Hole in the Wall Places to Eat --redux

[scirocco22]

Well, the dufferz started a thread over at C-d eons ago about favorite hole-in-the-wall restaurants.

I have a story to tell but I don't have time right now so I'll post it later.

All this talk about TexMex and Pizzas is making me hungry. I've got to take a break and get something to eat and some other things done.

In the meantime, go ahead and re-post your fav hole-in-the-wall restaurants.

--'rocco

[Jenbar]

Hmmm... I am going to have to think on this one.

I am kind of a snob when it comes to restaurants. I get freaked out about the potential of really nasty icky things in my food - so I steer clear of most "hole in the wall" places.

I think 2 that come to mind that I did like, are both out of business... the first one might not be... not sure.

Bimbo's Bitchin' Burrito Kitchen
and this Thai place at the end of Broadway, which is still there - but is under other management, so it's not as good as it was, about 5 years ago.

[scirocco22]

Oh yeah! Bimbo's Bitchin' Burrito Kitchen!

I've never been there but I've had their food. Somebody brought some back for me one day for lunch. Good stuff!

Where exactly is it? I know it's on Capitol Hill ...somewhere on E. Pine?

--'rocco

[scirocco22]

Here's the story I mentioned that I'd post. I left out the name of the place for now and the type of food it serves.

Can anybody match the description I'm giving to the actual place? I'm sure that many of you will know it right away since it's a well known place if you are into that type of food. The only hint I'll give is that it's on the eastside. Let's see, how should I ask you to respond? ...just give a "I know the place" or "I have no idea" for now and I'll reveal it at a later time.

Excuse the typos and grammatical and spelling errors, I just quickly whipped it out without editing. Sorry for the length.



Okay, so a few years ago, my boss asks me to go pick him up some ******** for lunch. He gives me some disjointed description of what he wants to order ...you know the drill: get me "this" and if they dont have "that" get me "this" and if they're out of "this" then get me "that" and if they have "this" then get me some of "that" too and if not, get me "this" ...etc., etc. He asks me if I know where *****'* is. I said no, but give me the address and I'll find it. I'm pretty familiar with the eastside so I knew I should have no trouble finding the place.

With address in hand and all the ordering instructions swirling in my head, I head out the door and to the car. I drive down the street in which the address is on and can't seem to find this particular location. I drive back and forth at least five times before I finally pull into a spot in which I think is the closest place for this particular address to be located. It's a small lot with just three parking spaces but as I pull into the only one of the three that's empty, I notice a painted sign on the wood-sided building that looks out of place for a business on the eastside almost in the heart of ******. To the right I see a chain link fence with an open gate to another larger parking lot that appears to be for the warehouse that is located adjacent to lot. I really didn't pay much attention to that lot because of the fact that it appeared not to be necessarily associated with "out-of-place" building.

Yes, it does say *****'* on the sign. I think to myself "this can't be it!" It's supposed to be extremely popular place for lunch. First, where are all the people and second, this just can't be the place ...it almost looks like it's closed down and abandoned. There's a small door right under the sign that at first glance looks to be the entrance but later I'll find out that some unobtrusive lettering exists on it that says "exit."

So not seeing the "exit" sign on the door, I walk merrily into the establishment to find a counter and display case with 4 or 5 workers preparing food in a brightly lit area and maybe about 3 customers standing there waiting for what appeared to be their orders. I think to myself "good, this shouldn't take long" and start to walk to where I think the end of this line of three should be. As I turn to my right to get in line, I see a sea of faces staring at me in a line that snakes through what looks to me like several rooms from the angle that I'm seeing. These faces are giving me the dirtiest looks the likes of which I haven't seen since I accidently let go of an horrendous SBD once in an crowded elevator as a kid (well, it wasn't quite a silent one because I remember a slight sound that accompanied it ...that's how everyone knew it was me).

Now it dawns on me that I must have come in through the exit door and that there had to be an entrance door somewhere else. Once I realized what I embarrassingly did, I quickly scurried out the door in which I entered to try and find this elusive "end of the line." Once again outside, I look over at that "other" parking lot and now notice a lot of activity ...cars going in and out, people walking around with sacks of food, folks wiping their lower face area with their sleeves, etc. I have to go through this chain link gate to see the rest of what's going on. I then notice the "line." It's probably about a city block and a half long; and this is just on the outside. As I peer into the building the same line does in fact snake around through a dining area then through a hallway-type of area and then into another room before it finally ends up in the room that has counter which I saw when standing at the exit door.

