Sunday Gravy Side Dish with yeah right: Forgotten LA. A retro trip back in time!

Good morning!

I thought we could feature a new mini-series as an appendix to Sunday Gravy. I recently stumbled across a true unicorn. Something I thought was dead and buried a LONG time ago. This series will probably mean more to the folks on the west coast who grew up with this stuff but I think you’ll all find something worthwhile just for the nostalgia factor alone.

Figured we could visit and inform about previous forgotten restaurants that were legitimate big deals in their day and possibly, with some luck, stumble across a few that are still in existence. 

Turns out our first venture is off the 710 freeway north of Long Beach so let’s take a ride.

That’s the Harbor BLVD ramp to the Vincent Thomas bridge here in Pedro. Thought we could take the short cut now because they’re going to close this insanely busy bridge for at least a year to make repairs.

I mean, the surface is getting pretty shitty.

Once you cross the Vincent Thomas towards Long Beach you come to the Long Beach International Gateway Bridge. A fancy ass name for the new gigantic bridge that replaced the old Gerald Desmond bridge back in 2020.

Here she is.

Cross this shit and you are in Downtown Long Beach.

But our ass ain’t going to Long Beach so we jump on the 710 Freeway north.

Past the 405 transition. Hell past the 105 transition up to Florence BLVD. Exit and head east.

We arrive at retro nirvana.

Fuck. Right. Off! Both of these are extremely rare to find and we have them in the same strip mall!

Let me at ’em!

Holy Shit! It’s real! But that’s not first on the agenda. No sir.

Oh boy oh boy. Engaging saliva glands. Follow me.

It’s real. NOT a mirage. Look it’s open and people are inside.

 Pioneer Chicken back in the day was a nose-to- nose rival with Kentucky Fried Chicken. That’s right! We had time to pronounce full syllables and didn’t need to shorten shit to just initials. 

Pioneer had it’s fans and many thought it was superior to it’s hillbilly cousin. 

Truthfully, self included. There was no Popeyes, no Churches, no Bojangles. None of that shit. 

Just the big 2.

I sincerely thought they were long closed but fate was with me today. 

Let’s check this motherfucker out.

All of these choices!

Got to start “classic” right?

That’s how you know this shit is real! Pioneer Chicken is home to the yellow gravy! The other side you see there is Spicy Rice and it is wonderful with big chunks of chicken in it and a really nifty kick of heat at the end.

This wasn’t ALL we ordered. Fuck no, we’re gonna try everything they got!

Chicken strips with barbecue beans (canned by the taste) and the mac salad. Perfect for this who want ZERO crunchy veggie bits in their macaroni salad.

Not done ordering yet. Pioneer has always been known to fry up a pretty killer piece of fish too.

Gonna need some of that shit!

Now we’re talking.

Dive into that shit like it owes you money!

Get in their soldier. You’ve got work to do!

Know what I had to drink? A fountain Dr Pepper. It’s been at least 25 years since I had one of those and it was just fine.

How much did this luxurious repast set us back?

Why that’s not too shabby at all!

Alright, time to head back home. Let’s head back to the car.

I mean, it’s right fucking there right?

Aw fuck it.

Just look!

Ultimately a glazed old fashioned for TAJ.

For me? At the place that invented the apple fritter?

Of course I did.

Winchells used to be a powerhouse in the donut world and literally spanned the globe. 

Now there are only a handful left after Winchells failed to adapt to changing tastes and perceptions and failed to keep up with the Dunkins and their like. A truly fallen idol. 

Turns out there are 2 remaining Pioneer chicken locations in the greater LA area and I can only hope they expand again. Their chicken is juicy, crispy with an almost tempura type batter and it’s always been less salty than its rival. It fully delivers on the nostalgia in a big way. 

This was a great day trip and there are still a couple of more ideas in the works for this short mini series. 

Have you got any forgotten gems in your neck of the woods?

Tell us about them.