Road Trip-Las Vegas (Mad Greek)

mmm-yoso is again on a short road trip.  Cathy was on one also and here is what she ate on her way home.

Hello again.  If you've driven to Las Vegas, you've seen the signage on the I-15:  (Notice there is no "The" in the name of the place...there is a restaurant in Stanton, CA called "The mad Greek".  They are not affiliated)

Hmm,  recalling what I have said..."don't be afraid to stop someplace that has been there forever"..."there's a reason"...

OK...kinda old looking signs on old semi-trucks...

oooh, and the kitschy-est looking place...kind of, um, ever...

Well, there is truck parking, and there were trucks.  Therefore following the logic of eating where the Mailman eats and stretching that logic to eating where Truckers eat...combined with definite recommendations from Mr. G, a good friend who always stops here, along with illtaketwoplease, well..we had to stop.

Mad Greek is in Baker, on Interstate 15, home of the World's Tallest Thermometer, about 75 minutes from Las Vegas and seems to have been there forever...in the middle of the desert... It isn't just a restaurant that has Greek food, its decorated like its in Greece Greek restaurant, in a kind of tacky neighborhood (way too many silk flowers and reproduction statues) and they also have burgers and Mexican food, and shakes.  The decor is, well, Greek.  There is a sign, near the coffee machine offering "Tourist Help" in various languages: American, English (accent), Greek (ancient and modern), Arabic, Hebrew (weekends only), Chinese, Japanese, Hindu, Korean (by phone), French, Italian, Spanish, Mexican, Turkish and Russian.

You walk in, order, pay, and food is brought to your table, or, if you get a shake, your number is called when it is done and you pick it up at the shake counter.

   The shakes ($4.25 each)...Mine was strawberry and Ms. T's was a date shake.  She said the taste of Hers reminded her of her childhood date shakes, she was quite happy with it.  My strawberry shake tasted like it was made with fresh strawberries and even had seeds and was not too sweet.  The umbrella decorations were a nice touch.  We were getting breakfast, and had ordered coffee also.  It's Seattle's Best, which is a company owned by Starbucks, and its *good* coffee.  We tried the ever popular gyros sandwich and a gyros omelet.  Each platter was about $8 and was made fresh, with tomatoes, onions, lettuce in the gyros sandwich (Tzatziki, with dill, on the side).  The omelet was made with 3 eggs, had a *lot* of gyros, sauteed tomatoes, onions and mushrooms as well as feta inside, and feta on the top, as you can see..and served with a slab o' hash browns, which were OK, but did not send me.  Here is a cross section view of the inside of the omelet:

As we were leaving, I saw these two stands near the door, with coupons.   We could have stopped here on our way to Vegas, and got some even better deals, maybe...Next year when I am driving here with The Mister, we will stop here first.

Mad Greek, Baker California (760) 733-4354

The Alien Fresh Jerky store was closed, or I would have stopped there you know.   The outside signs said they sold beef, turkey, clam and alligator jerky...and had samples available...oh yes, next time, definitely.

Comments

[Jim]

I love the Mad Greek. I was leaving Vegas, and thinking about what I wanted to eat. And driving down I-15, there were billboards for the Mad Greek every 5 miles or so. When I got there, I had the schwarma, fries and the biggest drink they had (um, dehydration, yeah, that's it).

[wandering chopsticks]

Clam jerky?

[cathy]

Hi Jim- They have fresh lemonade as well as fresh orange juice and some kind of Greek cherry juice you know...and I can understand dehydration, bein out in the middle of a desert....:}
WC-thanks for being observant...that is what the sign on the building listed...I think I've had clam jerky before, but inadvertently....

[RONW]

"....that is what [clam jerky] the sign on the building listed."

what are you people talking about?

[cathy]

Ron- the top sign...and last paragraph of the post..."Alien Fresh Jerky"...its a small store in Baker, but was still closed when I was there. I should've taken a photo of the building...sorry. They have a website, but it says it will be closed until March(www.alienjerky.com). If you google it, there are some comments about it being a total tourist trap....which is why I *must* stop there next time. :)

[dietchilicheesefries]

cathy!

i love the mad greek!!

but been kinda disloyal lately stopping by Tommy's in Barstow the past few times... but the Mad Greek is way better than Bun Boy for sure...

one of those weird road must stops which include Hadley's Date Shakes near Cabazon....

maybe a road warrior post on all the freeway musts... hmmm...

[mizducky]

Mmmm ... clam jerky ... *snerk*

(Somewhat) more seriously, that Greek place looks like a most excellent road food joint. I've never done the drive to Vegas, but if I ever do I'll make sure to check this place out. Thanks for the tip!

[Christian]

I've been to the Mad Greek in Stanton quite a number of times.

[cathy]

DCCF- Yes, we have had that idea; it was sidelined when I broke my wrist and had too many appointments to make the original post possible..but it will happen. Date shakes are the best; never had one that tasted artificial. Oh, and Bun Boy turned into a Big Boy...there were a *lot* of "new" Big Boy's along I-15 this time.
Hi MizDucky-I am mildly curious about the clam and alligator jerky(s)...and of course, you have to stop in Baker now.
Christian!...its a chain???!?!?!!Gotta check. Hmmm ...www.themadgreekrestaurant.com has a photo of the Stanton location you talk abut. It looks similar, but then has meals on plates..and takes reservations...and has a liqor license....and does not mention the Baker location....but now I know where I am going to stop, and compare, when I am in Stanton. Thanks for mentioning.

[wandering chopsticks]

Hey Cathy,

If you go to the Mad Greek in Stanton, it's literally right next to my favorite Korean bbq. I did a review if you want the details.

And I had crocodile jerky in Australia. Tastes like chicken. Kangaroo jerky is good too. I'm just puzzled about how you can possibly get clam to "jerky."

[cathy]

Hi WC- Well, I called and "The" Mad Greek in Stanton is not affiliated with "Mad Greek" in Baker...I suppose that attention to detail stuff slipped by me. Since all Greek places use that color scheme related to their flag, it does look similar...
Anyhow, I *think* I've had clam jerky, used in some *really bad* clam chowders ever so often...

[Daniel]

I've gone to Mad Greek numerous times on the drive up to Vegas. However, this most recent time I saw right on their front door a B RATING! Gahh, given all the places I've seen with an "A" rating, I just can't eat anywhere with a "B" health safety rating. Hopefully they'll get their act together and pull it back up.

[Cathy]

Hi Daniel- I think when you have a "B" rating, you have to pull it up or get closed down. This is a favorite stop for me and I am sure thousands of others. I do look for ratings before walking in...always. If Mad Greek got closed down in the summer, it would be sad for all of us. I will be driving to Vegas again and will be sure to blog it. Thanks for commenting and welcome!

[Fred]

Just got back from the Mad Greek in Baker, CA. It seems to be one of the highlights of traveling to Southern California for those living in Las Vegas.
They STILL have the "B" Rating on the front door.
Did anyone notice that sign out on I-15 stating that they are opening a new location in Las Vegas. I never say the sign, but friends did.
I asked the cashier about it and she stated that they are opening up on The Strip. (No details beyond that.) Supposedly it will be in approx. mid or late summer of 2008.