Diners #61-65

Nothing to report diner wise, but time has me wondering what is going to happen to Quintessence in Albany.  It was bought by the Albany Medical Center, which seemingly intend to raze the block and put their own development in the block of New Scotland, like they have been doing to the rest of the area.

 Speaking of diners needing a second life.  The Phoenicia got a third life!  The diner started in 1962 as the Carle Place Diner down on Long Island, and in the early 1980s, the owners bought a new diner, and this one headed up to Phoenicia.  The diner quietly did business on NY Rt 28 until a five foot snowfall collapsed the roof in the kitchen.  Mike Cioffi came along and gave the diner a new chance and has been met with what seems like only good words and good reviews.  He has updated the interior, but Glenn Wells says it was very tastefully done.

Here is the aforementioned Quintessence.  The diner started out as the third Morris Diner in Albany, NY and soon was bought by the Nedicks Company of NYC.  After becoming the UN Diner and regaining its popularity, the diner became known as Quintessence, a blend of diner food and more hip trendy food.  They became best known for their spinach noodles and chicken wrapped around a spear of scallion and carrot, served with a garlic sauce.  The Fodero sat vacant for many years due to the failure of a separate business owned by the owner until it was rechristened  quintessence again only a few years ago. The diner's interior got an update, but business never came back like it did in the past.  So many of the former customers had moved to the suburbs and did not care to come to Albany all that often to eat.

Another no photo for the third diner, and we'll stay in New York state.  The Naples Diner in Naples New York is no more, the building is now something else other than a restaurant, and when I ate there, only history and a photo on the wall told me this was an authentic diner at one time.  A Ward and Dickinson, most likely used, came to town in 1936(going strictly off memory).  Every few years, in the paper, the diner would receive a fresh coat of paint and some remodeling on the inside.  By the time I got to the diner around 2002ish, there was a horseshoe counter and absolutely nothing to tell you there was once a Ward & Dickinson on this location.

 The Miss Worcester Diner, in Worcester, Massachusetts sits right across the street from the factory where it was built.  The diner screams Worcester in nearly every way, and does so with really good food.  On a recent trip, I was finally able to eat at the Miss Woo after all these years and was not disappointed. The grilled banana bread was superb.  The current owner has done a great job satisfying the breakfast, lunch and weekend crowd.  The Miss woo is just another reason why any diner fan needs to spend a few days in the Worcester area sometime.

Another Fodero diner today, the Bowmanstown Diner.  This one has been covered over quite a bit on the outside and has been attached to a Silk City.  (Should this count as two diners on my list?)  Fortunately, on the inside, the Fodero is at its best, completely un-remodeled. The food is a mix of diner staples and Pennsylvania dutch choices.  Even more interesting is that the diner is open 24/7, with the diner being in the heart of the mountains north of Allentown.  I have not been inside of the Silk City, and I can not remember if it is used for storage or for extra seating.  I have only eaten here twice, and both times it has been busy, so no interior photos yet.


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 #56-60

Well, the Kumm Esse Diner in Pennsylvania is safe after all!  Not much diner news at all otherwise so lets get to the diners.

It's a different angle for a diner photo, but this is the best side of Sharyn's Diner in Marcy, New York.  Supposedly this diner started out in Frankfort, and moved up to Wurz road in between North Utica and Utica before moving to NY Rt 49 just outside of Utica, on the way to Rome.  In recent years, this road was bypassed by the Utica Rome Expressway, but still does a decent business, just not the truck business like it used to do.  On the front side of this five digit Silk City Diner #51112 the bottom stainless had been covered over by stone.  Before the current incarnation, the diner did a good business at Betty''s Diner and before that the Jet Diner.  Confusion does reign as a stick built diner down the road did call itself the Jet Diner in the 1990s.

Supposedly I have eaten here, but it must have been so long ago, that I have forgotten about it ever happening.  This DeRaffele two piece diner sits a block down from the Worcester factory in Worcester, Massachusetts.  You can tell from this photo and also by looking at the left side of this diner that it is falling into a state of disrepair.  It must also have a good amount of rot, visible and hiding too.  In my latest trip with Glenn Wells, we were too late to get a bite at the Corner Lunch, but we did snap some photographs.

Geets Diner in Williamstown, New Jersey is located on US Rt 322 more affectionately known as the Black Horse Turnpike. The diner sits at an intersection, a highly popular location for a diner in a suburban area and has a sports bar addition where I ate with a group from the SCA on a tour of diners and other stuff in southern New Jersey not that long ago.  This diner makes me want to write run on sentences for some reason. I just don't know what to say about it.   The diner sports a lot of shiny chrome from a remodeling and in a way looks like a larger Starlite diner.  Inside it does look a lot more like a diner, albeit a brand new diner, but still.

