Hey, a man’s got errands to run. A car to get washed and waxed. A trunk to fill with the latest veggies from the farmers market at Marina Farms, and some new culinary doo-dads from Surfas. Can’t bring the kitchen with me. Let alone my grill. Enter the Handy J Car Wash and Outdoor Grill. Probably the best idea of any family run business in Los Angeles.
Here’s how it works – you get one of their hand washes. In my case, I get a wax too. Then you can sit on the bench and wait. And wait. And wait. Literally 50 yards across the parking lot is the other component of their establishment: the Outdoor Grill. It’s outdoor for a reason; the smell literally bathes you while you watch your car get washed. Now you can sit there and dink around on your phone pretending that a salad would be so much tastier, or you could do like I do and barrel across the lot, dodging cars and hoses to burst in the door like a crazed Mongolian warrior and demand “MEEEAT”!
They are more than happy to hook you up. My favorite is the tri-tip with their amazing sauce. Now, when I eat in a restaurant I like, I usually try to dissect the flavors and ingredients so I can try to replicate them later in the Gentleman’s Kitchen, but this stuff must intimidate me. I’m inhaling it so fast I can barely make out a spice or brown sugar here or there. By the time I regain my composure and think about taking notes for future experiments, the plate is a barren wasteland and my car attendant is whistling and flagging me over with his buffing rag. I know this blog is all about cooking in the kitchen or on a grill, but sometimes you need to know what you’re aspiring for. The Outdoor Grill is just that kind of place. A perfect weekend getaway.