Granddaughter Lucy McIntosh cooks. Daughter Deanie Burris manages. Grandma Madonna Toia owns Don's Hot Rod Shop next door.
Sometimes a member of the fourth generation, 2-year-old great-granddaughter Marlie McIntosh, hangs out.
It's all family at Hot Rod Cafe, even if you're not actually "family."
On two recent visits, everyone seemed to know each other, giving the diner a "Cheers"-like vibe. You immediately feel at home at the spacious, bright restaurant.
Located near a number of auto body and repair shops, the restaurant attracts real-life mechanics who help rev up the auto and motorcycle theme.
The only ticket this place would get, however, is one for its criminally low prices. Sandwiches and salads top out at $5.99
The vibe
People are also reading…
It's all car parts, all the time at the Hot Rod.
One table is made of a artfully painted car hood and held up by headers. Tables' sugar dispensers are made of pistons. There are wheel-based tables with rims.
Even the restrooms get in on the theme. The fans are exhaust fans with carburetor air cleaners.
"Does this motorcycle make my butt look fast?" was one of the cheeky slogans painted on the women's restroom wall.
The food
We started with a cup of chili ($2.59). It was a hot cup of basic chili, resplendent with tomato sauce, beans, ground beef and a variety of "special seasonings."
McIntosh simmers the chili for a couple of hours, then adds diced tomatoes and piles shredded cheese and onions on top.
We next filled up with the Unleaded ($4.79), a vegetarian sandwich with mashed avocado, mayo, romaine, tomatoes, onion and a choice of one of five cheeses. We opted not to have black olives and asked for it toasted on a wheat hoagie.
The Firebird ($4.89) punched the gas and took our appetites on a full-throttle joy ride. Thick cuts of grilled juicy chicken breast were piled onto a white toasted buttered hoagie and covered in pepper jack cheese, shredded lettuce, onion, diced green chiles and a spicy jalapeño mayo that gave it an extra boost of flavor. The sheer amount of food packed into this sloppy meal made us wish we had packed our Daily Star bibs.
The baked potato salad ($1.69), a unique spin on traditional potato salad and our side dish for the Firebird, was far more manageable and tangy to boot. Each bite came with a little bit of sour cream, bacon, egg, mayo, cheese and potato. Simply seasoned with salt and pepper, it easily was one of the best potato salads we've ever had.
Every sandwich comes with a freshly baked cookie of your choosing.
We're suckers for chocolate chip, which melted in our mouths, but we equally enjoyed the others - oatmeal raisin, sugar, snickerdoodle and peanut butter.
Review
Hot Rod Cafe, 2831 N. Stone Ave. 903-2233
• Hours: 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Mondays-Fridays; 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Saturdays.
• The bill:
Cup of chili: $2.59.
Unleaded sandwich: $4.79.
Firebird sandwich: $4.89.
Baked potato salad: $1.69.
Two sodas: $2.98.
Total before tax and tip: $16.94.
Timeline
• 1946: Leo and Lucy Toia buy what starts as a two-bay gas station.
• 1948 or 1949: The family closes the gas station to open Leo's Auto and Home Supply, which thrives until the early 1990s.
• 1973: The muffler shop is remodeled and opened as the first Don's Hot Rod Shop, which later moves to a larger space added to the south end of the complex. The original space later houses Leo's Game Room, Leo's tackle shop and a mattress manufacturing business.
• 2007: Deanie Burris opens Celebrations Party Spot (www.CelebrationsPartySpot.com), a banquet hall and wedding chapel, in the middle of the complex.
• 2010: Burris wanted a kitchen to make her wedding cakes and decides to also open a restaurant.
• June 7, 2010: Hot Rod Cafe opens. The family-owned complex has more than 25,000 square feet.
Did you know
Leo Toia bought the 25-foot-tall attention-grabbing Paul Bunyan in 1964 for $1,275. Paul was shipped from California on a flatbed trailer.
The ox-less Paul has never been stolen, but his ax has been stolen twice - once in the late '70s and again in late 2009. The last time, Paul's ax was returned about 3 feet shorter. It's being repaired, and Paul is getting ready to be repainted for the second time.
