Thursday, August 03, 2006

Kicking it Old School at the Pacific Dining Car


I guess the Pacific Dining Car was a fitting place for a Santa Monica High mini-reunion -- after all, those attending all had old Hollywood family ties, and being from the classes of 1975,76 and 77, we're no spring chickens. I walked into the train car dining room and spotted a table of middle-aged men wearing suits -- could those be my high school friends? No, thank heavens, it was a gathering of much older coots. Interspersed with ribald reminiscences of teachers and students, we all ordered salads and set to catching up. The butter was delicious on the spongy, yet strangely tasty bread. The ice tea was solid as well. We talked some more. My filet mignon caesar salad arrived -- unlike most steak salads, the steak wasn't in strips, but in juicy, warm perfectly cooked nuggets of of prime beef. The salad was a bit overdressed, as were my friends' Cobb salads, but those succulent knobs of cow made it all ok.
More glasses of ice tea, a bite of chocolate cake and we all dispersed, looking not too much worse for having weathered the Bicentennial pep rally (complete with red white and blue streakers), the McGovern campaign and the Malibu Optimists Stamp Club. The Pacific Dining Car probably charges about the most for a salad that any restaurant can get away with, but it's worth it.
Pacific Dining Car
1310 Sixth St.
(213) 483-6000

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Where is Yang Chow's from Chinatown? Believe me you won't be disapointed (slippery shrimp and green beans).

Miles said...

No one should ever use "knobs of cow" in a sentence. I'm just sayin.

Pat Saperstein said...

To the person who suggested Yang Chow's -- I don't think I'll be reviewing it -- it's the kind of place you either love or don't love. I'm more interested in discovering the Chinese restaurants of the San Gabriel Valley.
And to Miles -- hey, I liked my "knobs of cow." Maybe as someone relatively new to red meat-eating, I have a different way of seeing things....

Anonymous said...

Heh..."succulent knobs of cow." Awesome.

Collin

Miles said...

I just would suggest to all those restauranteurs out there that "knobs of cow" may not play as well on menus as "succulent morsels of filet mignon." For me, though, if I had a choice between knobs and morsels, I'd probably go for the knobs.

Pablo said...

A good Japanese hakata ramen place in san gabriel is ShinSenGumi @ 8450 Valley blvd
west of walnut grove ave in the city of rosemead. Awesome ramen made to taste, try the dumplings and green tea ice cream. You will not be disappointed.