 The Seaport Diner in Port Jefferson Station on the Nesconsett Hwy is just another diner on Long Island.  Each diner seems to have its own idiosyncratic style in appearance, but many share different pieces.  The Seaport has a fairly large entrance, but not as large as others. The windows are flat and above them are pieces of shiny glass.  I did not go inside as this was on my whirlwind trip, so I can't tell you how they affect the interior.  The diner even has a little stone on the right side, topped with glass block. True Long Island style!  Diners need to be over the top on Long Island, or they just get passed by, as two miles down the road is the next diner, in most cases.

 The only diner in Iowa I have not eaten in, that I know still exists.  Still not sure if the Clamshell Diner in Muscatine is back open or not.  The Valentine diner sits, fenced in, facing the Mississippi River with just a road in between it and the mighty river.  The diner was moved to this location in the semi recent past and also looks like it was sided over too.  Iowa is longer than I always think and this diner is a good 5-6 hours away from my usual home base of Lanesboro, Minnesota when I am out in the midwest, so unless i know for sure it is back open, I will probably not be in Muscatine any time soon.

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 #51-55

Some news: Newark diner is in Cleveland by now, being restored. Will end up in Buffalo.  The Kumm Esse in Myerstown, Pennsylvania is making way for another chain gas station.  Mom's Diner in Avenel, NJ is gone. The mayor of the city/village etc and the owner seem entirely to blame.

On to the five diners.

This 2001 Paramount sits in the secluded village of Pine Bush, close enough to the Catskill Mountains but also close enough to the Hudson Valley.  The name is a play on the UFO sightings in the area.  The diner is a really nice Paramount.  Seeing how the few newer Paramounts that I have seen have come out, it is a true shame there was not a mad rush on more PMC diners.  The Cup & Saucer was highlighted by Mario Monti in our book, Diners of New York, and Mario was even invited to the "christening" of the diner the owner Dino Mavros had done for the diner!

The Athens Diner in Colchester, Vermont was known as Libby's Blueline Diner when I made my visit some years ago.  I can't find any exterior photos, so I included this one.  The diner is a late model Worcester that sits in between two add ons. You can see one at the end of the diner.  You'll also notice a lot more formica than is typical to a Worcester diner.  The diner started out in Turners Falls, Massachusetts before going to Auburn in the same state.  It came to Colchester in 1989 and has been there since.

The Elgin Diner in Camden, NJ is another diner style that I really thought would have been more marketable.  This one was built by Kullman, but still I find it the best of both worlds: generous seating and flashy and attractive!  In this picture you can see just how big this diner is.  I think I have been to this diner twice, once with Glenn Wells and once with the SCA tour.The diner sat empty for a few years but fortunately it is back open and doing strong business.

The Stop 20 Diner in Elmont, Long Island, New York is just another diner on Long Island that has been remodeled.  Someone from elsewhere might say it is over the top, but for anyone from Long Island, it is just typical of the diner from the Island.   I visited the diner on my whirlwind tour for my book, Diners of New York and there were just too many diners to eat at end half of the ones I photographed.  The diner is a mix of shiny stainless steel, a bluish mirror finished material below that, which is moderately popular on metropolitan New York diners and a marbleized stone below that.

 We will finish off with the Double T Diner in Frederick, MD.  The chain of eight diners has exclusively newer retro diners, but not all of the mare factory built diners.  This diner was built by Kullman and follows a style which they built a few of for various people.  Note the double loop on the roof.  Based on other diners, this is flimsy plastic which increases the visual height of the diner and hides various machinery typically placed on the roof of a restaurant.  The inside is a mix of diner and restaurant, which typically fits the ownership well.

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 #46-50

  Just returned from a two day trip into mostly New Hampshire to see some new diners (eight more) and photograph some that I have not photographed since roughly 2000 with a non digital camera.  I'll include three of the diners I saw today and a couple others.

Located in Brattleboro, Vermont, this "diner" does not serve diner food.  Their website says it all. http://www.tjbuckleys.com/  T.J. Buckley's is housed in the shell of an old Worcester diner.  The diner has been completely gutted and the exterior has been fixed up to look less like an older diner and more like a nicely kept small diner.  I heard never heard from anyone who has eaten at the place, but maybe one day, if I hit the lottery, I will have to stop.

