If Your Collar is Blue, Have I Got a Joint For You!

The Falcon Inn, 5023 W. Rosecrans, Hawthorne 310-973-9555 Open every day from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m.

When you walk in the door, the bar is straight ahead, the dining room is to your right. The decor is dozens of Dodger pennants hanging from the ceiling, blow-up NASCAR cars, five or six TVs of varying sizes, most tuned to a sporting event. There is a California Lottery keno board ("Now taking bets.") The jukebox has a lot of C&R music. Karaoke is featured Tues. Thurs. Fri. Sat. and Sunday.

The clientele (mostly male) ranged in age from early 30s to mid-50s. There were several families with small children in the dining room.

We had a beer at the bar and then repaired to the dining area. The Wednesday night special is BBQ ribs, soup or salad, a short ear of corn on the cob and choice of potato - baked, mashed or fried $8.95. We went for it. Salads (lettuce, shreds of carrot and red cabbage, slice of tomato) come out in a deep bowl with a plastic dish of the salad dressing you chose on the side. Richie ordered the baked potato which came with another little cup of sour cream and chopped green onion. I had onion rings (for 50 cents extra.) The ribs were plentiful, the meat tender but they'd been absolutely drowned in a sea of sauce. I had to ask for a box and told Richie that before I ate them, I intended to hose them off and see what the hell I'd been eating.

Very much a family-style place with people yelling greetings and good-natured insults. One of the bartenders was having a birthday at a table in the dining area -- cake was served, candles blown out and because I was looking at my plate, I don't know why one of the bystanders yelled, "Pretend you're licking it off her nipple!" only to be told by a stern voice, "Hey! Family in here!"

The menu offers appetizers, salads, hamburgers, sandwiches, entrees, Mexican combination plates, breakfast and - (drum roll) the Breakfast Champagne Special -- two slices of bacon, two sausages, two eggs, potatoes and a glass of champagne - $4.95!