Chow Time: MacAlpine's Soda Fountain

What do you call a happy picketer?  Is there a title for the exact opposite for protestor?  A contestor, maybe?  Whatever his job description, this guy refused to be ignored as he took the concept of a sandwich board to new heights.  It was a good thing that we were already on the side of this proud ensign bearer; in fact, the very first thing we did when we pulled into the city limits, was visit one of Phoenix's most-beloved watering holes (and the reason for his masterfully hand-painted sign), MacAlpine's Restaurant & Soda Fountain.

A tad premature (and immature), Mr. Tiny arrived before the neon "Open" sign was illuminated.  PHOTO OP!

Opened in 1929, MacAlpine's isn't just a static relic of its more-than-eighty-year history.  Instead of being a period-perfect museum, it is the genuine article - a living document of depressions, recessions, wars, and advancements of society and technology.  The restaurant is filled with memorabilia reflecting every one of the ten decades through which it has operated.  Heck, they even have a Facebook page! 

Pardon me, do you have Prince Albert in a can?*

It was still early in the day, but after having driven
for five hours, we were ready to get our grub on.

It being a soda fountain, we opted for counter service right where the mix magic happens. 

But the booth seating offered some pretty stiff competition.  Beautiful!!!

The mirrored bar back was the resting place for the myriad flavors of MacAlpine's
famous fountain specialties, not the least of which is the old-fashioned ice cream soda.

Not content with the extensive menu, Mary invented

 a new one - pistachio ice cream and rum-flavored soda.

She said that it was delicious...

The cheeseburger and homemade coleslaw.
The secret to MacAlpine's signature slaw is pineapple!

As seasoned road trippers and inveterate junk-food junkies, we can say that we have definitely enjoyed a tastier burger (it looked much better than it tasted).  However, we've never done so with such superior service in a facility that has been operating since the dawn of the Great Depression that also happens to be a VINTAGE STORE!!!

That's right, combining two of my most abiding passions, MacAlpine's is both a hash house and a rich repository of vintage clothing, accessories, housewares, and furniture.  A combination of road trip weariness and an overexcitement at the prospect of stuffing my face AND shopping for used goods all under the same roof left me too frazzled to take many pictures!

I wish I could've afforded to bring
this guy and his sister lamp home!

I am always swept away by the romance of vintage kitchen tools but can
never get past the idea that they're old and rusty and probably not
particularly sanitary...or maybe I'm just Howard Hughes-ing.

If you're ever in Phoenix, then hop in the old jalop' and head to the malted shop!  Make sure that you stop at MacAlpine's to get yourself a treat - of the frosty or fabric variety - or both!

"All the Cats Join In" - Benny Goodman

MacAlpine's Restaurant & Soda Fountain

2303 N 7th St

Phoenix, AZ

(602)262-5545

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

*Then you'd better let him out.  I couldn't let the joke go unfinished.  

Remember, we are dangerously close to 200 official followers.  When we reach that pinnacle of success, we will be hosting a major giveaway!  Spread the wacky tacky word, won't you please?  THANKS!!!

Chow Time: Sugar Bowl

For all of the eating that we did during our Arizona sojourn, few places provided as much satisfying satiation as Scottsdale's sticky-sweet Sugar Bowl (est. 1958).  Sticking out of Old Town's western facade like a sore, pink thumb, Sugar Bowl is the revisionist masterpiece of a late-Victorian/Edwardian ice cream parlor.

Look out Sugar Bowl, here comes Mr. Tiny!

Living in the very shadow of the Magic Kingdom (seriously, we can hear Disneyland's nightly firework spectacular), we smugly thought that we had the market cornered on 1950's-does-1900's Main Street charm.  In one fell, Pepto-Bismol-colored swoop, Sugar Bowl proved us decidedly wrong.  I try not to get too snobby about these things, but I have had more than my fill of 80's/90's does 50's diners.  In fact, if I never see one more sun faded, life-size cut out of James Dean or Marilyn Monroe, it would all be too soon.  Offering its own spin on sugar-coated history, Sugar Bowl's romantic landscape of neapolitan linoleum and tufted pink booths is like spending an afternoon inside a fluffy meringue....or Sugar Town.

"Sugar Town" - Nancy Sinatra

Change "town" to "bowl" and 

they've got a solid new theme song!

"Welcome to the Sugar Bowl!"
I don't think it's lazy poetry...find me another word that
 rhymes more perfectly with Sunday other than Sunday.
"Sundae" would just be too on the nose.

Interior stained-glass windows featuring the Sugar Bowl's sugar bowl logo

reminded me of equal parts Disneyland, the Candy Kitchen in The Music Man, 

and Pollyanna - a winning combination!!!

The heart-shaped porthole windows on the swinging, kitchen
 doors remind servers and staff to treat each patron with love.

The stunning wall mural...honestly we were stunned.
This little piece of artistry in acrylics is like a
Sunday Afternoon on the Island of Grand Frappe.

The pink, black, and white linoleum floor
How many banana split splats has this thing seen?

The menu!!!
The menu is filled with delightful illustrations that speak to the frivolity of a novelty
 ice cream parlor in the sun-baked Arizona desert.   Speaking of illustrations, the
Sugar Bowl plays a supporting role in many of the famed Family Circus comic strips. 

"You'll love our luncheons."
 The tenderly-wrought window painting wasn't lying; offering more refreshment than just their perfect
 pairing of Turn-of-the-Century charm and icy-cold air conditioning, we had every reason to be hopeful
 about our forthcoming luncheon.  "Luncheon," the way I will henceforth refer to my noontime meal.

Decisions, decisions...

Homemade meatloaf sandwich with a healthy scoop of the house potato salad.
Old-timey!!!

A BLT with kettle chips and the obligatory pickle spear.

Even the printed napkins are amazing.
We managed to steal a few extras as thrift-conscious souvenirs.

These were our desserts - a fresh, sparkling limeade and the "Top Hat," a giant, ice 

cream-filled profiterole drenched in hot fudge.  Can you guess who ordered which dessert?

Surprise!!!

I kept asking Mary to pose with her gargantuan treat, but
she couldn't stop from attacking that thing like it was the
fudge-covered enemy! 

It's that kind of place...you can't help yourself but just dive right in!

If I lived in Scottsdale, I have the terrible feeling that I would spend an inordinate amount of time getting a sugar-high at the Sugar Bowl.  It is practically perfect in every way, at least in our wacky tacky eyes.  I've been accused of looking at the world through rose-colored glasses, but at Sugar Bowl, it simply cannot be helped.  It's the pink of perfection!

"The Pink of Perfection" from Walt Disney's Summer Magic

Sugar Bowl

4005 N Scottsdale Rd

Scottsdale, AZ

(480)946-0051

www.sugarbowlscottsdale.com

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny