Midpoint Café (in Adrian on Route 66, at the west edge of town) sits, not surprisingly, at the midpoint of Old Route 66 between Chicago and L.A., 1139 miles to each. Adrian is small (pop. 150), and so is the café menu, pretty much just sandwiches and dessert.
There really were customers. Just not in the picture.
The waitress told me the sandwiches are just an excuse to get to their best-known item, which is pie. I was too hungry for just pie, so I had the grilled cheese (American, natch) on wheat, served with potato chips and a pickle ($5.95). It was tasty – not too greasy and grilled just right.
(Is it wrong that I love American cheese? Now a reader will pop up and say that American cheese is in fact made of pig innards and old pizza boxes. And I won’t care, because it’s so gooey good.)
Onto the pie. What makes it special is its “ugly crust.” I had apple ($5, or $6.95 with a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream). The filling was fine, though I like mine more appley and less other-stuff-that-holds-the-apples-together. But man, that ugly crust was ugly-licious. (I know, there’s probably lard in it. Don’t tell me.)
Midpoint Café claims to be the oldest continuously operating eatery on Route 66 between Tucumcari and Amarillo, and I tried to imagine the place in its heyday, before I-40 took over. The day I was there it was just me, a guy from Ireland drinking coffee, and a tourist couple who chatted with the waitress about playing the lottery. The male half of the couple said he’d won $2 last week, and guessed that was all he’d ever win, but he “kept playing anyhow.” The waitress mm-hmmed her agreement.
My belly fully of carbs and dairy, I headed out and spotted this abandoned grain elevator about seven miles east of town:
Beautifully lonely.
Just beyond that was this abandoned restaurant and gas station:
They only serve diet plates.
I took these pictures on Election Day, but it looked like the political messages had been there awhile:
The Obama Deception.Com
Texans are concise.
"... and busted gas pumps."
I continued on Route 66 toward Amarillo, and a woman in the oncoming lane with Texas plates waved at me as she passed, just like in Taos. A few miles later I waited at a stop sign and saw a Middle Eastern family having lunch from their big Coleman cooler, sitting on the dry grass of a gully next to a gas station. It made me a little sad they were sitting in the gully and not at a proper table, but they seemed to be having a good time. The mother spooned something delicious-looking onto paper plates for the two young boys and her husband. It looked like lentils. My stomach gurgled in response.
So, did you get the huge scoop with the pie? No point in holding back now….
Never have liked Am. cheese. You may have my share.
Why do they call it “ugly” crust? Because my pie crusts are always ugly. It’s because my mama taught me that when you make a crust, you want to “work it” as little as possible so it will be tender and flaky instead of tough. Consequently, it pretty much falls apart as I’m lifting it into the pie plate. So they are always ugly, but great consistency. And for the record, I use shortening, not lard. It’s the Betty Crocker recipe.
Is anyone else upset that we can’t see the picture of the grilled cheese sandwich plate?
ck-i’m with you!
deonne-your fans want to see the food thread throughout your trip!
nice entry. yes, i third that a pic of the sandwich plate would have been nice. d, have you seen the pixar film ‘cars’? in part about the fate of the many small towns along rt 66 after being bypassed by the interstate. recommended back story research. (netflix instant view on the computer would work for you, eh?)
Max – ‘Fraid not. Even I have limits.
Deborah – That’s what the ugly was supposed to be – not pretty, but delicious – but mine looked pretty nice, so someone’s falling down on the job in the kitchen.
ck/kb/wse – You initial people stick together! I didn’t think anyone would want photos of the food, but I’ve been educated. There might be a couple more food posts without photos, and I apologize in advance for my ignorance. But from here on out, you’ll get the visual as well as the description. Promise.
Did you have a black spray paint can with you? You bad girl you, your getting a spanking for that. I think I’m with everyone else on this one, we want to see pictures of the food. I guess it might feek kinda creepy snaping a pic in a middle america diner, but it is middle America, and I’m sure nuthin unsettles them. I remember taking pictures aboard the Queen Mary 2, and an old man came up to me and began a conversation about how many Ocean Liners he had been on. By the time he was done talkin, I think I threw him overboard, just to give him one more story to tell. Of Course, Someone posted an MOB on their GPS and we began to tack back for the poor guy. Those boats, oops they don’t like when you an ocean liner a boat, its an ocean liner, not a boat or a ship, well whatever they are, they take a long time to turn around.
As you were saying, there probably was some very expensive RV’s at these stops, when they get way up in price are they still called RV’s. Have you met anyone in a real luxury liner size trailer? OOOOh I think adventure awaits.
Rob – And you’re calling me bad! Remind me never to tell you a boring story.
I haven’t yet met anyone who would let me inside their Queen Mary, but I’m hopeful. (I could fit half a dozen Sadies in those.)
I can’t wait to see this turn into another mother-trucking food blog? Sheesh …. as if the carbs served in all those truck stops isn’t enough the harden your heart.
What else do you suppose they would say about Obama in Texas? I did hear Rick Perry talking on NPR the other day about his best Muslim friends. Who knows where he was going with that? Then again when you spend your life on the road there’s a lot you can learn from and all those radical talk shows.
Don’t ya just luv it?
Scooter – I wasn’t surprised by the graffiti, but I liked the commentary in combo with the visual of the abandoned buildings. Improving on the “a picture is worth…” etc.
Don’t feel bad for the Middle Eastern family. It is very common in many ME countries (especially Iran) to pull over on the side of the road, spread out a blanket, and light up the tea kettle. If there had been a proper table there, chances are they would have felt more at home on the grass!
Suzanne – Thanks for saying so, because it really did make my heart hurt a little. My American bias!
i was on that road with my parents. somewhere before amarillo we came upon a desert tortoise migration. for a couple miles there were thousands of tortoises crawling across the highway. well, attempting to cross. surprisingly, some made it. we stopped and picked up a couple before they took their chances. later in the trip, while visiting my dad’s navy buddy in des moines my dad stepped on one of them. the other survived the trip and spent many years in our back yard in tempe, az.
oops. this is a blog about deonne’s trip.
nevermind!
Mr. Chevere – I love it when readers share their own stories! Thank God this one has a happy ending, to make up for the heartbreaking tortoise destruction.
i want to live in a silo
Mr. Chevere – I’m guessing you could buy this one for cheap.