Some of my favorite experiences have been in the local 'hole in wall' places. Yes, at times it can be a crap shoot with the quality of food but regardless, it is always an experience ~ perhaps, leaning more to an adventure for the palate whether it be an 'absolute train wreck (discusting), a walk on the beach (run of the mill but OK), or an exploration of the unknown (an awakening mystery)'. The BEST part of the experience is when it is shared with good friends / family...the stories, the laughs, the sharing of our lives, the bonds that made us come together in the first place. The place could be a dumpster divers' dream but can still be the best only because of the memories that had been made there. We try to pick a new 'hole in the wall' that no one has ever been to in the past so that upon our invasion, it is a mystery waiting to unveil itself.
One of my favorites was a little Cuban joint that a friend of mine suggested (could be because of her cuban heritage)...very small establishment run by a family, great food, the decorum was a little on the tacky side, not the cleanest looking BUT it was the last place we got to 'share' before she became bedridden and soon after, lost her battle to cancer. We all got together on her birthday, sat at our table with one open chair, and remembered...all those wonderful memories!

Yes, HOLE IN THE WALL dives are wonderful, a little dirt is ok. There is this place near my home that is just a dump, but the food is awesome, this dump has been in business for over 25 years and has been voted #1 in the local paper for as long as it has been operating.
2blu-eyes sorry to hear about the loss of your friend she must have been a great lady. what a wonderful jesture to celebrate her Birthday with your other friends to keep your memories of her alive.

Thank you June. She WAS awesome! She had a life story that was SO incredible! The definitive of a success story! When a friend reaches out to you to talk about her own death, life cannot get any more real! The impact of the emotional rawness of death ~ and life, is an awakening.

My husband and I met up with some of our friends for a luncheon and ventured into yet, another 'hole in the wall'...this time it was in an establishment that was located on a market street that catered to the 'Fabulous with Ka-Ching'. We had been given the option of dining inside or on the patio ... we should have dined outside ~ the stench of dirty water (that they must have used for mopping the bathroom floors must have been used throughout the restaraunt), 'lingered' all around us. Just as we were going to request to sit on the patio, the rain had started! As hard as we tried to disregard the smell, I swear this stench took on its own entity, its' own Being, and permeated every crumb of our croissants. ~ (I think it even invaded every fiber in our clothing! You know, that type of odor that you cannot dismiss as it takes its firm hold on your senses!) It just goes to show that even a high dollar, pleasingly appealing, 'clean looking' establishment, that think pretty highly of their menu items, can all be ruined so quickly by a stench. Perhaps we should have left upon our arrival but it seemed like a rude thing to do after we had just been seated. I just cannot figure out why the staff had not corrected the problem before opening their doors ~ surely, they must have noses!

What a bummer 2blu-eyes, sorry that your husband and your friends had a horrible experience in that stinky establishment you went to. Man that stench wrecked the whole time you were there. I guess you will mark that off your list of places not to eat at again.

Needless to say, we ate REAL fast! We ended up going across the street for a glass of suds! We still had a good time!

As the saying goes, nothing ventured, nothing gained...