A tweet was the genesis of this morning’s pre-work foray to the Pearl, transporting me back in time to what I would imagine was a Route 66 diner. Earlier, I had composed a simple tweet: “Where should my next
hashcapade be?” and immediately got a reply from @cocktail_diva: “
Byways Cafe!” With expert advice recommending their Mt. Rushmore Hash, I walked through the door just after it opened and took in the wall of plates – stylized plates from all over the US
and license plates. On the east wall, windowed cabinetry contained curated memorabilia from the 50s and 60s, maybe even earlier, and suitcases topped the shelves behind the counter! I plopped down in a red and silver upholstered booth, beneath the
Wyoming plate and felt right at home.
 |
| Byways Cafe is on NW Glisan & NW 12th in the Pearl |
 |
| A dizzying array of plates from all over the US |
Observant readers will note that I’m a fan of music. Oldies were playing over the speakers – big band music, Motown and one of my favorite Beatles tunes – I’ll Follow the Sun. From my comfy chair (no one expects the Spanish Inquisition), I noted the green Hamilton-Beach milk-shake maker, an old Lucy & Desi poster and hand-written cards to mark the fresh pies and cakes that certainly must have tasted like heaven! The waitress was friendly as she took my order, disappeared, and returned impossibly fast with my coffee. An instant grin spread across my face when I read the cup…at least she was warning me!
 |
| My morning caffeination vessel |
 |
| Wall*E’s predecessor kept me company |
I’m delighted to say that I was joined by Wall-E’s masked predecessor, a ViewMaster Stero Camera that watched my every move. If it had a neck on which to swivel, it would have spun wildly out of control when the Mt. Rushmore Corned Beef Hash arrived! I’m not exaggerating when I say the peak was as tall as my coffee mug. I stammered, “Oh, my god! This is HUGE!” She giggled and offered, “I’ll grab you a To-Go box.”
 |
| Mt. Rushmore Hash – Corned Beef Mountain Ranges with Cheese |
Mt. Rushmore is described as follows, “Home fried potatoes, hand-cut corned beef, onions and chunky bell peppers topped with cheddar cheese and one egg your way.” What the menu didn’t say was that you had better bring a posse, some ex-Presidents, or
Adam Richman to tackle these mountain ranges of cheese & corned beef excess! Looking into the glass cases for inspiration, my eye caught a pamphlet for Yellowstone, another national treasure, which gave me the fortitude to do Wyoming proud and tackle my corned beef hash. Sadly, the hash won as I waved my white flag, packed the rest to-go, and called it a day…except I still had to go to work!
So, where should my next hashcapade lead me?
Happy Hashcapades,
Clark
Had I known you were going to be there this morning, I would have joined you, Clark. I had a 10:00 a.m. meeting at the office which is right around the corner!
I was trying to recruit Cory, thinking he'd be getting off work shortly…I was there at 7AM :-)Next time, I'll throw it out there…perhaps we'll have a bigger tweet-up/hashcapade!