Steak 'n' Shake Stop #17 Interlude #2: Washington & High School (#233)

Friday night was supposed to be the ill-conceived yet totally-awesome Drunk 38th Street Steak 'n' Shake run.

You see, 38th Street is probably the sketchiest place we can think of. It used to be the go-to Steak 'n' Shake when I was an undergrad, up until we went one time and had our car parked in for a while because some sort of drug bust was going on out there.

At least, this is what we surmised, based on the fact that we were on 38th Street, there was more than one car with flashing lights, and it took forever for them to leave.

That's the kind of place this Steak 'n' Shake is.

Which is why it's really totally logical to go there at least a little tipsy. Hey, if you're not 100 percent sober, you can't really be that scared, right?

Fear not, my friends, we had a DD. This plan was well-thought-out. Brett and/or Fiance would both be sober to drive, and so Steak 'n' Shake Stop #17 would be the Drunk 38th Street Run.


So ... wait ... then why did the sign say "FAIL!"? And why does it also say "Washington & High School?"

The short answer, my friends, is that Brett is a wussy.

Thank you, Stacy-Keach-as-Ken-Titus, for helping me explain it.

And Brett, this response


does not change the fact that you are a

I know. Calling Brett a wussy doesn't exactly explain why, when the plan has been set to go to a certain Steak 'n' Shake slightly inebriated, we ended up not just at another Steak 'n' Shake, but at one that has already been hit on this quest.

But I'll get there.

Since Friday was my last day of class, it was a perfectly appropriate time to drink. So that is where the adventure starts.


Molly still has exams, meaning this wasn't so much a celebratory drink for her as a respite from studying.

We were enjoying our adult beverages, watching "Glee," and chatting about all things in life. Once it got to about time for us to head to Steak 'n' Shake, we wondered where Fiance was, as he was our ride. Before I had a chance to call him and find out, though, Brett called us to ask where we were (he was already at the 38th Street Steak 'n' Shake) and ask if we could go somewhere else because, and I quote, "There are some really scary people here."

At least, I'm pretty sure that's what Brett said, verbatim. But I was drinking at the time and more concerned with enjoying drinking with Molly for the first time than I was with remembering what exact phrasing Brett was using as he conveyed the message that -- and I'm paraphrasing here -- he is, indeed, a wussy.

After some phone tag between me and Fiance, me and Brett, me and Mizener, Molly and Brett, Fiance and Brett, and Brett and his soul (ha ha! that last one is a joke because one of those two just doesn't exist), we settled on a different Steak 'n' Shake and headed in that direction.

As Fiance drove, I tried to clarify which one we were going to for questing purposes, and he said we were going to one that had not been a part of the quest before.

Lies!

Because when we pulled up to this Steak 'n' Shake


I realized that I had, indeed, been here before.

With my sister, sister-in-law, adorable nephew, and soon-to-be-cousin-person.

Of course, I didn't make this realization until after spending a few moments being excited about Breakfast Tacos. After all, one of my anagrams came up with an advertisement for Taco Pancakes -- this is at least sort of close 'cause you're taking the Taco and making it a breakfast item, like Pancakes.

You're almost there, Steak 'n' Shake. Almost there.

So I got frustrated. 'Cause this stop actually doesn't count for the going Around the State in 70 Steaks. And Shakes. Though it does get a post because it is a Steak 'n' Shake adventure. It just means there will be 70 +1 posts in this blog.

... Okay, there were already going to be 70 +1 posts because I sometimes post with no actual stop having occurred. Like when I get Steak 'n' Shake emails. Or when we have epic Facebook conversations about Steak 'n' Shake.

The good news is, despite the fact that this trip was a repeat stop, it was still a fun time. Or at least turned into one.

When we first arrived, we were sad because Brett had ruined Drunk 38th Street run.


Yes, these are their sad faces.

But then our server came over, and the night got much better. Her name was Alyson, and she was awesome. And not only 'cause I was vaguely tipsy and in that state I have a tendency to think highly of everyone. She was really friendly and joked around with us, was impressed by my box of crayons and the "free gift!" that came with it (a crayon sharpener), and she brought me a breakfast placemat so I could use the back to make the sign.

Then she crumpled the sign up before I even finished it, 'cause she didn't understand that part of the joke was going to be to cross out the 38th part and write in our correct location. She asked if I knew where I was, and she may have thought I was an idiot, but she still brought me back another placemat so I could do it right.

She asked what was wrong with me when she saw my second sign, also complete with a crossed-out "38th."

In short, Alyson was awesome. One of my favorite servers to date in the quest. 'Cause let's be honest, it's not fair to compare any of the servers from the quest to people like Waiter Tim and Ella and Salo, who were fantastic because they got to know us. Though Alyson struck me as the kind of person who would be equally fantastic if we frequented that particular location.

I ended up ordering my new favorite, the Guacamole Steakburger. And then I felt obligated to take a picture of it. From the menu.


Thanks to Codee, who allows me to take a bazillion pictures, and being tipsy, which allows me to be completely indiscriminate about what those pictures actually are, you get images like this.

Though, thanks to my current sober state, you won't actually be bombarded by such images.

Along with my Guacburger, I had fries and chili, and it was fantastic.

As we ate, we goofed around a bit.

The anagram had a new meaning this time.


Instead of LAL UYO NCA TEA KENPCAAS translating to something about taco pancakes, this time it was about NCAA pens, with a statement proclaiming "LOL A YUCAN ATE NCAA PENS!" I'm not really sure why a Yucan eating NCAA pens is laugh-out-loud funny, but hey, I guess it is to the people who make the Steak 'n' Shake placemats.

It's probably really fortunate that this anagram, which for sure has never spelled "ALL YOU CAN EAT PANCAKES!", does not have an "I" in it. Sadly, neither does it have an "M," meaning we can't spell "TEAM," either.

I also stole Mizener's fedora again, so I could look cool.


Then I stole Fiance's glasses, so I could look for a moment like I'm maybe the type that sometimes enjoys recreational pharmaceuticals.


No worries, I don't even sometimes enjoy recreational pharmaceuticals. I hate it every time.

Ha ha, jay-kay! I don't actually even use recreational pharmaceuticals.

Although I do, apparently, need an updated contact prescription. Again. 'Cause Fiance's glasses actually made me better able to see. Damn my eyes.

Too late.

Overall, it was a fun night, even if it brought me no closer to my goal in this quest.

And even Brett seemed to have a good time, as he smiled.

I know, I know. "Pics or it didn't happen!"

Well my friends, prepare to be shocked:


Other acceptable responses to my claim would have been "If it's on Facebook, it must be true!" -- 'cause eventually, this picture will make it there, too.

Also, Alyson was awesome -- but I don't think anyone's ever tried to take the group picture vertically before. It just seems so strange.


Moral of the story: If you make plans while sober to do something later when you've had a bit to drink ... stick to those plans. Otherwise you might make stupid decisions you will regret later. Or, worse, go to a Steak 'n' Shake you've already visited in your epic Steak 'n' Shake quest.