The Ponderosa

There was also a Ponderosa in Covina (not sure if it's still there). Patrons picked up trays and walked around the "chuck wagon" in center to be served -- kind of like if Souplantation was a steak house. I can say I ate at both. Rumor had it that "Hoss" from "Bonanza" owned the chain. I wonder if anyone even remembers "Bonanza"!

I think there is a reason it went out of business...terrible food!

Hey Dave, if you think this would be of interest, how about profiling the long-standing inexpensive steak icons Spunky Steer of Chino and Steak N Stein of Rancho? Might be a pretty interesting blog since they were (are?) owned by siblings and they have been around since before I moved here 20 years ago.

A whole website devoted to these sort of conversions: http://www.notfoolinganybody.com/

Don't miss Gilstrap Chiropractic, former KFC.

Pat likes to point out The Penguin, a classic Googie coffee shop in Santa Monica, is now a dentist office. Nobody points out penguins have no teeth. However, there's still 2 or 3 survivors of the 1980's Penguin's Frozen Yogurt chain sprinkled around West L.A.

http://65.254.59.194/~vstapf/vasc/source/penguin.html

[There seems to still be a Penguins Yogurt in Chino at 5525 Philadelphia. On a related note, Upland has a couple of dental offices on Mountain Avenue with signs featuring dolphins and cats. Odd, but at least those critters have teeth. -- DA]

GREETINGS:
The Ponderosa Steak House chain has been around for about 40 years and is also affiliated with the Bonanza chain. Ponderosa I believe started in Indiana. I know of no direct affiliation with anyone associated with the Bonanza television show. If anything, the founders probably opted to utilize the already existing name recognition to help establish their brand.

The other thing I would add is that while not terrible, I wouldn't put Ponderosa in the same class as Sizzler, at least not the one located in Rancho in comparison to the local Sizzler restaurants of that time period. I'd say it was more of HomeTown Buffet quality, where Sizzler was more the Souplantation level, about two steps up the food chain.

[That's right, there were Bonanza and Ponderosa steakhouses. I think I've been to both but can't remember the difference. Two stories: At one place or the other, I accidentally left my retainer wrapped in a napkin at the table and we had to go through a trash bag or two to find it. I also lost a baby tooth at one or the other restaurant while chewing steak. At this rate, it's no wonder the local version became Ponderosa Dental. -- DA]

I vaguely remember eating at the Ponderosa, but I've never had my teeth cleaned there.

When I was growing up in the Washington DC suburbs, there was a restaurant called the Bonanza. Don't know if there was any corporate relation between the Bonanza and the Ponderosa.

Dan "Hoss" Blocker didn't own the chain outright, but he did get a piece of the action in exchange for his promotional activities on behalf of the chain. He died in 1972, long before the Rancho Ponderosa was up and running.

There is a chain which includes both the Bonanza and Ponderosa Steak Houses and some other entities. The food was mediocre, pod-people fare.

What ever happened to all the Love's BBQ locations? Are there any true Love's left?

Steak and Stein in Chino used to be called Steer 'N' Stein. I could tell you a lot of things about the owners, not related to the cuisine, but I think they're best left unsaid. I was never a fan of their food.

If I'm gonna get a steak, I'll spend a little more dough and get a great one. I hate mediocrity when it comes to food .... or women.

Hadla's gonna feed me some dripping hot butter-dipped scampi while she sits in my lap for our dinner au naturel tonight. All the while she'll be eating ripe olives from the tips of my fingers which I will seductively insert into her mouth.

And then the main entree ....

[By contrast, I just lost my appetite. -- DA]

Wow! Dave, I sent that note a few months ago, guess you do packrat stuff away. I remember the steak being pretty good. And I agree regarding Hal, I lost my appetite also.

