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When you're entertaining friends from out of the area, and you're in the vicinity of Newberry Springs, isn't a visit to the "World Famous" Bagdad Cafe a "must-do" stop on your travel itinerary? If you've ever seen the funky movie, Bagdad Cafe, and if you're visiting Newberry Springs, a visit to the Bagdad Cafe is a must.
Left: Bagdad Cafe, on National Trails Highway, a.k.a., Route 66. Right: Looking inside Bagdad Cafe, as Edna gets up from the table and takes a look around the cafe. Our friends Jerry and Edna were on their way home to Texas, after a three-week visit to northern California to visit friends and family. Jerry is a "roadie" at heart and a great fan of Route 66, and had seen the quirky movie Bagdad Cafe, and when I suggested to him that we might want to visit the place, and enjoy a lunch at the restaurant, he jumped at the chance. Since we were spending a "mini-vacation" with them in Laughlin, Nevada, as they were traveling home to Texas, lunch at Bagdad Cafe seemed the right thing to do. I won't go into many details about Bagdad Cafe, as they have been covered in my previous article from 2005 about a wonderful lunch that my bother Paul and I enjoyed at the cafe, back in 2005. Neither Jerry nor Edna had ever been in the place prior to our visit, so when they entered the restaurant, they immediately commented that it looked like a 1950's roadhouse.
Left: The dining room of the "World Famous Bagdad Cafe," and it is, indeed, world famous. Right: Andre takes our order, and does an excellent job as chef, waitress and "chief cook and bottle washer." Oops... my '70's slang is getting the best of me... Like Jerry and I do every time we visit a restaurant together, we always attempt to talk to the proprietor, take a lot of photos, and above all, try to get into the kitchen. Jerry was in his natural element as he chatted with Andre, a.k.a., the very friendly "Boss Lady," who on this cold January day of Thursday, January 11, 2007, was "manning" ... personing?... the entire restaurant by herself, sans the help of her helpful husband Tanen. Since she is a co-owner of the business, and doesn't have to deal with all of the middlemen, and other corporate clowns, she was glad to allow Jerry and I into the kitchen of the "World Famous Bagdad Cafe," to show us what really happens in there.
Left: Andre lets me into the kitchen and I see the range, where most of the food is cooked. Right: As Andre slices vegetables for the meal, she answers the numerous questions that Jerry and throw at her about Bagdad Cafe, and life at Newberry Springs. Photo taken by Jerry Flinn. What is the kitchen like in the Bagdad Cafe? Plain. Functional. Clean... spotlessly clean, as Andre was proud to tell us how many hour she spends cleaning the restaurant, and the kitchen, and when you take a tour of the kitchen of the Bagdad Cafe, you can see that she's just not all talk, as the place is clean! Another phrase that come to my mind is low-tech, as a tour of Bagdad Cafe's kitchen is a step back to the 1950's. If you want a peek into a very functional, low-tech kitchen, without all of the modern, computerized equipment that has invaded the kitchens of the United States, be nice to Andre, talk to her, and maybe she'll give you a tour of her kitchen. After Jerry and I had thoroughly toured the kitchen, we returned to our seats to enjoy the wonderful lunch that awaited us.
Photo: Friendly Andre is cooking at the range and griddle, in the kitchen of the Bagdad Cafe. We were treated to a rare kitchen visit, and we got to see what really happens "behind the scenes" at the Bagdad Cafe. Jerry Flinn took this great photo. As our meal was being prepared, a tour bus stopped by, and the restaurant was immediately inundated by a flood of European tourists, speaking French and German. Jerry and I attempted to speak to them in Spanish, but there were no takers, perhaps due to the fact that Jerry and I speak Mexican Spanish, and to that end, many Europeans don't care to apply. Like most of the tour bus crowd who adhere to a tight schedule, the crowd was in and out, in the space of around 20 minutes, which allowed us to marvel at the whole atmosphere, and to realize what a movie, and a DVD has done to direct tourism to an ordinary, obscure, out-of-the-way desert roadhouse cafe. Wow!
Left: Andre is truly adept at multi-tasking, as she cooks a fine meal as well as chatting with Jerry and I. Right: Oh yes, Andre serves my Ortega burger, as well as a salad for Edna, as Sharlene and Edna look on... Andre is a person who you want to engage in a conversation, especially if you're interest in local history, trivia from the movie, Bagdad Cafe, or for that matter, any subject. She's an excellent cook, a gracious hostess, a friendly person, and someone who you can feel comfortable with. When you walk into the Bagdad Cafe, she'll greet you with a friendly hello and a smile, and make you feel like you're at home. Dine at the Bagdad Cafe, and you'll enjoy the cuisine of the Mojave Desert, and you'll get a chance to meet many of the friendly locals.
Left: Andre serves Edna her meal of fried chicken. Right: My Ortega burger is ready to eat, and it smells delicious. If you're eating at Bagdad Cafe, you know all of the food is delicious!
Left: Jerry snaps a photo of Sharlene and I, as we're ready to devour our delicious lunch. Right: Andre is good at photography, as she perfectly snaps our photo, taken behind the counter at Bagdad Cafe. Sharlene ordered a clubhouse sandwich, Edna ordered a fried chicken lunch, and Jerry and I each ordered small, Ortega burgers. We enjoyed a wonderful lunch in the desert, and enjoyed very friendly conversation with the friendly co-owner and hard worker, Andre. Bagdad Cafe: Pig-out, enjoy the local cuisine, chat with Andre, and have a wonderful time. Highly recommended! Bagdad
Cafe
Copyright(D) 2007 Eric's Enterprises, Etc. All rights reserved. This site has been on the web since December 22, 2002. Web page design has been created by Eric's Enterprises, Etc., website design, and more...
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