One More Week to Eat The Oinkster's "Nick Offerman American Ham Burger"

"Parks and Recreation" star Nick Offerman's woodshop is not far from Eagle Rock, where The Oinkster continues to serve some of the best "slow fast food" in all of Los Angeles. I swear by their pulled pork sandwich, but Offerman has another idea: The Oinkster's October burger of the month is Offerman's "American Ham" concoction. A 6-oz burger patty topped with shaved ham, two layers of gruyere cheese, hot sweet mustard, mayo and housemade bread and butter pickles on a sourdough bun. $9.

And no, you may not modify the burger. (Memo to The Oinkster: Perhaps a Ron Swanson breakfast offering next?)

Live from the PaleyFest, Here's the 'Parks and Recreation' Panel

A lot of great stuff -- and a lot of fun -- at last night's "Parks and Recreation" panel, which I moderated at the 2012 Paley Fest. Only part of the cast could attend, as "Parks and Rec" was asked to sub for the last minute for "The Office" (which, due to "production issues," ultimately couldn't be a part of Paley).

But Amy Poehler was there, as were Chris Pratt (Andy), Retta (Donna), Jim O'Heir (Jerry) and executive producers including Mike Schur. We talked a lot about the Leslie/Ben relationship (solid) and the unusual Ann/Tom hookup ("so wrong that it's right"). Amy and Mike also revealed that the show shot two season endings -- on in which Leslie Knope wins the Pawnee City Council election, and the other where she loses. Only about 12 people know for sure which one will air. Also: Paul Rudd and "Jean-Ralphio" will return this season, while we've seen the last this year of Ron's evil ex-wives Tammy 1 and Tammy 2.

Oh-- and Amy also explained the elaborate inside "Philly Justice" joke that the cast members have been elevating in recent months. Read all about the panel at TVGuide.com here. And you can watch most of the panel here:



Meanwhile, although stars like Aziz Ansari, Adam Scott, Aubrey Plaza and Rob Lowe couldn't make it (Nick Offerman was going to try and make it, but never arrived), the show brought along cardboard cutouts of the missing stars. Below, I get cozy with some of the "stars":





I'm back at the PaleyFest next Monday to moderate the "Two and a Half Men" panel. See you then!

'Parks and Rec' Comes to the PaleyFest Tonight, Moderated by Me

Treat yo'self! I'll be moderating tonight's "Parks and Recreation" panel at the 2012 Paley Fest (at the Saban Theater in Beverly Hills). Slated to attend are Amy Poehler ("Leslie Knope"), Nick Offerman ("Ron Swanson"), Chris Pratt ("Andy Dwyer"), Jim O’Heir ("Jerry Gergich"), Retta ("Donna Meagle") and exec producers Greg Daniels and Mike Schur.

If you can't make the event, Paley Fest is streaming this year's panels live. Go here to watch starting at 7 p.m. PT (although the panel may start around 7:20 or so, after an episode is screened).

And if you have any questions for the cast and producers, leave 'em below! BTW, I'll also be moderating next week's panel on "Two and a Half Men." Stay tuned.

Los Angeles Cameo: 'Parks and Recreation' Turns Mundane L.A. Into Pawnee

NBC's "Parks and Recreation" does a great job of using L.A., Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena locations to double as fictional Pawnee, Indiana. We've pointed out in the past how Pasadena's City Hall plays Pawnee's government seat on the show; other past locales include downtown's Clifton's Cafeteria and Glendale's Motel Glen Capri. (Above, Burbank's Providence St. Joseph hospital is made into "Pawnee St. Joseph" for the show.)

But here are two more recent establishing shots, from last week's excellent "Flu" episode. Can you identify them?


On the show, here's a coffee shop where Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) meets with Pawnee local business owners -- while dining on an unending supply of waffles.


An L.A.-area big box store is superimposed with the fictional business name "Spa-wnee." Any idea where this is in real life?

L.A. Cameo: "Pawnee Saint Joseph Hospital"

NBC's "Parks and Recreation" has shot all over Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena and Downtown (among other spots) as the show's characters explore the world of fictional Pawnee, Indiana.

Above, an establishing shot from the "Parks and Rec" season finale. The sign says "Pawnee Saint Joseph Hospital," but I'd venture a guess that the word "Pawnee" has been inserted over "Providence" -- as in, Burbank's "Providence Saint Joseph Hospital." Am I right?

Los Angeles Doesn't Play Itself: "Parks and Recreation" Edition

As we have written in the past, NBC's Amy Poehler comedy "Parks and Recreation" makes great use of Los Angeles-area landmarks as stand ins for the show's fictional Pawnee, Indiana.

Most recently, downtown's famed Clifton's Cafeteria doubled as Pawnee's cheesy dinosaur-themed restaurant "Jurassic Fork." (A slew of mechanical dinosaurs were added to Clifton's to set the scene.)

Here are some pix from the episode, in which the "Parks and Rec" team take Tom (Aziz Ansari) to the ridiculous prehistoric restaurant to cheer him up"







And here's the view inside the real-life kitschy Clifton's. The location, part of what was once a bustling cafeteria chain, is also known as Clifton's Brookdale -- and its forest/national park theme still draws a crowd. Clifton's is located at the corner of 7th and Broadway.

Because of its surreal environment, Clifton's is a popular spot for Hollywood location scouts.









Past Franklin Avenue posts about Clifton's:

A Trek to Clifton's (November 2006)

Pay What You Wish, Dine Free Unless Delighted: The Clifton's Story (May 2007)

Clifton's Cafeteria To Sell Downtown Building; Is the Iconic Eatery in Trouble? (August 2009)

And Starring Pasadena, Glendale and Burbank as Pawnee, Indiana

Viewers of NBC's Amy Poehler comedy "Parks and Recreation" have probably figured out that the Pasadena City Hall doubles as Pawnee, Ind.'s city hall. (Above, another view from a recent episode.)

And as we've written before, the empty pit (recently filled) on "Parks and Rec" is located in Van Nuys.

A few more recent shots from the show:



The coffee shop where Ron Swanson takes his ex-wife (played by Megan Mullally) is Frank's -- located in real life at 16 West Olive and Victory Blvd in Burbank.



The Motel Glen Capri, on San Fernando Rd. -- near the Glendale/Burbank border. It's where Ron and his ex-wife sneak away for their tryst. And according to the motel, the location -- perhaps because of that cool, '60s era neon sign -- is a popular spot for filming:

Movies such as The Good Girl with Jennifer Aniston, Raising Helen with Kate Hudson, and Georgia Rule with Lindsay Lohan, are just some of the actresses that have visited the Glen Capri Inn & Suites-San Fernando.