[With my old e-mail account no longer active, I've been going through the inbox (now whittled down to 203 messages!) to look for gems before they all vanish in about 45 days. I suspect more e-mails will become blog posts...sorry to sit on your message so long. -- DA]

I have to vote for the 1970's Mr Steak in Upland on Mountain, above Foothill, as my favorite steak chain of all time. I ordered the exact same thing every time, why mess with a good thing? Singing to the tune of McDonald's "Two all-beef patties..." I'd order "Teriyakisirloanmediumwithabakedpotatoewithbutterandasaladwiththousandislanddressingandiceteatodrink." Sometimes I'd have to repeat my order more slowly.

[Note he spelled it "potatoe." -- DA]

Love's BBQ! Ah, the (good) memories! Useta be our place of celebration when my girls were in school. Got a part in the play? Off to Love's. Aced it with the grades? Here we go. Band invited to Disneyland? Everybody into the car. We got dressed up and pretended we were somebody. Never ate there - or anywhere - au naturel, though. Too dangerous when we're talking about hot food. Ouch!

Definitely not mediocre.

Ramona

Let's not omit Chino's 'Tony's Spunky Steer' on Central. Though it would never be confused with a Ruth's Chris or Mortons, The Spunky Steer is a decent steak for the price and seems to have a loyal customer base. Probably cast from a similar mold as Steer N Stein or The Tenderloin in La Verne.

GREETINGS:
And who can forget Love's advertising slogan - "When you're in Love's, the whole world's delicious!"

How many people remember Happy Steak (self-proclaimed "Home of the Golden Spud") or Golden Corral? I love the fact that, along with Mr. Steak, these were all classified as "self-serve budget steak houses."

As for Tony's Spunky Steer, I remember many lunches and dinners eaten there. In talking to a friend who grew up in Chino, she laughed and said "Of course I know Tony's. That was THE date dinner place."

But the ultimate local "steak" experience? It has to be Pinnacle Peak: "Home of the Famous Cowboy Steak." The atmosphere, especially the "no ties allowed" policy (still strictly enforced), is memorable.

Oh, I've enjoyed better steaks and ribs elsewhere, but never served in such a wonderful setting.

[Pinnacle Peak is in Glendora on Foothill Boulevard. Have to admit I've never been there and it sounds like I've missed out. -- DA]

Tony's Spunky Steer is an ex-Steer/Steak 'N' Stein under same ownership. A cut above the Sizzler. I could tell you a lot about Tony, but I don't think I really wanna do that. Not as good as the old Gold Rooster used to be, both for value and quality. The Gold Rooster is now Players.

Was it the olives or the scampi that turned your collective stomachs? I've never had trouble with warm melted butter dripping on the naked body. The spills can be licked or sucked off. It's the Tuesday night Master Bedroom Special, complete with drawn curtains, candlelight, soft ethereal sounds, moderately priced champagne, and big juicy grapes on the nightstand. Hadla loves black olives, she says they taste like ....

As far as I know, there are no sanctioned au naturel restaurants. Which seems a ridiculous concept for a variety of reasons. Still, as a specialty tourist attraction in a scenic foreign locale it might work. The only nude restaurant I ever heard of was a horrible bore of a movie done by Warhol in the 1960's. And even in that, the players were wearing G-strings.

P.S. Any of you out there dig molten candle wax dripped on your flesh? I've found many who do. So, you're not alone.

[My diet is now in its second day. -- DA]

Sort of returning to the original thread of dual-purpose buildings, some may recall Mr. Up's, a unique concept restaurant located at Diamond Bar Blvd and the 60 Fwy in Diamond Bar.

In the late 70s and early 80's, long before service stations started teaming with fast-food or snack shops, Mr Up's was a full service Chevron Station with repair bays downstairs and a full service Mr Up's restaurant located upstairs that was comparable to Denny's or Carrows. The upstairs restaurant, accessible by elevator, was a great place to literally eat and get gas. (Bahdumbump)

I believe there were a few other Mr Up's locations as well, including one in Redlands I think.

The upstairs restaurant lasted but a few years but eventually closed around the time Sizzler opened up next to it. A real estate office occupied the restaurant portion for a while until Chevron eventually demolished the entire site and building the existing sterile, no-service Chevron station, sans restaurant.

