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Show L95T Maliv Ave7 Durango : lot like the town it takes its name from: a little greasy, a little high brow, very eclectic and hard to define. On our dining ex(cricnce, an wearing a few seats down cowboy hat was sitting a with a Hula cap and fleece jacket. from a It's the breakfast institution in Durango, attracting ranchers and college kids alike. The menu is fairly standard greasy spoon with a Southwestern flair. 1'he Diner heavily pushes its green chili (now available on the Web, a sign informed us), which conies on just about everything. To get the lust Diner experience, sit at the counter, directly across from the grill. There you can actually feel the food you're about to cat: the freshly grated hash browns thrown atop great scoops of butter on the hot grill sends large wafts of greasy smoke directly into your face, causing a fine film to collect on the skin. s, The menu extensively features eggs, potatoes, burgers and sandwiches. I had the breakfast burrito: eggs, beans, cheese and other assorted ingredients wrapped in a tortilla and swimming in chili. It was good and I was awarded the gold star for finishing The Durango Diner is a old-tim- er 10-gall- 30-year-- hot-cake- it all. One of my companions had the burger, which c upon first appearance looked like a hockey puck smallish and black. However, my companions from Texas and therefore a beef connoisseur. He said it tasted just fine. It came with lettuce, tomato, onions and pickles, but - strangely enough was chili-freThe fries looked promising, but proved to be a little limp. The wild turkey came open-face- d bread on soft Wonder-typ- e with mashed potatoes and the standard chili treatment. The chili it gave the sandwich just the pick-u- p needed without sending it into overdrive. However, it is advised anyone eating this much chili in one sitting should not plan any close talking or interaction with others before a heavy dose of Binaca. of Durango The Diners decor is a mish-mas- h mountain bike memorabilia, Western standards, and New York Knicks and Yankees posters. Disturbingly, there are also several pictures of Sen. Ben Nighthorsc Campbell staring down at the tables, one with him wearing full Indian war bonnet sitting atop a horse. e. Blue plate special: Pork chops 'n eggs Decor: Mountain bikes and Ben Tabletopopics: Getting drunk Parking Lot Pick-u- p Count: NA m r neeTsn'A bis place appeals to the masses. Anyone looking for a trip back to the 1950s is sure to love the traditional swivel-seice stools at the counter, home-mad- e e cream and walls that are packed with photographs and posters of Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley and other 1950s I at dog-gon- dreamboats. for those who prefer the less simple times of the 1980s, at least two of the waitresses during our visit had feathered bangs that would fit effortlessly into any Molly Ringwald movie. And for those looking for the memories of the 1950s without the grease, at least half the menu items are salads and other items. like And the Hollywood legends that adorn the walls, the food here has staying power. I ate a chicken smothered burrito at 1 p.m. and still wasn't hungry by 1 1 p.m. for as much as a rice cake. The burrito included plenty of green chili sauce with about as much bite as a toothless lassie. But, there was a generous amount of grilled chicken breast inside, and delicious, whole beans on the side. The complementary chips were great, but the salsa was about as fiery (iidget on a motor scooter. My dining partner had a bacon cheeseburgi that he said was heart-friend- ly he polished off the last French fry, he had no room for the homemade root beer float. His only memory of the meal is that it stayed with me all day, a selling point for anyone looking to cut down on his or her grocery bill. The menu was varied, including chef salads, at least a half-dozburgers, Mexican dishes and plenty of fried appetizers. The menu included a page of desserts, including classic shakes and floats. en The appetizer choices were slightly puzzling when I read, Ask for our special fry sauce at the bottom. Isnt that called ketchup? We decided to we werent feeling that adventurous and ordered the chili cheese fries sans special sauce. But in the end, it didnt matter. Hie waitress forgot to bring them. After my meal began its two-da- y digestive I the with bathroom the journey, passed by Elvis on the door and into the one with Marilyn. When I returned, I was startled by the Big Kahuna surfboard and 4 -- foot Styrofoam hamburger hanging by from the ceiling. But I began to feel at ease, taken back to a simpler time, when the waitress passed by and said, xcusc me, sweetie. Blue Plate Special: Roast beef sandwich Decor: Donna ed on speed life-siz- ed ot dcce High school light beg keggers Pickup n i n but by ruck' count: the time 12 Cross Currents NA - March 17, 2000 Theres the Colorado of travel brochures. Then theres the real thing stuff you can only see by visiting a locals hangout. M&M - Truck Stop is one of those hangouts. M&M caters to locals, truckers and the occasional tourist. member of the American Chances are if you arent a Cattlemens Association or didnt pull up in a vehicle with more than 16 wheels, youll be cast into the former group of just visiting and watched carefully if not curiously. And if youve come looking for atmosphere, you may want to go elsewhere. No one has knocked themselves out with decor, which consists of pink plastic tables, orange partitions and Navajo or even the style blankets. But M&M is not about atmosphere food for that matter. Its about the West or at least what it was descended upon it in droves. And hey, before all these looky-loo- s retro-dinleast theme making a weak attempt to theres no at recapture a time 40 years past. The M&M keeps things simple and clean, always a bonus in the world of greasy spoons. The menu, printed on newsprint, claims that M&M is where you will have your best meal in Colorado. A highly debatable claim, but hey, they win points for confidence. The food is what youd expea from a truck stop and what M&M prides itself on: quick and L The huevos rancheros didnt bring on the decadent guilt that huevos, but it was ample, usually accompanies any with the eggs cooked perfectly and a layer of cheese thicker than the mud on my fellow diners Ropers. However, if youre looking for melted cheese, I recommend bringing a hairdryer what do you think this is, a fondue parlor? Although the M&M borders some of the hotter climes of the Four Corners, die chili was quite mild. It didnt send me reaching for my g water after every bite a good measure in these in And drought-pron- e the midst of cattle counregions. despite being biscuits and gravy, though tasty, didnt have sausage. Whats try, the die point? I guess if you want meat, you have to come back for the evening chicken Thursday, meadoaf specials featuring golden deep-frie- d ribs Saturday. Friday or Blue Plate Special: Delicious Ribs All You Can Utensils Forbidden EatEating Decor: Mommas dont let your babies grow up to be cowboys Tabletop-topics- : Conspiracy theories on water shortages p lot pick-ucount: 9 Parking card-carryi- ng - - er low-fril- self-respecting - - water-conservin- - |