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DUDE'S DRIVE-IN
Aug. 20th, 2009 05:08 pmDespite her reputation as a bon vivant and gourmand, Mlle. de Joie truly loves her a good drive-in. Nowadays what we have on the American scene are not so much drive-ins, but re-creations of drive-ins. You've seen them: big marquees with "DADDY-O'S HOPPIN' '50'S SPOT" next to the ripped-off ghastly rendition of the LP cover to the "American Graffiti" soundtrack. You're paying dearly for all that ersatz nostalgia.
Still, a few old-timers remain around Shasta County, spread far apart, but Mlle. de Joie has made the pilgrimage to them to see what keeps people coming back for more. Dude's Drive-in has been open for at least thirty years - as M. de Joie has said before, she is not an easy rider in Enterprise so her trips out there in her youth were limited. She does recall it being open in the 1970's and it may predate that.
It still has the yellowish lights over the carport, though carhop service is not available (if it ever was offered there). The windows are decorated with paintings of the Tasmanian Devil, Wile E. Coyote, and Road Runner, for no apparent reason. The interior is sparsely furnished with a few formica-topped tables and curved-steelbacked chairs that would look more at home in an ice cream parlor, assorted 50's-car-related posters, and a couple of video games.
.
The menu is about what you'd expect. Go inside to order.
.
A Big Dude (which, according to the sign, has "Two Large Meats," a description that causes all kinds of unsavory thoughts), Gems, a root beer, total = $9.83.
Mlle. de Joie took her lunch outside to eat on one of the very ancient picnic tables; while she is not a delicate flower prone to fainting, she was somewhat appalled at the griminess of the tables. However, the tables were positively sparkling compared to the lid of the garbage can where you are asked to courteously deposit your trash - that was when she discovered the dispenser of Handi-Wipes in the glove box had dried up. Yes, it's a garbage can, but the point is to put the garbage directly in the can, not rub the lid with it first.
The food: Well, they're Gems (AKA Tater Tots, AKA a thousand other names). They come frozen, made at some factory in the Midwest - you deep-fry them to order. They're hard to screw up. The Big Dude was... bland. It was, as promised, Two Large Meats (somehow, a product with that name ought to deliver a bit more), cheese, lettuce, tomato, onions, sauce. The burgers themselves didn't have any indication they're been grilled - presumably they'be been cooked from a frozen stage, when too much water in the meat will cause them to steam on a grill, rather than develop a brown, crusty exterior that gives flavor and texture. The bun was likewise bland.
Mlle. de Joie has visited Dude's twice and while it isn't bad, there is nothing special about it that would induce her to drive out Hartnell again just for the culinary delights. She assumes it has stayed in business this long because it's a convenient place to grab lunch or a burger on the way home from work without entering the Cypress/Hilltop Labyrinth of Crazed Drivers. There are probably people who swear that Dude's has the best ------ in town... Mlle. de Joie, doesn't think so, but would like to hear from anyone who does.
- Femme de Joie
Dude's Drive-In, 1644 Hartnell Avenue, Redding. 530-222-3775. Cash and credit cards. Drive-through. Open daily.
Still, a few old-timers remain around Shasta County, spread far apart, but Mlle. de Joie has made the pilgrimage to them to see what keeps people coming back for more. Dude's Drive-in has been open for at least thirty years - as M. de Joie has said before, she is not an easy rider in Enterprise so her trips out there in her youth were limited. She does recall it being open in the 1970's and it may predate that.
It still has the yellowish lights over the carport, though carhop service is not available (if it ever was offered there). The windows are decorated with paintings of the Tasmanian Devil, Wile E. Coyote, and Road Runner, for no apparent reason. The interior is sparsely furnished with a few formica-topped tables and curved-steelbacked chairs that would look more at home in an ice cream parlor, assorted 50's-car-related posters, and a couple of video games.
.
The menu is about what you'd expect. Go inside to order.
.
A Big Dude (which, according to the sign, has "Two Large Meats," a description that causes all kinds of unsavory thoughts), Gems, a root beer, total = $9.83.
Mlle. de Joie took her lunch outside to eat on one of the very ancient picnic tables; while she is not a delicate flower prone to fainting, she was somewhat appalled at the griminess of the tables. However, the tables were positively sparkling compared to the lid of the garbage can where you are asked to courteously deposit your trash - that was when she discovered the dispenser of Handi-Wipes in the glove box had dried up. Yes, it's a garbage can, but the point is to put the garbage directly in the can, not rub the lid with it first.
The food: Well, they're Gems (AKA Tater Tots, AKA a thousand other names). They come frozen, made at some factory in the Midwest - you deep-fry them to order. They're hard to screw up. The Big Dude was... bland. It was, as promised, Two Large Meats (somehow, a product with that name ought to deliver a bit more), cheese, lettuce, tomato, onions, sauce. The burgers themselves didn't have any indication they're been grilled - presumably they'be been cooked from a frozen stage, when too much water in the meat will cause them to steam on a grill, rather than develop a brown, crusty exterior that gives flavor and texture. The bun was likewise bland.
Mlle. de Joie has visited Dude's twice and while it isn't bad, there is nothing special about it that would induce her to drive out Hartnell again just for the culinary delights. She assumes it has stayed in business this long because it's a convenient place to grab lunch or a burger on the way home from work without entering the Cypress/Hilltop Labyrinth of Crazed Drivers. There are probably people who swear that Dude's has the best ------ in town... Mlle. de Joie, doesn't think so, but would like to hear from anyone who does.
- Femme de Joie
Dude's Drive-In, 1644 Hartnell Avenue, Redding. 530-222-3775. Cash and credit cards. Drive-through. Open daily.