[Was Mr. Up's first name Seven? -- DA]

OK, Dave, when you go to Pinnacle Peaks, ya gotta wear a loud, old, flashy tie with your sports coat. Don't ask why, just do it. Make sure it's a old ugly one you probably will never wear again.....

[This is one of those they'll-snip-your-tie-in-half places, eh? -- DA]

I believe the Pinnacle Peak restaurant is in San Dimas. I remember going there with my parents when it first opened around the time Sergeant Pepper was all the rage and Micky Dolenz let his hair friz out!

The tie thing was a lot more fun in the 1960s and 1970s, when men actually wore ties when they went out for dinner. My dad was unaware and completely taken by surprise when the cowbells rang and his tie was massacred. Those days are long over.

The place consists largely of picnic tables and the meals are kept simple - salad - steak - beans - bread. If you want a potato, it's extra. Menus are printed on the doggie bag.

I've always been partial to the Cowgirl - medium rare, add the potato. At a pound of beef, the Cowgirl is plenty tasty eatin' for me. Why would I want to eat a Cowboy anyway? That just wouldn't seem right. Or for that matter, the Trail Boss! Leave that for the folks at Brokeback Mountain, not Pinnacle Peak.

That nonsense out of the way, it's a great place to take the kids and still get a pretty decent steak.

When my kids were small, they used to run around the huge gravel parking lot and surrounding areas during the, sometimes, long waits. On occasion they'd hide in the bushes in the front area laughing and pretending to be unaware that our name had just been called through the loudspeaker. They were just as ornery as their mom and dad. But well-behaved at the dinner table when anticipating a Hot Fudge Sundae for dessert.

P.S. Fudley Correctol sez: The 'potatoe' gentlemen also enjoyed a terriyaki 'sirloan.' Ah, those careless misteaks (sp. intentionally stupid). Perhaps he would enjoy hunting some Quayle (sp) with us.

Recipe: Joe Mahma Quail Specials. First, enjoy the thrill of killing a bunch of brainless birds. Then, all we need's a little shake and bake, lemon pepper and Italian dressing. And about 20 birds. Bake the bird's breasts for 45 minutes at 350 after soaking up the basting mixture for half an hour.

Share a delicious artichoke in butter sauce for the appetizer.

Eat with abandon while naked in bed, making sure you have a 'loaded gun' in the nightstand. You never know when it will come in 'handy' (just joking).

This is creeping me out... Check please!

Yeah, JimL I remember Mr. Up's. Do you remember the Turkey House which was at, I think, a Shell Station, off of the 60 freeway perhaps off of Fairway Drive, but maybe even further west?

Someone told me that they had a location on top of a gas station somewhere too. Don't know about that for sure.

Also there were some places called Mr. T's which were above gas station restaurants. I distinctly remember one of those around Parker in the blistering, yet blissful, days of Creedence, John R. Cash, Coors and commingling at the Colorado River.

GREETINGS:
Wow, someone else who remembers Mr. Ups! It was a chain that I remember seeing adjacent to freeways. I can recall four: Redlands, Diamond Bar, Tustin (or that vicinity) and San Clemente. And when you see one, no matter what it has evolved into, you immediately recognize it.

If memory serves, I believe their logo was a rising hot air balloon with a multi-colored envelope. Was there also man in a chef's hat riding in the gondola?

They were always paired with service stations. I recall Chevron, but I also seem to remember one with a Texaco station. I can't say for certain.

I never did get to eat in one. My parents' response was always "the rising fumes from the station will make everything smell and taste bad!"

One related tidbit - In San Jacinto at the intersection of the Ramona Expressway and Hwy 74 (Florida Avenue), they are building something that looks very much like a Mr. Ups. I haven't been by in a while and it may already be in place but it looks like a service station down below with a restaurant up top. There was a Texaco Station at that location for years, but it closed a while back. While I doubt it will actually be a Mr. Ups, it will be interesting to see if it does turn out to be a restaurant or maybe just a real estate office!

