Friday, November 5, 2010

greasy spoon


\GREE-see-SPOON\

noun

: a dingy small cheap restaurant

The first GREASY SPOON that comes to mind is an establishment called Aro in the little town of Sundance, Wyoming. Driving west in early October, 2006, my sister and I pulled off the highway to get gas and lunch before proceeding into the mountains.

The road trip log reads as follows:

Upon entering Wyoming, temperature decreases dramatically. We stop in Sundance, WY for gas…total is $20.63. We get cheese on rye sandwiches from Aro restaurant in town. They put mayonnaise on the sandwiches which is gross.

I remember debating eating at a Subway (one of four dining establishments in Sundance; population: 1,339 [July 2009]), but on our trip we made an effort to eat at small, local places. So, we opted for Aro.

The place was dark, even at midday—dark wood, dark carpets, small windows only allowing minimal gray light from the overcast afternoon. A few what I imaging were "regulars" sat at booths along a wood-paneled wall. There was a bar in the back. And a couple pinball machines. Our waitress was young enough to look like she was skipping junior high school. We ordered cokes. Probably. At the time my sister and I were both still vegetarian (she has since wandered back to poultry and such) and there was little for us to eat on the menu. Maybe a side salad. When the waitress returned with our sodas, I asked if we could simply get cheese, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches.

You just want cheese and bread? No meat?

The next day we would see a billboard that reads, "Wyoming is Beef Country."

The Lolita waitress returned and dropped our plates on rectangular, white paper placemats. As mentioned above, the sandwiches arrived doused in mayonnaise. We cringed. I regretted not asking for no mayo. We did our best to scrape the oil/egg whip off the soggy toast and ate the sandwiches innards and dry crusts.

After leaving Aro we shared a Snickers Ice Cream Bar from a gas station in Buffalo, Wyoming. This sort of made up for the sandwich experience.

I regret that I don't have more to say about the restaurant's interior, to defend my classifying it as a GREASY SPOON. I suppose you'll have to go there yourself and report back to me.

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