Double Trouble in Simi Valley

There's a few of those old-time diners out there. It's a great change of pace from the mass production food machine we call fast food.

Late in 2009, I ventured into Simi Valley and visited Scheck and Shay's Rockin' Diner. It has all the charm of those old 1950s burger-and-shake style places, right down to the colorful decor and salt shakers. The only thing that's out of place is the self-serve soda machine, but then the server explained to me that the location had formerly been a Fatburger. Go figure!

I found out about this place via the Eatfeats blog, which serves as a massive directory for all food portions large and beyond. I rely upon Eatfeats to find lots of my eating challenge locations. It's always safer to call ahead, though, because quite often the business in question may be defunct or the challenge item no longer offered on the menu.

Circumstances did not disappoint on this excursion. Scheck and Shay's Diner serves up a massive burger called "Da Bomb," billed on the menu as the biggest burger in the city. I don't know if that's literally true, since I did not really frequent every burger venue in Simi Valley. I simply trusted the hyperbole of the menu and made my choice.

I went all out, ordering the burger in its "Double Trouble" version, meaning that they add a second meat patty. The burger was definitely big, as the photo indicates. It really needs the steak knife to keep it from falling into a messy pile. Topped with cole slaw, American cheese, tomato, avocado, and an onion ring, it was simply delicious. The fries were awesome as well, though the "fry sauce" I was offered was certainly a new experience for me. The server called it a "Utah thing," but I'm pretty sure that the saucy concoction he brought me (ketchup with mayo, probably) has been eaten outside of Utah many times.

I needed around 8 minutes to finish the actual burger. I didn't want to go faster because it just tasted SO GOOD. I'm sure the fat content was extremely high. The server remarked that this burger was probably "a little bit much," but I wasn't complaining. It may have offered about one pound of beef. I think the overall package added a lot to the basic burger flavor.

I'm intrigued by the potential speed contest that was held last July featuring this burger. That was to celebrate the anniversary of the restaurant. Maybe they'll hold it again this year. I was told that the consumption record was about 2 1/2 minutes, which seems doable.

I could have good reason to visit Simi Valley again this summer.