[I'm wary of groceries at gas stations -- will the milk smell like unleaded? -- so when it comes to restaurants at gas stations, I'm with your parents! -- DA]

Mr. Bentley,

Since you've been out San Jacinto / Hemet way I was wondering if you ever ate at a now defunct and short-lived restaurant named Louise's Pantry. It was near Sanderson and Florida. Great place for lunch / breakfast / and early dinner! Superb breakfasts. The meatloaf was incredible and the sirloin tips were to die for. The homemade pies were also exellent.

Louise also had the original tiny location in Palm Springs opened in the early 1950's which closed a bit after the one in Hemet. She also had a location in Palm Desert.

About 11 years ago she got bought out, with the new owners electing to close the Palm Springs store and then shutting down the Palm Desert store in November 2005. It didn't really matter, the places just weren't the same after Louise sold out.

I hear the new owners set up shop in La Quinta using the Lucille's name but they gutted the menu and are now only open from 7AM to 3PM. Under Louise it was open from 7AM to 8PM.

Nothing gold stays. But just wondering if you ever sat amongst the snowbirds at the Hemet location.

My first comment is for the first letter written by DMH. I've been a big fan of The Ponderosa restaurants for quite sometime until they went out of business. However, I didn't know that there was one in Covina. Would you by any chance be thinking of Steak Corral? It too is in the Covina, West Covina area, located just north of the 10 freeway on Azusa Avenue. If this is what you're thinking of, it is still in business, I was there last week.

My second comment is for John C. I, too, remember Mr. Steak very well. I worked there for about five years, from the late 70's to early 80's. I mainly worked the day shift, but occasionally worked at night. If you may or may not recall, I posted this in a previous David Allen blog titled: "Things That Aren't Here Anymore" back in January of this year. The owner/manager, Jim MacNamera, hired me to work there back in 1978ish. He at one time worked for my dad, who owned and ran a Uniroyal tire shop, also on Azusa Avenue just a little further north than Steak Corral. And yes, of course, the tire shop was right across the street from another Mr. Steak restaurant.

I used to drive by the Upland Mr. Steak and a well stocked liquor store (it couldn't have been called Mountain Liquor, could it?) on Mountain above Foothill just about every Sunday from 1969 thru 1971.

I provided transportation to a foreign-born nanny who was working for a family who lived just above 19th and Mountain, initially when "Easy Rider" was exploding. The reason I remember the time frame is because I took the nanny to see the Fonda / Hopper classic numerous times, usually under the influence of the evil cannabis. I also turned her on to Leonard Cohen, who had two really great records out at the time plus the "Beautiful Losers" book which was all the rage.

The family she worked for had recently given birth to triplets and were somehow related to Janet Leigh (of Psycho, Little Women, Manchurian Candidate and Touch of Evil fame - not to mention the simply ridiculous Night of the Lepus when her career was in trouble - also in a delicious role in the Concrete Overcoat Affair 2-part episode of Man From U.N.C.L.E. - don't get me started on U.N.C.L.E. it's the ceeze whizziest!!! And that's good!!!) who, on rare occasions dropped by.

I'm also aware of the Steak Corral, not far from Northwoods Inn on Azusa Ave in West Covina. Never been to either Mr. Steak or the Steak Corral but I very often have been to Northwoods Inn for lunch and dinner. It's been a pretty regular spot for us over the years.

With regard to dual purpose buildings, the old Alphy's restaurant in Chino is now a medical building as well. In a reversal of sorts, the last time I looked, the Riverside Drive office of the sadistic nightmare of a dentist that I had as a child in Chino is now a tea house.

Also, the tiny drive-through booth of the old and defunct Chino First National Bank (9th and Riverside Drive - which is now a medical building) has become the tiniest taco stand I've ever seen. It's great too, but I can't remember the name. Before it became a taco stand, it was a short-lived drive-thru coffee fiasco.

I suppose we all know the Danson in Claremont was partly a gas station at one time and leads a schizoid existence as part Espiau's / part Danson. The food's ridiculously gringo and mediocre at best, but you gotta love those Mexican salads and chips, and the people are friendly. Plus Rhino's up the street.

Give me some time & I will have an in-depth interview with the original owners of the Cuca Ponderosa. The Covina/Azusa Ponderosa ( I think ) was an all u can eat prime rib restaurant with no ties to Ponderosa chain. Hey DA , Mr. (Seven) Up's had a brother named "PUSH" and a daughter named "LAY".

Hmm, actually Dave, the wife of the heir to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse used to be a cashier at the Alpha Beta on Foothill & San Antonio (where Fresh n' Easy is now).

Yeah, Mister Steak was pretty good, but so was Mountain Liquor next door. Though M.S. was from Hartford, CT, there's a sole surviving location in St. Louis:
2731 Veterans Memorial Parkway, Saint Charles, MO 63303, (636) 946-7444.

The one I was thinking of was Lum's, with their beer-boiled hot dogs & odd-tasting burger -- I know there's one a few miles from the NASCAR road track in upstate New York.

I have to second Hal's opinion of Espiau's version of Mexican food yet we're regular customers and have been for over 43 years. Anymore though we only go there for the salad, chips and a cold Bohemia or two. Although their burgers are actually pretty darn good I might add.

If we're not in a rush - which we seldom are if we go to Espiau's - we'll relax and see if they can best their previous record for slow sevice. Of late, the records keep falling.

Creatures of habit that we are, we'll most likely go there tonight.

Just had to add this comment to this post...

I remember touring that Ponderosa Restaurant in grade school and we saw RATS in the kitchen. When it switched to a dentist office, I couldn't stop thinking about those rodents. Needless to say, I've never stepped foot in that building since then.

[I bet that was the last school tour at Ponderosa... DA]

A column from Mark Evanier is probably the last word on Love's Bar-B-Q:
http://www.newsfromme.com/archives/2008_05_09.html#015200

There's a new "Farrell's" in Santa Clarita: http://www.farrellsusa.com/

I guess if you're going to Six Flags it might be fun -- otherwise, the last of the originals closed down in San Diego a few years ago & their Big Comeback seems to be held up by lawsuits.

GREETINGS:
A few responses since my last addendum to this topic.

Hal - Yes, I am familiar with Louise's Pantry, but never had the chance to stop at the one in Hemet. I worked in the Coachella Valley in the early 80s and spent time at both the Palm Springs and Palm Desert locations. Back then there was always a line out the door at the one in downtown PS. The PD version didn't have the same draw, but still made great breakfast and lunch. For years I would take my mother Christmas shopping in Palm Springs/Palm Desert and Louise's Pantry was her favorite place to have lunch.

Also, the Turkey House was located just south of the 60 Fwy, I believe somewhere between Fullerton Road and Fairway Drive. It wasn't above a Shell Station, but its sign always looked like a direct rip-off of the Shell Logo, which made me think maybe the oil company was trying to diversify. I never ate there, but was always curious to see if they were open or closed for Thanksgiving. And in the weeks following that holiday, did they see a drop in business?

As to the liquor store adjacent to Mr. Steak in Upland, that was where we always stopped to pick up the Daily Racing Form when heading out to the track. Whether it was the LACF, Santa Anita, Hollywood Park, Del Mar or even the OTB in San Bernardino, we always would go by and get our forms at that location.

As for Espiau's, the old location in Pomona was always a favorite stop and their Mexican salad was legendary. Even in the final days when the "little livestock" (or as a friend used to call it, "wandering wallpaper pattern") problem became all too obvious, it was a hard choice to say no to Espiau's. My trips to the Claremont locale have brought back wonderful memories, but the food just isn't the same.

As for Farrell's, that's a place probably best left in litigation. Take it from someone who worked at the Montclair store, the less you know, the better you'll sleep.

Here's one from the past: Who remembers Gina's in Upland. It was on the north side of Foothill Blvd., just east of what is now a Shakey's Pizza Parlor. I believe Gina's was the name of the mother, with the restaurant established by the daughter and son-in-law (or was it son and daughter-in-law?). There was an uncle from Detroit who came in to help get things rolling, and for a while Gina's was an outstanding lunch and dinner house with great Italian cuisine. Their specialty was "Lasagna in the Round," but all their pasta, sandwiches, salads, etc., were great.