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Lunch » Tags » Food » Reviews » Diners

Diners

4 Ratings: 4.8

A small, usually inexpensive restaurant with a long counter and booths and housed in a building designed to resemble a dining car.

A diner is a prefabricated restaurant building characteristic of North America, especially on Long Island; in New York City; in New Jersey, and other areas of the Northeastern United States, although examples can be found throughout the US and in Canada. … see full wiki

Tags: Food, Restaurants, Culture, Gourmand, American Cuisine, Diners

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A familiar part of the American landscape.

Jul 28, 2009

by drifter51

Rating:

They are as much a part of the American landscape as white churches, baseball fields and the county fair. Diners have been a long standing favorite of Americans for more than a century now. And as people tire of all of the dreary and mediocre fast food joints out there diners seem to be experiencing something of a revival. That would be great news indeed!

As the story goes, the very first diner appeared in Providence, Rhode Island way back in 1872. This was a horse-drawn wagon that served hot food to the employees of The Providence Journal. The concept would slowly gain momentum and by the early 1920's diners became a fixture in cities and towns throughout the Northeast. By this time there were at least two dozen companies engaged in the manufacture of diners. The decor varied quite a bit depending on the manufacturer. Most diners built in the period from the 1920s to the 1940s featured Art Deco elements or copied the appearance of rail dining cars. In fact, some diners actually were refurbished rail dining cars. Meanwhile, the majority of diners built in the 1950s featured the distinctive stainless steel panels and glass block trim. I find that it is always a blast to visit a diner that you have never been to before. Not only do you get to enjoy some great vittles but you usually spot some little peculiarity in the design that you have never seen anywhere else. Although diners first became popular in the Northeast the idea would eventually catch on all across the fruited plain. It seems like people all over the country agreed.....a diner was a great place to grab a bite to eat.

Whenever my wife and I hit the road one of our main objectives is to visit as many diners as possible. We enjoy all of the comfort foods such as freshly baked homemade muffins, hot turkey sandwiches and pot roast with mashed potatoes and gravy. And we are not adverse to sampling some of the local flavors that are also available at diners. "I'll try a piece of that boisenberry cream pie please." In general, we thoroughly enjoy the casual atmosphere at these locally-owned establishments and get a kick out of striking up a conversation with some of the so-called "regulars" who seem to have an opinion about everything from health care to the local high school girls basketball team. No matter which town we happen to be in we always feel at home in a diner.

As I mentioned earlier diners seem to experiencing something of a renaissance. A brief check of the internet turned up a number of companies who are once again busy manufacturing diners. In addition, cable TV programs like the Food Channel's "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" are helping to introduce a whole new generation of Americans to the diner experience. If you are a person who has not visited a diner lately do yourself a favor and give it a try. I doubt you will be disappointed!
Highly recommended!

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drifter51 August 01, 2009

I agree with everything you have to say here. I am not a fan of the Food Channel but whenever I come acress Diners, Drive-ins and Dives I usually watch. Ir really is a fun show!

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Husher315 August 01, 2009

I absolutely LOVE diners! You really can't go wrong with them, there's something for everyone. I usually go for pancakes as you really can't beat diner style pancakes, they're so big! I especially love how Diners, Drive-ins and Dives gives small places the attention they deserve, amazing review!

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DonnaL1 July 28, 2009

Hi Paul......I really enjoyed reading this review. I love diners as well and used to go to them all the time when I lived in the city.....easy to find. Just reading about the food they offer made me hungry. Now in the suburbs, I don't see so many of them. When I travel, I'm likely to eat at a diner before patronizing a fancy establishement. In fact, in Branson there's a place called the Old Country Buffett (not quite a diner), but it has all the foods you talk about here (and the feeling) that you're in a diner. The waitresses have been there for years and they serve corn on the cob, green beans with ham and bacon, mashed potatoes and gravy and so on. I've been a regular there for about 15 years (like Bob Rubright talks about) and have met a wonderful waitress named Rose that I've become friends with. Yes, more power to these diners.....would love to see more spring up. Great review and thank for plugging Showmetalkradio by the way. Aprecciate it........

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