The Gunk is Gone

Does anybody remember the counter at Hungry Joe's? White linoleum, covered with gunk? Hungry's is now called 'Toast,' and has been cleaned up and renovated, and the new owners have brought it into the 21st Century.

Big mistake. Hungry Joe's smelled like a diner. One step through the door and you were greeted by Parfum d'Hash Browns and Boiled Coffee. The old fry grill was right in back of the counter, where you see the espresso machine now, so you could smell the potatoes 'n eggs 'n bacon 'n pancakes cooking up in front of your nose, splattering grease on the walls. The blueberry pancakes were famous. The white paper menus all had blue stains over the pancake column.

Oh, you could get a tofu scramble at Hungry Joe's, but they cooked it on the same grill with the bacon, sausage and burgers so what was the point?

Toast has spanking new menus and a stainless steel counter. It smells a little like the part of the Auto Parts Department where they sell the lemon air fresheners. The food looks pretty good, but...well, The Great Plotnik couldn't make himself taste it.

There are plenty of people who like things the way they used to be, not for a good reason, but just because. Plot is not usually one of these people, but when it comes to big city downtowns, grand old movie theaters and funky, vibey, delicious, old-school grease joints The Great Plotnik turns into Archie Bunker.