Some days when I am completely off my meds, I dream about retiring to a 20×70 double wide, in Baker, California, one of the hottest places on the planet, and home to the world’s tallest thermometer. (Currently on the fritz).
If you are old enough to remember Johnny Carson, he used to regularly make jokes about what used to be the only restaurant here “Bun Boy”, which is now (sadly nostalgic) been converted to a “Big Boy”, guess they saved money on the signage.
Baker is on I-15, 100 miles or so from Las Vegas, a convenient gas and go stop for antsy travelers like me. More than just Bun Boy now, Baker is home to a number of fast food chains, Alien Beef Jerky store, a couple gas station, a couple motels, and a ‘legendary’ restaurant, “The Mad Greek” (now also open in Las Vegas).
Baker is also a convenient gateway to Death Valley, if you are intent on gambling with your life, instead of just your money, in Vegas.
The Mad Greek is the definitive representation of a Greek restaurant in the U.S., blue and white, statuary, but they have some great American diner food as well.
I went with the cheeseburger and fries, the burger comes with lettuce, tomato, and two heaping helpin’s of their special sauce, top and bottom, (why doesn’t anybody have “special sauce’ that is truly special? I was hoping to bite into this sucker and discover some cool, creamy Greek cucumber sauce!)
The place is chock-a-block busy, and be prepared to wait a bit for your food. You can see my lonely burger sitting under the heat lamp, all by its lonesome.
The burger was ok, once I got rid of the sauce and veggies, a food service patty, perhaps 1/3 pound pre cooked weight, with a relatively high fat content for flavor.
The fries were nothing to write home about, yet here I am writing home about them.
The Mad Greek is an oasis, of sorts, but with white plaster statues instead of camels and palm trees. I yearn for the day I can putt putt down there astride my Rascal, from my nearby trailer.