Signs of the Times: Dal Rae Restaurant

I'm going to try and sneak in one or two more posts before we leave for Spain next week, so here goes...

As I have mentioned, mid-20th Century steakhouse have become more than a passing fancy for me.  It is the timeless ritual to which I am drawn as well as the manner of service that strikes me at once as charming, endearingly dated, and somewhat of an endangered species. 

Based on the rich rewards of our forays into restaurants like Clearman's Steak 'N Stein Inn, we decided to pop over to another landmark dining establishment in Pico Rivera, CA, Dal Rae Restaurant.  Family owned and operated since 1958, Dal Rae looks like the kind of place that Clark would take Vera for their fifteenth wedding anniversary, grumbling as he made sure that he had enough change to tip the valet, the maitre d', the bartender, the waiter, and the hat check girl.  It looks like the kind of place that would inspire Vera to cinch her girdle extra tight, borrow Jean's Stone Martens, and splash on a little more perfume than necessary - you know, 50's fancy.  For goodness sake, there isn't just one fleur de lis on the sign; there are four!!!

Doesn't the sign just speak to the wonders within?
I half expected to see Clark and Vera celebrating their
70th wedding anniversary - in early bird fashion.

In the worst case of wacky tacky bait & switch in recorded history, the beautiful signs (thankfully preserved) of Dal Rae Restaurant truly misrepresented what was to be found on the inside.  Inside, Dal Rae is just - wait for it - a regular, contemporary restaurant!!!  Apparently renovated in 1999, the interior of Dal Rae is fine.  It is just fine.  I have nothing terrible to say about the staff, the dining room, or the food.  In fact, they were all quite nice...if that's what you're looking for.  The appointments are clean and subtle, but we weren't looking for subtlety and the signs made a wacky tacky promise that they just could not deliver.

Therefore, instead of a full "Chow Time" review, we file Dal Rae Restaurant under "Signs of the Times," wishing that instead of valeting the car, we kept driving down Washington Boulevard, dreaming of the smoke-filled dining room of Dal Rae, circa 1958.

Even the parking sign/marquee is awesome.

On a side note, don't you just hate valet parking - especially unexpected valet parking?  There is nothing worse than that thirty-second scramble to turn the radio down, dust the dashboard with the palm of your hand, throw everything into the back seat, and make the car look halfway decent for a valet parking attendant who probably doesn't care but leaves you paralyzed by the fear that he takes pictures of the inside of your car for his blog, entitled "Valet-Cam: The Grossest Car I've Ever Seen," or "Inside the Car of a Mad Man," or "Drivers of Wal-Mart," or something equally horrible.

Really, the worst part is handing over the keys and explaining all the tricks of the wacky wagon.  "Okay, so you're not going to want to turn on the air conditioning; the brakes are a little squeaky but my mechanic assures me that brake failure is not imminent;  if you have trouble putting it into gear, I've found that a quick prayer works really well; yes, the stability traction control warning light is always on; oh, and it's probably easiest to let yourself out the passenger side by rolling down the window and opening the door from the outside."

If you happen to find yourself in Pico Rivera, we definitely recommend driving by Dal Rae to check out the signs and then heading over to Steak 'n Stein Inn for a real wacky tacky dining experience.

Dal Rae Restaurant
9023 E Washington Blvd
Pico Rivera, CA
(562)949-2444

www.dalrae.com


Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Chow Time: Clearman's Steak 'n Stein Inn

It's official.  I am obsessed with  mid-century steakhouses.  The strangest part about this obsession is that I don't eat steak.  I don't like prime rib, baked potatoes, or creamed corn.  I do love bacon, but wrap it around a filet and you've lost me.  In general, I just don't like adult food that much and anything that I have to use a large, serrated knife to hack through, is something on which I will almost always take a pass.  What I do love is the atmosphere.  I love the semi-religious rituals engaged in by staff and patron.   I love a table-side preparation.  I love multiple courses delivered by a trolley.  I love a dimly lit room (even after discovering, post-meal, that the semi-darkness is probably used to shroud the evidence of a "B" rating that would be glaringly obvious under harsh, artificial light).

