Posted on 01/10/2024 3:24:29 PM PST by Fiji Hill
One of California’s most recognizable roadside restaurants has closed without so much as a goodbye to longtime fans and travelers. Pea Soup Andersen’s, the staple Central Coast destination in Buellton, California — just off Highway 101 en route to the Danish holiday town Solvang — has gone dark, and rumors are swirling that the property itself may be redeveloped for housing. The property was previously listed for sale for just under $5 million in 2021, but no buyer was publicly announced. The restaurant has a robust history on the Central Coast, claiming at its height to serve 2 million cups of soup to locals and travelers every year. Originally opened by Denmark-born Anton Andersen in 1924 as a highway restaurant serving everyday cafe fare, the signature pea soup quickly became a signature dish and, in short order, the name and calling card for the place.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
LOL!!
I ate there one time about 5 yrs ago. I was extremely unimpressed with their “signature Pea soup”. Blah...
The ‘all you can eat’ pea soup is a great idea. I can see where that would build loyalty over the years.
America is transforming into what I have seen in Red China - shopping malls full of clothing stores whose names are the extra letters of Chinese sign manufacturers.
Really? Wow... I'm guessing you've never had good, genuine Chinese food then.
Fair enough. I haven’t been there in decades. But I have driven past it many times. Curious, did it look like it was attracting customers? Restaurant is a tough business especially for what is essentially a roadside diner. Yes it was an attraction, but these days nearly every offramp along the highway has some drive through junky fast food place. I am wondering if the clientele demographics hasn’t changed a lot such that people these days don’t want to stop, get out of the car, sit for a meal etc. They just want to grab, grub and go.
I heard about this from retro historian Charles Phoenix’s post on Facebook. I used to live in Ventura County and went to Solvang and the casino fairly often but only ate there once. It was a true icon.
BTW The place was sentimental to us. We went there last year for our 50th anniversary.
I was assigned to Vandenberg AFB at Lompoc about 30 miles away in 1972. My wife and I liked eating there because it was cheap for a junior enlisted man.
There is no eccentricity or surprise or dare I say joy in the experience of walking past chain store after chain store or eating in chain restaurant after chain restaurant. I’m becoming a misanthrope.
Yeah, my grandfather was last stationed at Vandenberg. As a kid we took many family trips there. As an adult on my own I rarely took the time to stop.
When my family drove through, it was a toss-up as to whether we stopped at Anderson’s or stopped at Solvang.
Is that the same one in Santa Nella with the windmill?
Yes. When you're northbound you will see its first billboard near the junction of I-5 and Rte. 99, 190 miles to the south.
Just drove down the 5 to LA 2 weeks ago.
There was one in Carlsbad, California, that was part of a motel chain, IIRC. We lived in Carlsbad for 4 yrs and never went there until after we moved to AZ in 1996 and came back for a vacation a few yrs later. It was always on my bucket list so I’m glad I checked that one off, lol.
I was very sorry to hear this - my elderly relatives ate there in the 40s when it was just a small coffee shop.
My family always stopped there on our way north in the 60s and 70s - the “Travel’s Special” was .99 cents - bottomless bowl of soup, great bread and a drink - “us” kids were able to get milkshakes. My dad could feed all of us for very little money - they also had a bowl of cheese dip and crackers out for free.
Never though the soup was that great, the one I make with a honey baked ham bone is far better.
In 1988, a friend of mine had some business to do in Tijuana, so we had a big breakfast at the Andersen’s in Carlsbad before crossing the border. We hoped the food would last us through our sojourn south of the border because we couldn’t be sure that the food down there would be healthful.
Anyone who bought a bag of split peas in their food shop gets Anderson’s recipe for their split pea soup.
Ingredients For split pea soup—Andersen’s original recipe:
2 quarts soft water (I always use what comes out of my tap because of the Green River Watershed)
2 c split peas (a 14-16 oz. bag)
1 stalk of celery, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 small onion, medium-diced, 1 cup
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp thyme, ground
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 bay leaf
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
How To Make split pea soup—Andersen’s original recipe:
1. Combine all ingredients in a large pot and boil hard for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 50 minutes until the peas mash easily.
2. *Remove bay leaf and use a food processor (I use an immersion blender) to blend smooth.
3. Reheat to the boiling point and serve.
*With an immersion blender, I control how much gets blended—leaving some peas and chunks of celery and carrots un-blended.
There is always the Santa Nella/Buellton version off I-5:
https://www.peasoupandersens.net/historyBuellton.html
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