Okay, now I find the end ...and wait and wait as the minutes go by. It's more frustrating than commuting on the Evergreen Bridge! Finally the lines moves and then stays stagnant for another 5 minutes or so. Then it moves again, then stops for a few minutes, the moves, then stops for 4 or 5 minutes, etc. After about 20 (or so) minutes go by, I finally make it inside only to wait another 20 minutes in line. As the line moves through the dining area and into the hallway-type area, there's a big handwritten sign on an easel showing some menu items which were apparently available at one time but no longer orderable because somebody has lined them out in a felt marker. NOW I realize why my boss gave me that song and dance description of his order. Sometimes certain items will be crossed off because they run out of it. So now I'm frantically trying to piece together his order trying to recall exactly what all the "ifs and thens" he was throwing at me before I left.

I know what to do. I whip out my cell phone and give him a call. When he answers, I explain to him what I think the message on the easel is saying. Now he's saying things like: "why don't they have "this?" and what are they substituting for "that?" At this point the line starts to move quickly and I tell him: "hold on for a few seconds, I'm almost up to the order counter and I'll ask." But now I have to make idle chit chat with him while we wait. By this time, I'm now inside the brightly lit room where the order counter and all the workers and the cashier are located. So it's doota doota doo until I can get in position to where I can ask the questions he wants of the order taker. So the idle chit chat goes as follows: "gee, this place is really a HOLE-IN-THE-WALL isn't it?" He says "yeah, isn't it?"

So now I'm up to the order counter and am able to ask all the questions of the worker with the boss still on the phone. For some reason the order taker is being exceptionally rude ...very abrupt and impatient as he answers my questions (as I'm repeating them frm tthe boss man) and takes the order. "Um, and oh, can I have some **** ***** too please?" The cashier angrily yells over "that'lll be an additional 75 cents!"

Now a worker in the back suddenly exclaims in a loud voice in front of most of the building to hear: "THIS GUY THINKS WE'RE A HOLE IN THE WALL, HUH? ...IT LOOKS LIKE A REGULAR BUILDING TO ME!" He's not saying this to me but to all the other workers behind the counter. I can then hear all the other workers mumbling "uh, hole in the wall,eh?" When I get to the cashier I give her the $20 bill that my boss gave me and wait for the change. She throws the change back at me on the table with some of it falling on the floor. "huh! hole in the wall, eh?" as she throws me my bag of food.

I only told my boss the story because I don't think they had the opportunity to spit into his food while I was standing there. We had many laughs about the incident afterward.

Something we both agreed on was the fact that neither of us thought that the term "hole-in-the-wall" was necessarily a derogatory term. After all, some of the best places to eat are "hole-in-the-walls." Perhaps in different regions of the country it is used disparagingly?


So, is it wrong to say it? Would you have said it under those circumstances? Opinions?

--'rocco

[the dufferz]

First off, don't know the place, but cant wait to find out where this is!

Hole if the wall to me is a term of endearment. This place actually should have been proud to be called a hole in the wall. that's that kind of place I love to find.

[MyAzi]

I know I will be looking for it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[scirocco22]

Oh, I forgot to add, the place I was referring to in my story has been compared to the soup kitchen international in nyc made even more famous by the sitcom Seinfeld in the ...yup, Soup Nazi episode.

The general setting of this place in my story even resembles the one on Seinfeld and the ordering procedure is copied to some extent in that there is an exact, prescribed ordering procedure and they seem to expect everybody to follow it to the letter.

For those of you who may have forgotten or are not a Seinfeld fan, here's a short clip which really does remind me not only of City-Data but this hole in the wall on the eastside:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZ3AO...elated&search=

--'rocco

[Jenbar]

Ohhh Have you met the man??? :p

[scirocco22]

Originally Posted by Jenbar

Ohhh Have you met the man??? :p

hah!



--'rocco

[the dufferz]

The one I have told many about who are wanting to go to Ellensburg is the Ellenberg Pasta Company, housed on the main drag of old town, a converted auto dealership. The greek salad is second to none, and the pasta is good also, prices are very reasonable. For me it is worth the 2 hour trip.

[the dufferz]

Originally Posted by Jenbar

Ohhh Have you met the man??? :p

Holy smokes, no. I am way to much of a whimp to meet the man. Dang, I hear you gotta have a iron gut to take what he gives! DANG.

[scirocco22]

*lol* yup, that's the give-away ..."the man" I personally can't take it.

I figured you eastsiders would figure it out.

--'rocco

[the dufferz]

Originally Posted by scirocco22

*lol* yup, that's the give-away ..."the man" I personally can't take it.

I figured you eastsiders would figure it out.

--'rocco

Heard the stories, saw the bumpersticker and have never been to the store, so while I heard of it, never experienced it.

My stomach thanks me daily!