Background: This column was originally published in the North County News, June 15, 2005.
While employed at KOBI-TV 2004-2007, I was assigned two summers to do the 17-week long "Tank of Gas Getaway" weekly series. Once a week, I would profile a different travel destination within, or close to our viewing area. Travel series are something that I would have never considered to be a legitimate news story when I graduated from the University of Oregon in 1989. But by 2004, I had begun to realize that travel series were informative stories that many people relied on to preview a potential travel destination
I led a sheltered life growing up in Douglas County. No In & Out. No Del Taco. No McDonald's for that matter, until sixth grade.
But I wasn't the only one. Chatting with some Medford high school seniors this past month, I discovered one of their popular pastimes around graduation day: Many teens make the two-hour drive down to Redding, spend the day riding the slides at WaterWorks Park (www.waterworkspark.com), and visit Del Taco or In & Out.
Therefore, it only made sense to me that I profile the popular California restaurants during this year's Redding Tank of Gas Get-away segment, which airs on KOBI-TV this Thursday, June 16th at 6:00 & 11:00p.m.
In order to prepare for the trip, especially considering the sheltered life I had led in Douglas County, I consulted some of my co-workers from southern California. Reporter Collette Wieland provided the best insights about In & Out.
The restaurant menu board simply lists fries, drinks, hamburgers, and their popular "double-double" burgers. But Collette let me in on a secret: the best food to order at In & Out (www.in-n-out.com) is what's NOT listed on the menu. Here are some guidelines for the uneducated fast-food consumers from Oregon.
* PROTEIN-STYLE STYLE BURGERS. Any burger on the In & Out menu can be ordered protein-style. Instead of a bun, the burger is wrapped in a giant lettuce leaf.
* FOUR-BY-FOUR. I initially thought this would be a four-inch by four-inch burger. I was shocked to discover it's four hamburger patties and slices of cheese. (Better order this burger protein-style, so that you can feel good about your "healthy" fast-food choices.
* NEOPOLITAN MILKSHAKES. Vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry all served in one milkshake. Some people say they're good, but I wasn't sure. Of course, I never did like graveyard (Coke, 7-up, orange mixed together) soft drinks either. I don't like fusion beverages. I have a hard-enough time with lemon-flavored Pepsi. Give me one flavor any day.
* ANIMAL-STYLE FRENCH FRIES. A blend of cheese, grilled onions, and thousand island dressing is poured on top of the fries. My photographer, who grew up in southern California and thoroughly enjoys In & Out, asked "what the h*** is that?" when he saw the special fries. As for me, I was disappointed they weren't in the shape of animals.
* ANIMAL-STYLE BURGERS. Burgers can be ordered animal-style. After seeing the animal-style fries, I decided to wait until next year before ordering an animal-style burger.
As for Del Taco (www.deltaco.com), there's not as much mystery with their menu choices. It's the second-largest Mexican restaurant chain in the country that prides itself on the "family menu" concept: There's a burger selection for the children, while the adults can enjoy Mexican food items.
Collette recommends the chicken soft tacos, the macho nachos (without jalapenos), and the dulce de leche milkshakes. In Oregon, Del Taco has already opened restaurants in Albany and Salem. Restaurants in Klamath Falls and Medford are coming soon. [2014 Note: Roseburg now has a Del Taco on Stewart Parkway.]
No word on when or if In & Out is coming to Oregon. In the meantime, Redding remains the closest location. For those who visit WaterWorks Park, but don't want fast food, there's always Jack's Grill (www.jacksgrillredding.com). The restaurant may look like a hole-in-the-wall from the outside, but people wait more than an hour to be seated at the restaurant, world-famous for its tender steaks.
I don't feel too bad for living in Douglas County, sheltered from In & Out and Del Taco. When my father visited relatives in southern California, he'd always bring back something from the sunshine state.
After driving all day from Riverside, he'd stop by the Olive Pit (www.olivepit.com) at Corning, 45 miles south or Redding. Arriving late at night in Oakland, a full day's drive from Riverside, he'd bring in something like a gallon of jumbo olives and a gallon of pickled vegetables.
Come to think of it, I didn't lead that much of a sheltered life after all. I'd much rather have some pickled cauliflower and carrots than a "double-double" any day.
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