Based on my fond recollections of visiting Chiriaco Summit with Wendy back in the 80's, I was anticipating dining at the General Patton Cafe. I recalled it was chock full of memorabilia from the WWII Gen. Paton training camp that had existed here, now some 70 years ago.
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| History of Chiriaco |
The old cafe had, since my visit with Wendy, been renovated. There I was served 2/3 of a burger; it looked like the other third had broken off sometime during the cooking process, leaving substantial bun-estate vacant. I pointed this out to the server who took the plate back to the kitchen. About ten minutes later, I saw a man approaching purposefully, and I was certain that this was the manager, who would be apologetic and present me with a full replacement burger. But he told me to either eat the one previously served (I suppose it was still sitting in the kitchen somewhere) or go somewhere else. I politely told him I'd go somewhere else, then sat at the table for another 30 minutes enjoying a glass of water and reading about Joshua Tree, no longer a monument, now a national park. The Patton antiques that had given the old cafe its personality had been put into storage, I was told.
I kept the bag of chips that came with the burger and went across the street to the Foster's Freeze, under the same management, but the only other place in town (and this the only town between me and my destination). I ordered the $3.50 "premium" burger from the attendant, who, when I asked for lettuce, tomato and onion, advised this selection. When my number came up he handed me a bag along with a "sorry, we don't have any onion." After brief negotiation, he went across the street to the Patton Cafe and pilfered a slice of onion (the one from the burger I'd ordered there?); kudos to him. Upon unwrapping the swaddling around the burger, I found enclosed a (meat?) patty literally the size of a silver dollar. Oh well, at least I had the chips.
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| Foster's Freeze Workspace and eventual dinner venue |
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