Strip Mall - "A long, usually one-story building or group of buildings housing several adjacent retail stores or service establishments." - Merriam-Webster
In a recent episode of Samantha Brown's Places to Love, Samantha said, "Whenever I travel in the United States, I always seek out and want to eat at a strip mall restaurant. I love them. Even though the strip mall themselves, the appearance of, leave a lot to be desired, the restaurants that are usually in them are exceptional. They are unique. They are family-owned, and they make the best home cooking."
I questioned that idea at first, but then I quickly realized that Samatha is right. Some of our favorite places to eat are in strip malls. I just hadn't thought of it that way.
Both the Wisco Grub and Pub and Louie's Wine Dive are located next to a grocery store.
Tasty Tacos and Flame the Taqueria are both next to a chiropractic office.
The La Mie Bakery is next to a tattoo parlor.
Daphne remined me that Tsing Tsao West, Palmer's and Hurts Donut Co. are also in strip malls.
These businesses take a lot pride in the food they serve. I overheard an owner at Wisco proudly tell a new customer, "We put a lot of love into our food."
The service can also be more personal. When Tally's was open (sandwiched between a Beaverdale music store and a yoga studio), a year-and-a-half-old Charlotte got really fussy, and a waitress went out to her car to get a few of her son's toys for Char to play with. That's not going to happen at an Applebee's.
Daphne and I hope to do some traveling in 2022. I'll still research the "Best Of" lists for the cities we visit, but I'll be checking out their strip malls, too.
