Spoon #13: Jackson Hole

Yesterday Ms. Dish and I found ourselves out late on the Upper West Side.  Overdue for a swap and with the Upper West Side under-served by our spoon-swapping, we sauntered into the Jackson Hole diner on 91^st and Madison.

I had read a review of Jackson Hole saying their burgers were humongous, more like a small meatloaf than a burger, so of course I had to see for myself.  Low and behold out came a meat baseball on a bun!  Ms. Dish had a Cobb salad and she reported it to be quite tasty.  We were lucky and got the best seat in the house; a table right on the corner that allowed us to both look directly outside!

Here is Spoon Number 13:

No. 13 is marked “167 Stainless Steel” on the back.  I’m no spoon snob, but Number 13 is very light and has some pretty rough edges.  This is strictly an economy spoon!  I guess as long as they’re grilling seven ounce burgers, Jackson Hole has to make cutbacks in the spoon department.  Unfortunately the manufacturer was so ashamed of 13, they did not leave their mark.  We will have to classify it as “unidentified”.

Spoon #12: Coogan's

This weekend Ms. Dish and I were accompanied by our accomplice Ursa Minor to Coogan's on 169th Street.

Coogan's is a bit of an icon in Washington Heights as it is one of very few decent bar/restaurants in the neighborhood.  There are two things you notice when you go to Coogan's.  First, there are probably near a hundred track uniforms from various schools throughout the country hanging from the ceiling.  This is explained by the proximity to the nearby track center located in an old armory down the block.  Second, there are all types of different people at Coogan's.  It's a real melting pot for folks who live and work in the diverse local community.  Along with locals, you'll find doctors and nurses from nearby Columbia Presbyterian, construction workers, politicians, and on the walls are pictures of famous personalities who have payed visit.  On Saturday when we stopped in the dining room was full of runners in the neighborhood for Coogan's annual 5K run.

Here we present Spoon Number 12:

Spoon 12 is marked "Qualite Fanfare" on the back.  The usual sources turned up very little information about a "Qualite" manufacturer, but it appears that Walco makes a "Fan Fare" line which is virtually identical: 

I will go ahead and call this a match, but why no Walco marking?  The mysteries of spoon swapping never end! 

UPDATE: After encountering additional Qualite spoons, it appears that this mark may not be related to Walco after all.