Diners #106-110

Wow, a new post and it's not too long since the last.  Lets keep this up!  No trips in the immediate future planned, but I do want to some time get down to northern New Jersey and get to the Miss America Diner.   God willing, in a month or so, I am headed to Minnesota, and will get to visit some great diners along the way.  A restored Suzie Q's in Mason City, Iowa.  and the famed Spud Boy Lunch in Lanesboro, Minnesota.  Plus a new diner for me in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin which will have me once again completing all the diners of Wisconsin!

This diner, the Miss Wakefield Diner in eastern New Hampshire originally lived just outside of Rensselaer, New York on US Rt 9.  The diner was owned by the Carpinello family before they sold the diner and it was trucked to New Hampshire.  I have not eaten here yet, as I have been distracted by too many other diners along the way.   This O'Mahony started out in 1949 and moved shortly after closing up in 1981.  They are not open for dinner, which does complicate things for me.

The Aero Diner in Willimantic, Connecticut has also moved around.  Their website tells about the two other locations in Connecticut, and how the diner needed a lot of restoration, which seems to be a similar story.  The diner was only one of two diners built by Bramson Engineering of Long Island, New York.  Mario Monti believes the other stayed on the island.  This diner sits by the Windham Airport on the famous US Rt 6, a popular coast to coast highway.  So far, the Aero is a popular place.

A rare Valentine diner on the east coast, it is one of four still left standing in Virginia.  Stone's Downtown diner sits in Hopewell, Virginia.  At the time of my one visit, the diner was open, and I was able to eat here.  I did hear that currently the diner is closed and the owners are just doing catering.  This Valentine diner is in very good condition and does seem to sit in a safe location, as it is off of main street.  I do not know any of the history of this diner, but Valentines are one of the easiest diners to move.

My first diner in Maryland that I have posted to this blog.  A rare Comac sits in Laurel, Maryland on US Rt 1, across the street from a former Little Tavern restaurant.  The Tastee diners are a chain of three diners in the northern suburbs of Washington D.C.  This diner is the youngest of the three.  I think I have only been here once, back in 2008, but somehow I feel like I have been there twice.  Comac made diners from roughly 1947 to 1951, so this was a short lived company.  The diner is in fair shape and sports a weathered Comac tag.

Clayton, North Carolina is where we will end this trip.  The diner sits on the Business route of US Rt 70 in front of a shopping center.  The diner is built by Diner Mite diners, and seeing some of the other diners, this is one of their better diners. The foyer does add something to the view, even if it does not add any color to the facade of the diner.  There are a few Diner mites in North Carolina as a few restaurant owners have tried to take advantage of the diner fad of the 1990s in the mid-Atlantic. This photo was from my only visit.


Disclaimer for all photos posted here: ALL RIGHTS ARE RESERVED. These are copyrighted photos, and I own that copyright. My photos may not be copied, downloaded, or used in any way, in any format, in any media without my written permission. Any other use will constitute an agreement to pay me (Michael Engle) $50.00 (US) per day/per image, plus a $200.00 (US) administrative fee per photo, plus any other money generated through the use of my images. I will bill you for this amount when I find my photos being used without my written permission. When you are billed, you will also be instructed to immediately return all physical image copies, delete all digital images, and delete all links to my photos. Even after you have returned and deleted the images, you must still pay me for the previous unauthorized use. Any bills unpaid after 60 days will be referred to a collection agency. (thank you to Bob Marville)

Diners #101-105

It's been a long long long time.  No new diners have been visited.  Both chances to get up to the New Hampshire/Maine area were failures due to weather and health related issues.

So where have I been lately, diner wise.   Here is the last diner I have visited in recent times.

Johnny B's Diner in Glenmont, just south of Albany on US Rt 9W is a late model Silk City Diner that is a replacement for an older diner which burnt down.  Johnny B's will be celebrating 10 years this year.   The owner has done some consistently good stuff with the diner, and it is a must visit for a nice diner breakfast.  The interior is pristine, but does sport a lot of knick knacks.  Some diner purists are not fond of them, but for many others, they add to the flair and the image of each diner being individualized.  When in Albany, there are far too many good choices for diners to visit, and here is one of them.

The Pleasantville Colonial Diner sits in Pleasantville, home of Readers Digest.  The diner sits on a corner in the downtown square and has been the site of a diner since the early 1930s.  The first diner here was a Bixler, which was followed by an O'Mahony diner around 1950.  That O'Mahony was replaced by the current DeRaffele.  There is not much stainless steel, and really there is not much colonial architecture.  Inside is classic postmodern DeRaffele from the late 1990s.A few touches of stainless and formica to make note of the place being a diner.

Skip's Blue Moon Diner in Gardiner, Massachusetts is your typical barrel roof Worcester Diner.  It's just in good condition.  Fortunately many of them are, but just as many are not.  Skips serves breakfast and lunch, like most New England diners are relegated to by the stomachs of New Englanders.  You can't go wrong at Skips. and you can't go wrong in a Worcester diner.  Nothing fancy, just a simple diner with simple diner food.

The Kennett Square Diner is a 1920s O'Mahony Diner.  The diner sits in front of a creek on old US Rt 30 in Pennsylvania.  The diner was closed both times I have passed it so I have yet to eat at the place.  Even though it is on the old highway, it still can be quite busy as it is not too far outside of Philadelphia.

I have less to add about the Ragin Cajun Diner on the north side of Hartford, Connecticut.  I have not eaten here yet, though I have been by the area far too many times to have not eaten here.  Hopefully this upcoming winter I will make time to partake in a meal at the Ragin.  The diner is a classic Paramount diner from the 1940s, but I am not too sure how original the interior of the place is looking these days.  Though, the outside does still look nice, so you never know.


Disclaimer for all photos posted here: ALL RIGHTS ARE RESERVED. These are copyrighted photos, and I own that copyright. My photos may not be copied, downloaded, or used in any way, in any format, in any media without my written permission. Any other use will constitute an agreement to pay me (Michael Engle) $50.00 (US) per day/per image, plus a $200.00 (US) administrative fee per photo, plus any other money generated through the use of my images. I will bill you for this amount when I find my photos being used without my written permission. When you are billed, you will also be instructed to immediately return all physical image copies, delete all digital images, and delete all links to my photos. Even after you have returned and deleted the images, you must still pay me for the previous unauthorized use. Any bills unpaid after 60 days will be referred to a collection agency. (thank you to Bob Marville)

#96-100

I am a terrible slacker.   To get these out of the way, I will look at five diners which have either been demolished or probably do not have much time left.

The Prospect Mountain Diner in Lake George was a double wide Silk City diner.    Originally located a little up the road with the name of the Point Diner, it was located in front of a Bowling Alley on the main drag in Lake George for many years.  As you can see, the diner suffered a terrible fire, and was sadly replaced by a Diner-Mite diner.  This Silk City was in top notch shape up until the fire.  The diner burnt down about six months after Rose, the night hostess passed away, unexpectedly.  She was a fixture at the diner.

Tops Diner once stood in Rotterdam.  The diner was built by Paramount, as was the addition placed on the right side of the diner, as it became more popular.  The diner replaced the Sodium Diner(believed to have been a Paramount) from 1939.  The original diner received its name from the sodium lights used on Route 7 from downtown Schenectady, westward.  This diner was demolished in favor of an on site restaurant called Tops, an American grill.

The next demolished diner spent the good part of its life in Oneonta, where the current Neptune Diner is now located.  That is because this was the original Neptune Diner.  The original diner had a cedar covered mansard roof, but otherwise this is what the Neptune looked like when it was in Oneonta.  When Kullman built a new diner around 2000, the old diner was trucked down the road to Otego where many people attempted to make a god of it with this diner.  After too many failed attempted, the diner was just demolished.

The Thruway Diner in New Rochelle was obviously built by DeRaffele, who are also located in the same town.  DeRaffele was also hired to remodel the diner.  See, originally the diner was one of the neatest googie/space age looking diners in the country, before it was post-modernized as you see here.  The flared windows and chrome and mirror finished glass on top.  Many diners went for this style in the 1990s in the metropolitan areas.  Unfortunately, the land was sold to a drug store chain and that was it for the diner.

This is Ruthie and Moe's Diner from Cleveland, Ohio in its better days.  when I went by the diner two years ago, it was boarded up and had most of its panels missing.  Sadly, what seemed to be a thriving diner could not make a go of it just outside of downtown Cleveland.  There was a second diner attached, but that had a fire and had to be replaced by an on-site building.  This diner may follow soon, from the way it looked.



Disclaimer for all photos posted here: ALL RIGHTS ARE RESERVED. These are copyrighted photos, and I own that copyright. My photos may not be copied, downloaded, or used in any way, in any format, in any media without my written permission. Any other use will constitute an agreement to pay me (Michael Engle) $50.00 (US) per day/per image, plus a $200.00 (US) administrative fee per photo, plus any other money generated through the use of my images. I will bill you for this amount when I find my photos being used without my written permission. When you are billed, you will also be instructed to immediately return all physical image copies, delete all digital images, and delete all links to my photos. Even after you have returned and deleted the images, you must still pay me for the previous unauthorized use. Any bills unpaid after 60 days will be referred to a collection agency. (thank you to Bob Marville)

Diners #91-95

Five more diners.

  Since the last post, I have visited a few more diners in the Allentown, Pennsylvania area.  A couple of new photographs and I was able to eat in a few that I have not partaken in a meal yet.
  I did get the news that the Pantry Diner on Long Island in Rockville Centre is being remodeled.  I can only imagine that it is going to change severely.  I guess that is what I get for delaying a visit.  It was a typical 1970s diner, which is way more rare than you might think, on Long Island.  People like to update their diners often and frequently on Long Island.
  In the spirit of that, lets look at some Long Island Diners.  We will go from the cool to the new.

One of the most original diners on Long Island is the Cutchogue Diner.  Cutchogue is far out on Long Island, and this Kullman has stood the test of time.  There is the shell of a barrel roof diner in the back that I did not get to see.    There is nothing special about their food. The diner keeps it real and serves simple diner food.  The interior of the diner is pure Kullman from the 1940s.  The porcelain flutes on the outside are typical of Kullman at the time.  All in all, it is the perfect diner, amazingly located on Long Island.  At one time, there were probably 200 of these types of diners on Long Island, if not more.

After going through the stainless steel and exaggerated modern phase on Long Island, the vast majority of diners followed into the environmental phase. Using bricks, stucco, stones facades.  And terra-cotta on a mansard Mediterranean roof line.  This fake roof hid the vast amount of air conditioning and other machinery on the roof.   This is the Sea Crest Diner in Old Westbury on Glen Cover Road.  Yelp says the diner is closed.   These buildings were still built by the diner manufacturers, but now these were six or more pieces all put together on site.

The Sherwood Diner in Lawrence is a mammoth place.  Not tall, but it sure has a large footprint.  Most diners on Long Island are large, and many seats for many customers.  As the environmental phase went away, flashy stainless and mirror finishes came back. windows at an angle came into popularity for a time.  The Sherwood Diner sure liked the bumped out windows.  The roof line shared the mirror and stainless steel finishes.   The insides were owner a space for a counter, tables and booths, and then additional dining rooms with tables and booths only.  The counter was very minimal in these diners.

So if you had a 1960s environmental diner, you have two choices.  You could remodel the diner with some new materials like the Sherwood, or you could use new materials like the Majestic Diner in Westbury shown here.   The other option is to go all out and rebuild or completely remodel the diner.  I am not sure if this is a remodel or a new diner, but with the Majestic Diner the owners went with what is known as a Retro diner.  Tons of stainless steel, larger windows and glass block, all with a grand tower to show the name of the diner and the entryway.  Inside would simply be an updated interior with the same layout.

The Wantagh Lighthouse Diner is shown in 2006.  If you look close enough you can see that they are still putting the finishing touches on this remodel. The back right end still needs its facade.  Like the Majestic, this diner sports a larger than life roof line, done in a reverse step.  There is another remodeling company on Long Island who is taking diners to a new look and some of the recent remodeling on the island are taking on an updated environmental look, where the diners look quite similar to a drug store or strip mall.  The next five diners will bring us up to 100, so I'll try to pick out some more classic looking diners. But remember, if you're on Long Island, you are more than likely to find these diners then an older diner.


Disclaimer for all photos posted here: ALL RIGHTS ARE RESERVED. These are copyrighted photos, and I own that copyright. My photos may not be copied, downloaded, or used in any way, in any format, in any media without my written permission. Any other use will constitute an agreement to pay me (Michael Engle) $50.00 (US) per day/per image, plus a $200.00 (US) administrative fee per photo, plus any other money generated through the use of my images. I will bill you for this amount when I find my photos being used without my written permission. When you are billed, you will also be instructed to immediately return all physical image copies, delete all digital images, and delete all links to my photos. Even after you have returned and deleted the images, you must still pay me for the previous unauthorized use. Any bills unpaid after 60 days will be referred to a collection agency. (thank you to Bob Marville)

Diners #86-90

The hot days of summer are here.  So lets look at some cool diners.

It is awful cold in Grand Marais, Michigan in the winter. This is one of the northern most diners in the country.  The Paramount seen here came to Michigan with the help of Jerry Berta.  Berta picked up the former Matamoras Diner and had it moved to Michigan before selling it to the current owners.  The diner is a narrow model with booths on the end and just a counter in the middle.  The place is very hodge-podge with stuff everywhere.  fortunately there is an addition to this diner, with the limited seating.  I was able to visit the diner on an 80 degree day in October, which is a true rarity.

In the middle of no where describes a lot of places and the Delta Diner in Wisconsin fits that to a tee.  It is on a county road, but in tourist season, the people flock to the place.  It is very difficult to call this diner food in the true sense of diners.  The waiters read the menu to you, which takes about two minutes.  The owner has a disagreement with Steve Harwin, who "restored" the diner, so we don't know where it is from, other than somewhere in New York state.  fortunately, Steve does good work!

This Starlite is high up in the mountains in Virginia in a town called Low Moor just off of Interstate 64.  The diner came from LaVale, Maryland and was bought by the Penny's Diner chain which is hooked up with the Oak Tree Inn chain, especially built to accommodate railroad workers.  Penny's is open 24 hours, for the railroad workers and it is nice for travelers also.  The diner serves unassuming diner fare with some dinner specials, that when I was there, looked really good.

Yes, behind this unassuming exterior is a diner. And even rarer is that it is a Valentine diner.  Moved to Gardiner, Maine in 1965.  As you can tell from the outside, not a whole deal is original, but there are still tell tale signs of this being a Valentine when you enter the place.  I found a newspaper advertisement for this diner and on my next trip to Maine, looked out for this diner and found it.  Larry Cultrera on his Diner Hotline blog did a nice little write-up on this diner.
http://dinerhotline.wordpress.com/2008/12/31/mike-engle-locates-rare-valentine-diner-in-gardiner-maine/

Our final diner from cool places comes from a recreated town in Lakewood, Colorado.  While the rest of the town is disgustingly chic, they built a recreation of what the town used to be like, which is a roadside's dream.  Better than nothing.  There is the White Way Grill, a Valentine that did business on Colfax Avenue.  The diner was restored and looks pretty nice on the inside.  it is a shame that it is becoming very difficult to make a living running one of these small diners.  But either way, this diner is a gem to look at, just as the village is.

Disclaimer for all photos posted here: ALL RIGHTS ARE RESERVED. These are copyrighted photos, and I own that copyright. My photos may not be copied, downloaded, or used in any way, in any format, in any media without my written permission. Any other use will constitute an agreement to pay me (Michael Engle) $50.00 (US) per day/per image, plus a $200.00 (US) administrative fee per photo, plus any other money generated through the use of my images. I will bill you for this amount when I find my photos being used without my written permission. When you are billed, you will also be instructed to immediately return all physical image copies, delete all digital images, and delete all links to my photos. Even after you have returned and deleted the images, you must still pay me for the previous unauthorized use. Any bills unpaid after 60 days will be referred to a collection agency. (thank you to Bob Marville)

Diners #81-85

  As the rain and mosquitoes continue to win, I guess I will get back to diners.

The Unadilla Diner in New York has been closed for quite a few years now.  The oping of I-88 was the first knock against the diner, and after a long time owner called it quits, a new owner with any real tenure was unable to be found.  The diner has had septic issues and is going for far too much money to be moved.  The diner itself is a 1950s Master that replaced an onsite diner, and is quite original.  The roof, added later, is probably saving the diner from the elements, so might be a good thing if someone did plan to bring this diner back to life.

Eddie's Paramount Diner in Rome, New York is an O'Mahony diner.  The diner replaced an older diner around 1941.  The outside is showing its age, but on the inside, the diner is mostly original, with only a few cosmetic changes, like the counter.  The diner shows the pre WW2 introduction of formica on the ceiling and a more stainless steel used as visual touches.  If you go, look for the daily specials.  Just like the Unadilla Diner, this diner has a new roof on top.

  Originally called the Lexus Diner, the Alexis Diner in Newburgh, New York sits right off of busy I-84 on US Rt 9-W.  The diner is not that old, and has been remodeled two or three times.  the diner is probably an on-site diner, and may have been remodeled by a diner company once.  The place is big and flashy, like many down state diners are known to be, with big portions of nearly everything they serve.  So why did the diner change its name?  The Lexus car company forced them to change it.

The West Shore Diner in Lemoyne, Pennsylvania is truly a rare diner.  Only one other Silk City diner from the mid 1930s is known to exist, and that one sits out in a field in Montana.  This diner does a good business just outside of Harrisburg.  Good food in a small diner with a counter and tables for two is reason enough to visit this place, but the food is quite good.  try comparing this to other Silk City diners and you will quickly notice that this is a truly unique diner and worthy of a visit for any diner fans.

Here is a mid 1950s model Silk City diner in Milford, Connecticut.  The diner was supposed to have been fixed up and used as a community place, but that was a few years ago, and no new news has come out of Milford.  The diner sports an exaggerated modern entrance and horizontal flutes.  The horizontal flutes were only used for one or two years by Silk City.  On their onsite web page with old photos, it looks like the original diner was a Ward & Dickinson. Unfortunately the quality is just not there and I can not be sure of that.

Disclaimer for all photos posted here: ALL RIGHTS ARE RESERVED. These are copyrighted photos, and I own that copyright. My photos may not be copied, downloaded, or used in any way, in any format, in any media without my written permission. Any other use will constitute an agreement to pay me (Michael Engle) $50.00 (US) per day/per image, plus a $200.00 (US) administrative fee per photo, plus any other money generated through the use of my images. I will bill you for this amount when I find my photos being used without my written permission. When you are billed, you will also be instructed to immediately return all physical image copies, delete all digital images, and delete all links to my photos. Even after you have returned and deleted the images, you must still pay me for the previous unauthorized use. Any bills unpaid after 60 days will be referred to a collection agency. (thank you to Bob Marville)

Diners #76-80

After spending 15 minutes outside with the mosquitoes, they got enough of my blood. So lets catch up for lost time.

 Yesterday's Diner in New Hyde Park, Long Island of New York was just a drive by on my second trip to Long Island in 2008.  Mario Monti, in his "A Directory of Diners," says that this is the former Galaxy Diner, a 1948 DeRaffele that was renovated in 1997.  The remodeling is different than other remodelings. They used tiles under the windows, which makes this a unique remodel.  The top part of the diner remodel has been used on plenty of other diners.  This covers the roof line of the diner and gives a shiny appearance which is popular with many post modern diners.

 One of my best night photos, this is the Fillin Station in Whatley, Massachusetts.  The diner is located just off of I-91 and is open 24/7.   The Kullman Princess style diner is truly a rarity in the diner world.  It fits in in the short time period between the stainless steel gem of the 1950s and the environmental models of the 1960s.  It has large picture frame windows which decreases the amount of stainless steel on the exterior with a touch of flair in the roof line.  For the most part, the interior is pretty original.  Food wise, I will always remember this place as the first place I saw soda for more than $2 at a restaurant.

When do you get to shoot a photo of the back side of a diner?  Frank's Diner in Kenosha, Wisconsin gives you the perfect excuse.  The front side still exists, but the glass of the windows were taken out, and an addition was put in front of the old exterior of the stool only O'Mahony.  The owners painted the old time letters on the outside to give the viewer a nice welcome.  Inside, the place is constantly packed after multiple appearances on Food Network shows.  Matter of fact, one grill is solely used for their famous garbage plates.  While tiles are starting to fall off inside, the interior is amazingly original.

There are a number of these Starlite Denny's hanging out in lower Virginia.  This one is in Colonial Heights.  This one is on the outer edges of a mall complex, but I honestly don't remember being here even though these photos are from March 2011.  I had to look up on google maps that the diner is just south of Richmond.  One of three Denny's moved from different states, this one came from Commerce, Georgia.

The Gap Diner in Wind Gap, Pennsylvania sits on the southern end of a commercial district on Pennsylvania Routes 115 & 512.  This could be a Manno diner with the different look, but in fact it is stated to be a Paramount by Kyle Weaver in the second edition of "Diners of Pennsylvania."  The look on the outside, with the horizontal flutes is a rare look for diners, indeed.  Unfortunately the interior has been 100% remodeled, and other than having a counter, there is nothing left to tell you how the interior may have looked at one time.

Disclaimer for all photos posted here: ALL RIGHTS ARE RESERVED. These are copyrighted photos, and I own that copyright. My photos may not be copied, downloaded, or used in any way, in any format, in any media without my written permission. Any other use will constitute an agreement to pay me (Michael Engle) $50.00 (US) per day/per image, plus a $200.00 (US) administrative fee per photo, plus any other money generated through the use of my images. I will bill you for this amount when I find my photos being used without my written permission. When you are billed, you will also be instructed to immediately return all physical image copies, delete all digital images, and delete all links to my photos. Even after you have returned and deleted the images, you must still pay me for the previous unauthorized use. Any bills unpaid after 60 days will be referred to a collection agency. (thank you to Bob Marville)