar, years ago. It was fun to see the interior, just as we remembered. Cookbook Pose Samosa ended up giving us a perfect Cookbook Adventure! Our little vintage book once again opened up a fun converstaion with someone we might never have spoken with.  Samosa was happy to pose with us and the book. At first he took the photo shoot very seriously, until a nearby server laughed and told him to smile! I think he had as much fun with our silly encounter as we did! After Like all our past visits to Las Brisas, we completed the visit with a walk along the garden pathway, with spectacular views.  Even on a cloudy evening, the bays looked lovely.  We spotted the sunset briefly.  After the sun was down, we headed back towards Main Beach. We passed Las Brisas once again.
The beach was quiet, but not empty. The old lifeguard tower made me grin. I'm glad we were able to fit in another visit... with the cookbook this time! Not Your Typical Napa Experience! People don't visit Napa to eat at shopping centers.  But Don and I did just that. I read about Squeeze Inn and wanted to give it a try. Heaters and Art We arrived early before the lunch rush. Along one wall, there was a lineup of tables. There were also a few outdoor heaters. Hmm?
There were lots of burger and beer and sport related posters. Charlie Chaplin didn't quite fit in. The Counter and Grill The only customer, was seated at the counter having a beer.  There were lots of available stools and lots of available catsup bottles! Squeezeburger with Cheese We ordered at the end of the counter.  It was the Squeezeburger we'd heard about. But I figured we also needed to try a deep fried hotdog, while we were being incredibly unhealthy. Eye on the Grill The lone customer finished his beer and was suddenly on his way.  Yay! We moved up to the counter and enjoyed the show. Nothing quite like watching a cook, when they really know what they're doing at the grill. Making a Squeezeburger So we watched the guy toss a pile of cheddar onto the grill. The burger then landed on top.
Then he covered the burger with the metal hood, while he fried up my hotdog. I think the bun was heated on top of the hood actually. ?? Voila! And this is how it looked!  We took our tray of decadence and headed for the patio. Yum! This is our lunch feast and I am not ashamed. Don's burger had the perfect "cheese skirt".
My fried hotdog was healthy, because it had tomatoes and pickles. How to Eat? In these photos, you can see even better how ridiculous our meal was. Don actually cut away at the cheese skirt. I tried to wrap some of the cheese around some of our fries. Interesting.
My hotdog was surprisingly tasty. I've never had tomatoes on a hotdog and I've never had a fried dog. So how did we do? We sampled each others and secretly threw away over half. It was good! We just stopped before we were miserable. A Question for This Guy Before leaving, we headed back inside to let our cook know that we enjoyed our first Squeezburger Experience. Then I had to ask.  "I read that your ceiling is covered with toothpicks." I asked him why I didn't see any. He laughed and said they had issues with the fire marshal and that little tradition of shooting toothpicks through a straw, into the ceiling had to end.
Oh well, we sampled our first Squeezeburger. Good enough! Festive Sign This past summer, Don and I had breakfast at this cute diner, across from our motel.  The sign was very entertaining. The letters in Fisherman, were hidden in flags at the top. Restaurant was written with driftwood. And what about that lil mermaid with her dolphin and Paul Bunyan and his ox! Who can resist a restaurant with a sign like that? Crescent City? Our breakfast at Fisherman's, tied in nicely with our Crescent City Experience. We've passed through this little "city" before, but it has always felt gloomy, socked in with fog.  After 20 hours in C City, I left with some fond memories of the place. We got to see it in sunshine! We also learned about the struggles this community has overcome, dealing with multiple Tsunamis. Curly Redwood Lodge This is the fine motel where Don and I stayed. It's been sitting here on the Redwood Highway since 1957.  The quirky little motel has some history. Plus, it was right across the street from Fisherman's! https://www.thebethlists.com/90-notable-nights Open on Thursday! We'd been so disappointed to find the restaurant closed on Wednesday, when we checked into our inn.  But luckily, the restaurant opened at 6 am on Thursday! They were doing a pretty good business by the time we headed over at 8. Seat with a View During our pandemic summer travels of 2021, Don and I learned to expect a wait, or possibly a stressed staff. But we were greeted by a friendly staff and a couple Good Mornings, when we entered. We took a window booth, with a view.
I was sort of amused to have this view, with our motel across the street. Even the parking lot was a bit entertaining. At one point a big pickup with "Redneck" written on the windshield, parked near the BMW and MINI Cooper. What an odd assortment of cars. And then there was that fog that rolled in and out. A common thing in Crescent City. Patriotic Nautical From our table, I looked around and took in the decor. There seemed to be 2 themes. There were lots of patriotic banners.
Tying into the nautical theme, I spotted lots of lighthouses. Crescent City does have a very picturesque lighthouse. Short Walk Away The restaurant was a convenient walk from our motel. But the diner also had a nice location for wandering to the harbor. Just a short walk from the restaurant, we found this scene. We could hear the sea lions from our motel!  We could also hear the eerie sound of the foghorn, (I'm guessing from the lighthouse) continuously. Breakfast! Our upbeat server Susan, brought our coffee right away. I commented on her good mood and she laughed that she'd already been working for a couple hours.
I ordered a simple bagel and cream cheese, since I knew I'd be helping Don with his feast.  Don's sushi shirt did not go well with his omelet and hash browns and pancake. We worked together and almost finished! Shopping Before taking off, we could have shopped a bit for some souvenirs.  If they'd sold Hawaiian shirts, maybe I would have bought one. I noticed that all the staff flowered shirts. Maybe that's why they were in such good moods. Or maybe they were in good spirits because they'd all had a day off the day before. Or maybe you have to enjoy your work, when your owner/manager is the kind of person who suggests flowered shirts for uniforms. Good-Bye Don and I left with full stomachs and we left in good moods.  There was nothing spectacular about the food or the interior of Fisherman's. But I think this little restaurant was probably the friendliest of all the food stops on our summer road trip of 2021.
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The Dining Blog
This is a blog about Dining Adventures. Sometimes, I talk about food. Below, you can read how this started. On July 4th 2011, I set a goal to try 50 culturally diverse restaurants in one year! (I knew that was possible, living in the Houston area) I spent the year pulling in friends and family to join me, on some unusual dining adventures. I met some curious people, tried some scary foods and explored places and cultures I never would have otherwise. Even though I met my goal, I learned too much to end my adventures in dining. I have continued blogging about memorable dining adventures of all kinds, near and far... and all the discoveries and funny things I've learned along the way! Locations and types of dining adventures, are listed further down. Archives
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