The most recent object of my obsession is Clearman's Steak 'n Stein Inn (est.1946).  Clearman's is a fairly well-known name in the restaurant industry of Southern California.  A name once emblazoned on restaurants  all over the San Gabriel Valley and surrounding environs, Clearman's still stands for wacky, old-timey dining at the five remaining restaurants that bear the Clearman's name.

I love architecture, but unfamiliar with accurate terminology, I honestly don't know how to describe the style of Steak 'n Stein; it is like a rustic, Spanish fort mated with a Black Forest brothel.

We didn't go out to eat very often when we were young; I guess five kids didn't make for a fun or affordable night out for the folks.  As a consequence of that bitter deprivation, I always feel funny when we go to a restaurant where the server wants to place my napkin in my lap.  I feel like I can conduct myself appropriately in any situation, but I am just not very fancy.   I felt a boost of confidence as we approached the entrance and read the simple dress code.  I figured this place couldn't be too fancy if the only item on the dress code was the of "sleeveless shirts" variety.

Good thing I layered a t-shirt under my tank top

If it's posted it twice and burned in wood, I guess they really mean it.

I don't eat steak and I don't drink.
Then what am I doing here?!?!?!

I go for this...in a big way.
An illustration of the S 'n S fireplace
(Source)

It is clear that the one-time circular fireplace
has become an indoor water feature.
(Source)

I guess if we can't have a ring of fire,
 we'll take a wacky water feature!
Is it wrong to love the musty/chlorinated smell of an indoor fountain?

I also like the bottle/stained glass windows -  from outside

...and in!

Mary and the S 'n S menu,
 a leather and brass affair standing in the middle of the table

 Clearman's is famous for their cheese toast and their salads
(a red cabbage slaw and an iceberg salad with bleu cheese dressing).
At Steak 'n Stein, guest are served the obligatory three,
but the salad is accompanied by a trio of
dressings and homemade croutons.  The reverence with which these
items was served, heightened the humble offerings to fine dining status.

The thing that really distinguishes Steak 'n Stein from it's
 siblings is the peanuts.
At Northwoods Inn, the peanuts are in the shells that are ready to be
discarded onto the floor.  The Galley doesn't even have peanuts.
Peanuts at Steak 'n Stein Inn are served at each table in a small
 glass carafe.  Now that's 3.5 Star dining.

Mary got the filet mignon, wedge salad.
The presentation might be a little lacking, but she said the taste was there.

I opted for the turkey club sandwich.
  In my ongoing effort to reduce, I shared my fries and left some on the plate - progress indeed!

The food was tasty and by the time we made it through the salads, we were already full.  I decided to walk it off by wandering through the restaurant to take in the scenery.  I'm telling you, the place was so dimly lit, that I could barely see all of the eight million calories I was consuming.  The photos may have suffered from the shadowy interior but here are some "highlights" of our dining experience.

The hostess stand

A view of one of  the dining rooms

Victorian-style light fixtures

I like the gnarly, branch-like columns at the bar.

Now that's a cuckoo clock!!!
 I'm not too familiar with cuckoo clock decoration but I don't
remember bird carcasses and crossed rifles in the cartoon
cuckoo clocks of my youth.

Chandeliers and clocks are nice but my favorite bit of decorating magic, the bit that seems to be a theme in steakhouses of this ilk, are the tasteful nudes.  It seems like such a funny thing to stare at whilst one devours a juicy slab of beef, but maybe the rich food and the sultry portraits combine to satisfy all of the human appetites.

It's been a few weeks since we've been to Clearman's Steak 'n Stein Inn; we're still talking about it and comparing it to the eateries we have subsequently patronized.  Much like the demure nudes, Steak 'n Stein has left us wanting more and we're sure to visit this landmark again.

(Source)

Clearman's Steak 'n Stein Inn

9545 E Whittier Blvd
Pico Rivera, CA
(562)699-8823

www.clearmans.com/steaknstein

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny