April 2009 Archives

Every year, comic book shops across America host Free Comic Book Day, an event that is almost chilling in its simplicity: Walk into a comics shop, walk out with a comic book.

A couple dozen special comics are published just for this giveaway, from Archie, Disney/Pixar's Cars and Nancy to Love and Rockets, Star Wars and Wolverine. You can read more at www.freecomicbookday.com.

4 Color Fantasies in Rancho Cucamonga draws hundreds of fans to its event, with a line out the door and more activity in the parking lot.

Here's the addresses of all the local stores participating. With Claremont's Comic Bookie out of business, it's an even shorter list than usual:

* FUNNY BUSINESS, 896 N. Garey, Pomona, (909) 868-1974

* 4 COLOR FANTASIES, 7172 Archibald Ave., Rancho Cucamonga, (909) 563-8751

* J P M COMICS & GAMES, 1000 E. Route 66 Suite G, Glendora, (626) 857-0718

* COMIC MADNESS, 12345 Mountain Ave. #J, Chino, (909) 590-5949

On a weekday off last week, I did one of my favorite things, which is riding Metrolink into L.A. for an afternoon. I didn't go with a plan other than lunch somewhere. But I did go with a book, H.G. Wells' "The Time Machine," which at 126 pages looked like one I could read from start to finish.

I ended up having lunch at one of my favorite spots, even though I only go there perhaps once per year: Molly's Charbroiler on Vine Street between Hollywood and Sunset boulevards. I'll write more about that place sometime...like when I remember to bring my camera.

From there I hoofed it west on Hollywood Boulevard to soak up the day and the atmosphere. My destination was the Virgin Megastore at Highland, which will be closing. (This is a case where Ontario was way ahead of trendy Hollywood. Sorry, but Virgin Megastore closings are so 15 minutes ago.) The store hadn't yet begun discounting anything -- that was supposed to happen this week -- and presumably store personnel were busy raising all the CD and DVD prices before then. I browsed but didn't buy.

My final stop was going to be Philippe's for pie and a cold drink before heading home -- until I remembered the Disney Soda Fountain across the street from Virgin, next to the El Capitan Theater. Jonathan Gold said something nice about the milkshakes there and, unlike a recent Saturday when the place was packed with families and I kept walking, there was virtually no one inside at 3 p.m. on a Thursday. I sat at the counter and enjoyed a pricey but worth it chocolate chip shake.

From there, the subway took me back to Union Station and Metrolink whisked me home. And, yes, I finished my book. Did you know Wells came up with the phrase "time machine" and the idea of it too? It's an amazing little book.

Photo by Sally Egan

The anniversary of Pomona's Fox Theater was Friday, the first night of the Smogdance Film Festival and the first public event at the restored theater. The theater opened April 24, 1931, or 78 years to the day earlier.

To mark the occasion, three Fox-themed cakes were displayed and two of them were cut into during the festival's intermission. Everyone who wanted a slice got one. (My cheap friend Pat took two.)

I'm told the cakes were made by New York Delight, a nearby deli and caterer. The cake pictured above was the one that wasn't cut into. Not sure where it went although I watched from across the street as it was carried out by two people.

Maybe it's in someone's freezer and will be wheeled out on April 24, 2087, 78 years to the day of the reopening.

A comic book store has rented the IMAX theater at the Edwards 22 Ontario Mills for a midnight screening on Thursday (or, technically, very early Friday) of the next "X-Men" movie.

Personally, by midnight I'll be at home on my second or third dream, but if you're interested in seeing the movie in a room full of fans before its official release at a normal-person time Friday, contact 4 Color Fantasies, which is sponsoring the event and cleverly calling it "Geek Night Out."

Get tickets at the store, 7172 Archibald Ave. (above Base Line), Rancho Cucamonga. The $19 price includes a commemorative T-shirt -- one hesitates to ask what it says -- and a swag bag of goodies. Or call the store for details at (909) 563-8751.

Tell 'em the David Allen Blog sent you. You won't get anything special, but they'll understand instantly that you're a discriminating consumer.

This week's restaurant: Louie's Chicken and Fish Grill, 960 N. Mountain Ave. (at Foothill), Upland.

I was driving north on Mountain Avenue one lunch hour this week, looking for Upland Kebab, which was on my list of places to try. I didn't see it this time, which means that either I missed it (both coming and going) or it's gone. But Louie's, a little farther north, was my second choice and that's where I ended up.

Louie's opened last year next to a FedEx store on the southeast corner of Mountain and Foothill. (Anyone remember what was in the Louie's space before? La Salsa comes to mind.) I learned about the restaurant from a Business story we ran last year. Owner Louie Camacho previously owned Yahoo Chicken and Louie's Chicken Cafe, both in Chino.

You order at the counter. They have rotisserie chicken ($9.95 each to go), grilled seafood, fish tacos, wraps and salads. All in all, a slightly different concept.

I got catfish, blackened, with brown rice and cole slaw as my sides ($8.49). Blackened is so often done poorly that it's gotten a bad name, but this version didn't overdo it. The slaw was moist and pleasantly crunchy.

Louie's also has trout, tilapia, white roughy, Atlantic salmon, mahi-mahi, halibut and jumbo shrimp, ranging from $7.49 to $13.95. Obviously this is not fine dining, especially with the minimal decor and fast-food seating, but the menu is a nice change from the norm. There's a patio with umbrella-shaded tables that looks like a relaxing spot -- although not on a day when it's not 95, as it was when I visited.

Louie's, this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

I belatedly noticed that in Wednesday's column, the word "douchebag," as written by yours truly, was altered prior to publication to "douche bag."

A pat on the back to my colleague Will Bigham for discovering that even jails get reviewed on Yelp. Read his post on our Courts blog here, which has links to the appropriate reviews.

My favorite is the woman who says of the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga: "Don't ever go there." Well, that's good advice, I guess. RC's pokey gets one star out of five.

Which turns out to be the same grade as our newspaper got.

Darth Vader and an Imperial Stormtrooper trod the Claremont Village last Saturday as part of the monthly Edge of L.A. Comic Con at the Packing House.

The pair rode the trolley, which is soon to go the way of the Death Star (photo from the Claremont Insider blog), and briefly took the stage at Rhino Records during its Record Store Day promotion (photo courtesy of Rhino).

No, they didn't perform Meco's "Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band."

The Fox Theater's first event for the general public is the annual Smogdance Film Festival, which takes place Friday through Sunday at the newly restored Pomona theater.

Granted, it's not exactly a singalong "Sound of Music" in the mainstream-appeal sweepstakes, but Smogdance is usually diverting, and the setting is worth the $10 admission all by itself.

You can read more about the festival in today's column and by going to the festival website: www.smogdance.com.

Interested in Pakistan, hotspot in the global war on terrorism? The University of La Verne will host a lecture on that nation on Thursday in the inaugural presentation of the -- wait for it -- Benazir Bhutto & Ahmed Ispahani International Lectureship.

The huh?

ULV Professor Ahmed Ispahani, a La Verne resident, was a cousin of Bhutto, the prime minister who was assassinated in 2007. He'll be giving the lecture, entitled "Struggle for Democracy: Benazir Bhutto and Pakistan."

The lectureship was established by a gift from ULV trustee Paul Moseley, a former student of Ispahani's, as a way to thank his mentor and pay respects to Bhutto.

Here's some background on Ispahani's life from a campus press release:

"Born in Iran, Ispahani spent much of his formative years traveling to and from Pakistan because of his family's business there. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Karachi, then later studied in England before coming to the United States to earn his master's and Ph.D. He first joined the La Verne faculty in 1964, and has since taught generations of students and influenced countless careers.

"In 1968 Ispahani took a leave from his teaching duties to become economic adviser to the Iran Government, Central Bank of Iran. He was later asked to serve as economic advisor to the Shah of Iran, a position he held until returning to La Verne in 1976.

"A U.S. citizen, Ispahani enjoyed a close relationship with his cousin, the late Benazir Bhutto. He began advising Bhutto on economic matters in 1990, and was instrumental in arranging her visit and lecture at La Verne in 1997."

Benazir Bhutto visited La Verne? I had no idea.

The lecture begins at 11 a.m. in La Fetra Auditorium. It's free but seating is limited. Information: International Studies Institute, (909) 593-3511 ext. 4221.

I took a few photos at Saturday's Fox gala and, at the risk of setting back the cause of photojournalism through my fuzzy, poorly composed images, decided to risk sharing 'em.
Above is the marquee as seen during the dedication ceremony. Wow!

This is the theater post-dinner. Too dim to give you much of a view, but you get a sense of it.

This is the view from the mezzanine. Pipe the grand staircase and the ornate carpet.

The Fox balcony is bigger than a lot of entire theaters these days.

The rooftop deck overlooking Garey Avenue was a convivial place and provides a new angle on the tower sign.

At right, the VIP deck, which most of us will likely never tread again. Wonderful while it lasted, though.

Now that you've suffered through my attempts at photography, make sure to read my special column in Monday's (!) newspaper about the event, in which I play to my strengths by using, y'know, words and punctuation and stuff.

You can also find a boatload of photos at REN's Images of Pomona blog. Scroll down his page to find 'em all. Your columnist/blogger even pops up in one, in a characteristic pose. They give a good view of the scene outside.

There's an annual walk in Mt. Washington in honor of the Times' late columnist, Jack Smith, who lived in the L.A. neighborhood. I learned about this via the LAObserved blog. I only bring it up because of a small thrill I got while reading the announcement and clicking on the link for Smith's name. The link takes you to Smith's Wikipedia page, which was written by yours truly!

I wrote it in late 2007, surprised that the beloved Smith had no entry, and being a latter-day fan of his work through his books. He's one of my biggest influences, not that we're in the same league or that the lessons have been absorbed especially well. The grace and wit of his prose remain a model to which I aspire.

Although I'll be working Sunday (!) and unable to take part in the walk, I'm pleased to have contributed in a small way to keeping Smith's legacy alive.

Even if my entry doesn't entirely meet Wikipedia's quality standards.

Photo: Jennifer Cappuccio Maher, Daily Bulletin

Besides my column today, I also wrote an actual story about the Fox Theater sign's return to functioning life. You can read it by clicking the link after the photos.

Above is a photo taken Wednesday evening. Beautiful, eh?

Below is a photo of the sign being removed on Aug. 6, 2008 from its perch atop the 81-foot Fox tower. From the street, it's impossible to tell how large the sign is, but the second photo, as the sign is being reinstalled on Nov. 24, 2008, makes it clear.

Photo above courtesy Richard E. Nunez; photo below courtesy ForSight Creations

This week's restaurant: Dino's Chicken and Burgers, 770 E. Arrow Hwy. (at Towne), Pomona.

When Dino's took over a Golden Ox Burgers location a couple of miles from my house in November, the full import of this development eluded me. Stepping inside last weekend, I saw an L.A. Times Magazine blowup on a wall behind the counter. Turns out Dino's, which until recent years had only one location, is celebrated for its chicken. Alas, I'd already ordered a burger.

Well, the burger was fine, but I knew I had to go back for the chicken before writing something. I did so on Wednesday evening after work, ordering the chicken combo with fries and soda ($6.91 with tax). While I waited I read two more blowup articles newly posted on another wall, one from the Azusa Herald, the other from the L.A. Times food section.

It seems Dino's was founded by Demetrios Pantazis, who used a Greek recipe for his chicken marinade at his West Pico location. Vinegar, garlic and oregano appear to be involved. The restaurant has since opened a second outpost in Azusa, with Pomona being only the third.

The half-chicken arrived. It's fiery red, like tandoori chicken, its orange juices dribbling onto the bed of fries. The chicken proves lightly spicy and very, very good. The fries, already well above average, only improve with the addition of juices.

The Dino's dining room is nothing fancy, beige walls with burgundy booths, but you'll come here for the food, not the ambience.

Supposedly the carne asada here is also quite good. Dino's has breakfasts, Mexican food, sandwiches and pork chops. The Dino's website has photos and more. You can read Jonathan Gold's entertaining LA Weekly capsule review here.

Welcome to Pomona, Dino's. You've made life in the 909 slightly more bearable.

Photo: Neil Nisperos

If you've ever been through Chino (and if not, why not?), you're sure to have seen one of the city's most striking buildings, the one-time movie theater on Central Avenue near Riverside Drive.

A tower has the word "Chino" in vertical letters, and according to a story by my colleague Neil Nisperos (he of the accompanying photo), the red neon, long gone, will soon be replaced at city expense.

Using redevelopment funds, the city will pay $15,000 for that work as well as $1,200 a year for electricity and upkeep for 20 years, plus $600 per year to the property owner.

The idea is that the sign will restore some beauty and interest to Chino's main drag. Well, it can't hurt.

The movie theater opened in 1947, around the same era as Upland's Grove, which has a similar scale and look. By the early 1960s, the theater had become a bowling alley, and since 1992 it's been the T-Shirt Mart.

That's like a capsule history of the American economy!

I'd like to know more. Anyone want to share their memories of this building?

Indie music stores are banding together for the second annual Record Store Day, a national sales promotion and celebration of why we love record shops. (Assuming we do love them. But we do, don't we?)

Claremont's Rhino Records is participating and the store has plenty of fun stuff planned for the event this Saturday.

Singer-songwrriter Frank Fairfield and tongue-in-cheek band The Eagles of Death Metal will perform live in the store. Lots of special new releases, including vinyl LPs and 45s by Cold War Kids, Iron & Wine, Flight of the Conchords, Jenny Lewis, Springsteen and other acts, and a new 45 by Jack White's new band Dread Weather, will be available.

And the store will give you 10 percent off on all purchases that day.

Rhino is at 235 Yale Ave., Claremont. Visit its website for a rundown on the special releases and other goodies.

Also participating is Dr. Strange Records in Alta Loma (their website doesn't offer details), Mad Platter in Riverside and Groovetime Music Brokers in San Bernardino.

Want more info? Visit the Record Store Day website.

Books bought this month: "Soon I Will Be Invincible," Austin Grossman; "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius," Dave Eggers; "Here is New York," E.B. White; "The Norton Anthology of American Literature" (five volumes); "Tales From the 'White Hart,'" Arthur C. Clarke; "The Postman Always Rings Twice," James M. Cain; "The Tummy Trilogy," Calvin Trillin.

Books read this month: "Let's All Kill Constance," Ray Bradbury; "More Than Human," Theodore Sturgeon; "Pirates of Venus," Edgar Rice Burroughs; "Bloch and Bradbury," Robert Bloch/Ray Bradbury.

This is the third one of these reading logs I've done, following recaps of January and February. Buying-wise, this was clearly an unrestrained month, although I have excuses: The first three were birthday gifts, the final three were bought used on vacation and the Norton anthologies, found in the bargain section of the Montclair Borders, cost a combined $15.95. If I can't find $15.95 in value out of 5,600 pages of American lit, I should quit.

As for the month's reading, for the third straight month the total is four books finished. If nothing else, I'm impressing myself.

The Bradbury novel, published in 2003, is the third in his pseudo-autobiographical pseudo-mystery trilogy, and the lesser of the three, I'm afraid. The Bloch-Bradbury book collects early short stories by the two, writing individually. The four Bradbury obscurities were worthwhile, the Bloch stories mostly excellent. "Psycho" was based on one of his works, btw.

Incidentally, I'm devoting much of my reading time this year to catching up on Bradbury books of the past couple of decades. He was a childhood favorite and, while I've kept buying his books, I haven't been so good at reading them. And he's very prolific. I think I've read five since last fall and expect to read a bunch more this year. Even though a lot of his later work is for devotees only, I suppose I qualify at this point.

"More Than Human" is a classic SF novel. "Human" is about six personalities who excel in certain ways (mind-reading, teleporting, etc.) but otherwise couldn't make it among regular folks; together, working as a unit, they could be the next step in human evolution. Technically Sturgeon's book is much better written than van Vogt's "Slan," which I read the previous month, but the overall concept wasn't really to my liking.

"Pirates of Venus" was my first exposure to ERB (as he's known) since reading "Tarzan" as a boy. Burroughs' Venus series of four books is considered lesser after the ape man and John Carter of Mars, but it was a lively read. And the hero attended Pomona College! At some point I'll be writing more about that, believe me.

Anyone read Burroughs, Bradbury, Bloch or Sturgeon?

Nancy's, the Rancho Cucamonga breakfast and lunch spot whose obituary appeared here recently, is returning from the dead like Lazarus, only with pancakes.

The reopening is Monday, April 20. The new name will be Nancy May's '50s Cafe. My column has the details.

Apparently I jumped the gun with my earlier post (which I've taken down) about the Fox seats. The tale apparently grew in the telling before it got to me.

All the auditorium seats appear to have been reclaimed from the contractor by the Fox developers -- although in some cases they had to pay back rent on the storage facility to get the seats before they went to auction. A close call.

The auditorium seats, thus, are back -- not missing, not stolen, but not repaired either. It's unclear when they'll be done, or even if they'll be done before June's (currently unscheduled) grand opening. Until then, look for banquet-style seating or rented seating.

And my apologies for inadvertently misleading anyone with my earlier post.

* However, the situation isn't rosy, Cathy Tessier told me this morning. The Fox essentially has a big stash of seats and seat parts. The simplest-to-fix seats are being installed in the balcony and loge, which seat 780. That should be done by the end of this week.

"We're unsure of the status of the remaining ones," Tessier said. They're focusing on the lights, sound and projection systems, all very complicated, and will turn their attention to the seats in a few weeks. "We have our hands full right now," she said.

Sunday's column made it above the fold on Page 1, a first for me. If you didn't read it -- the topic was Ontario City Hall's twin luxury boxes at the Citizens Business Bank Arena -- you can do so here.

Photo by Neil Nisperos

This week's restaurant: King Taco, 406 N. Mountain Ave. (at D), Ontario.

Admittedly, most of my dinner experience was covered in my Wednesday column, but that was more about being there than the actual food.

In short, it's a very busy place, with long lines. You order at the counter, sit down and pick up your food when your number is called.

Quality-wise, King Taco could be the In-N-Out of Mexican fast food, or the Tommy's, another cult-like place with long lines for simple fare. The five of us at our table were all impressed by the quality of the meats especially. You can view the menu here.

On the authenticity scale, King Taco doesn't seem to have watered things down despite being a chain: Fillings include lengua (tongue), cabeza (head), buche (pig stomach), molleja (chicken stomach) and suadero (beef brisket), besides the more common asada (steak), pollo (chicken), carnitas (pork) and al pastor (marinated pork).

We stuck with the basics -- al pastor and carnitas sopes, al pastor and carne asada burritos, carne asada and chicken tacos -- being willing to carry adventurousness only so far.

We also liked the chile and verde salsas, which come in small plastic cups and pack a punch. But there were some downsides.

One of us ordered chips and salsa. The chips were bagged and only average, and she didn't like paying 69 cents for salsa when, as she learned when she took her seat, the exact same containers were given out for free on request to others at the table. Also, $1.25 for a tiny cup of guacamole seemed rather high.

There's also the matter of whether the food was worth the half-hour wait from walking inside to picking up the order. You can get essentially the same food all over the valley with no waiting. The lines will die down, but perhaps not that much; King Tacos are high-volume outfits and the layout, with four cashier stations, is set up in anticipation of crowds.

A poll of our table revealed that everyone was willing to come back despite the lines and the hectic, noisy atmosphere. Actually, I may have been the only lukewarm voice on that count. Another said he was more likely to take his food to go, or even eat at the curb (there's no outdoor seating), because of the hubbub.

The restaurant, btw, is closed today for Good Friday.

Pomona College is hosting a panel discussion today (sorry for the late notice) with the subject "Veritaserum: The Truth About Harry Potter."

No, it's not one of those Potter-is-satanic deals. From the announcement:

"The Pomona Student Union and a panel of Pomona College professors Heather McWilliams (Politics), Oona Eisenstadt (Religious Studies) and Kathleen Fitzpatrick (English) will address the philosophical, political and theological questions that the beloved Harry Potter series poses, such as:

"What does finite life mean in the context of ghosts and live paintings?

"Why is religion absent from the text?

"Does the process of sorting parallel segregation?

"Why is power considered evil?

"What are the ethics of house elves and slavery?"

Hmmmm (cue the stroking of long wizard-like beard). Sounds intriguing, and surely the wonkiness will be leavened by wackiness. The details: 4:15 to 5:45 p.m., Rose Hills Theatre in the Smith Campus Center, 170 E. 6th St., Claremont.

The name of this gas station in Blythe, Calif., seems to be pulling our leg, if not our finger. I shot this while en route to Phoenix.

Here's some traditional cactus at the Desert Botanical Garden in Tempe, seen during my vacation last week...

... and some untraditional cactus in the same place.

I had ice cream at the Sugar Bowl in Scottsdale, a very popular pink-and-white ice cream parlor founded in 1958 and featured in several "Family Circus" panels...

... and soul food at Mrs. White's Golden Rule Cafe in downtown Phoenix, where payment is on the honor system. I also had a terrific waffle at Matt's Big Breakfast, recommended by reader, um, "breakfast weasel."

And I rode on the Metro, Phoenix's brand-new light rail. If sprawling Phoenix can get light rail, maybe there's hope for us.

The Metro, where the doors are just inches above street level, is more user-friendly than L.A.'s Gold Line, where the doors are higher and the platforms harder to get to. But a better-styled train isn't worth moving to Phoenix for.

Courtesy Pomona Public Library Special Collections

Each week, author Charles Phoenix sends out an e-mail with his "Slide of the Week," featuring a vintage, and usually silly, photo rescued from someone's collection of slides. (Sign up for his e-mails on his website.) The accompanying message describes the photo and sometimes goes off on an entertaining tangent.

Such was the case recently when Phoenix, a native of Ontario, shared a photo of a man eating a chicken sandwich in front of chicken-patterened wallpaper (!). Phoenix passed along a recipe:

"My recipe is inspired by the chicken salad sandwich that I devoured many times as a teenager lunching with friends at the oh-so-elegant Palomares Room Restaurant at Buffums' department store in Pomona, CA.

"Their special nutty-fruity version of the Americana lunchtime classic is quite memorable. It was served on raisin bread and it had nuts I it. I would have it for lunch every time we ditched our fifth and sixth period classes to go thrift shopping in Pomona. Lunch at Buffums' was always our first stop. And yes, the thrift shopping was always a learning experience.

"I will be using Miracle Whip to bind and enhance the flavor of all the chopped bits that make this sandwich so delicious. Miracle Whip is an Americana condiment of the highest order. Kraft Foods first introduced the mayonnaise wannabe at the 1933 Chicago Century of Progress Fair. According the legend the tangy-fatty, emulsified mystery matter is seasoned with 20 different spices. All the better to make your chicken salad sandwiches taste their best!"

His recipe, which apparently is an approximation of the Buffums' sandwich rather than being the exact version, goes like this, in his words:

Fruity-Nutty Chicken Salad Sandwiches

8 chicken breasts baked the night before

1 cup finely chopped celery

I cup declumped raisins

I cup finely chopped walnuts meats

2 cups Miracle Whip

16 pieces of fresh buttered white bread (toasted or not)

Chop the breasts into small bite size pieces. (Careful not to make them too large because no one wants to choke on a chicken sandwich!) Mix in other ingredients and bind it together with Miracle Whip. (And NO the lo-cal version won't ever do!) Salt and pepper and generously spread between two slices of bread. Press the palm of your hand down firmly over the sandwich to 'glue' it together. Slice diagonally and serve with chilled long sliced curled carrot strips and your favorite pickles.

Makes 8 sandwiches

This week's restaurant: The Seafood Kitchen, 612 N. Euclid Ave. (at F Street), Ontario.

The Seafood Kitchen is a newcomer to downtown Ontario, taking over a venerable location. Walter's Coffee Shop was there from 1960 to 1980, succeeded by El Mexicano II, which was there from 1982 to 2008. (Thanks to the Ontario Library's Kelly Zackmann for the research.)

Two restaurants in 48 years? That would seem to bode well for Seafood Kitchen's longevity, except that when I was there for lunch on a recent Monday, there were only two other diners. Hope it was an off day.

The menu is heavy on shrimp, leavened with scallop, cod, whitefish, catfish, calamari, snow crab and tilapia items. Some are battered and fried, others are steamed or grilled. The presentation is partly Mexican, partly Cajun, partly Asian. That must explain my order, the No. 4 combo ($6.95), which consisted of shrimp scampi atop chow mein, with Cajun fries on the side.

The meal came with a dozen small tail-on shrimp atop chow mein noodles with bits of celery, cabbage, carrots, onions and pineapple. The fries were the crispy kind you get at Popeyes. There was some Asian-style marinated cabbage on the side.

You have to give them points for creativity. And even though the result seemed like a reject from the Panda Express test kitchen, it wasn't bad, and the service was friendly. The menu includes several seafood tacos and salads, Cajun hot wings, ramen soup, lunch combos from $3.95 to $6.95 and dinner platters up to $12.95. They also have beer and wine.

Although the concept could use some focus, the interior space is classic mid-century coffee shop. Small lamps are suspended over the booths on long cords from the sloping ceiling. A giant plate-glass window fronts Euclid. The whole effect is striking and, I would imagine, largely unchanged since the Walter's days. If you're a nostalgist, take a look.