A Kullman diner in Hillsborough, New Hampshire.  After my third time passing this diner, I was finally able to eat here.  This is a regular model, not a Challenger, which means it has booths along the windows.  The inside is mostly original.  The floor tile-work is amazing. You really do need to see it.  You can tell where the original door is located on the front, but it is not in use anymore, as you enter through the side, into an addition.  They do a good job with their food, and a couple of days a week, they reopen from 5pm to 8pm for dinner.

The former Remember When Diner of Rochester, New Hampshire is now a Mexican restaurant.  It was very difficult getting a photo of the Starlite diner, which seems to be made up of six sections, due to the angle of the sun and the clouds.  There are actually more than a few Mexican restaurants located inside of an authentic diner.  I ate at another Starlite in Iowa which changed to a Mexican restaurant, but this was just a photo stop as there were many other places to eat at farther north.

This 1959 Kullman, with a little bit of space age flair along the roof sits on the outer edge of downtown Canton along the old Lincoln Highway.  Today, the US Rt 30 has bypassed downtown Canton, taking much of the business from this diner.  The diner sits in front of a downtown motel, still in business.  The diner, interior and exterior are still in good shape. Being a two piece diner(excluding the entryway) the kitchen is in one back corner of the diner and the dining room extends in an L shape inside.

While traveling through Yonkers with Glenn Wells of roadsidefans.com, we found this diner by chance.  I think I may have had an inkling that it might have been still there, but this diner did not make the book, Diners of New York.  We were on our way to the DeRaffele factory.  The diner is your typical mansard Mediterranean environmental diner with curved windows and stone on the exterior.  The diner has been updated with a metal mansard roof and the inside has been updated over time, though it still sports its cantilevered stools at the counter.

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 #41-45

Five more diners before I head out to increase the number with a trip into New Hampshire.

El Greco in the Sheepshead Bay section of Brooklyn is your classic Environmental diner. Many call this style, Mansard Mediterranean.  The terra cotta roof tiles on the mansard roof are more of a fashion statement than anything else.  It is nearly the opposite of a stainless steel diner.  The large foyer sits prominently on the front corner of the diner, welcoming guests up a small flight of stairs, which today would not be ADA complaint. At the same time, the diner is still very original to its origins as a 1974 DeRaffele.  As I remember, the food was typical to your Greek run diner in a metropolitan area. 

The D-K Diner in West Chester, Pennsylvania is a 1953 Mountain View diner. Mountain View diners had serial numbers right by the inside of the front door and this diner is #361.  This Mountain View does not have its typical famous "cow catcher" corners.  Other than the canopy over the top roofline of the diner, the interior and exterior of the D-K Diner is very original.  The D-K is a popular place in the populated region of south east Pennsylvania.

The Amphora DeLuxe Diner, as it used to be called before it was shot down, may have been built by DeRaffele.  The newspapers articles about this diner are a little cloudy on who built it, but they do mention DeRaffele.  The inside of this building hints at being a diner, but really does not come out and say diner even like 1970s diners.  They still do have a counter and still serve your diner favorites, but it is more like a restaurant than a typical diner.  also, check how much metal? is above the windows. It is not stainless steel like on your typical retro diner.

I took this photo of a closed diner in Syosset, Long Island very close to the Celebrity Diner on the opposite side of the Jericho Turnpike, a popular diner highway.  Shortly after the photo, Patsy's Pizzeria took over the diner.  The diner seems to be a DeRaffele, but it could easily be from a different manufacturer copying the reverse step roof line that DeRaffele used for a few years.  I would assume there was a sign advertising the diner at one time on the right front corner of the roof line.

 The Moonlight Diner in Hollywood, Florida is part of a small chain of Starlite diners in southern Florida.  I did not eat at this one, but snapped this photo of one of the larger Starlites.  The diner sits on the outer circle of a mall property in Hollywood.  Being in Florida, this diner had seating on an outside deck which is open up nearly all year.  This diner started as a diner called Starlite Diner, most likely run by the company, but two of their diners were soon bought out by the independent Moonlight Diner chain, which now has three locations, two of which are Starlites.

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)

Diner #36-40

Lets take a look at five more diners.

This Worcester diner in Spencer, Massachusetts is one I wish I got to more.  This is an old time diner where there are not booths for four, but tables for two along the windows.  The Kenmore Diner was serving swedish meatballs on the day I stopped in.  Something I do not get often, but they were especially good on that day.  The diner sits on the edge of the main business section in Spencer.  i often go past this diner, but I am either heading somewhere else, or the diner is closed for the day.

I am giving a rare interior shot instead of the typical exterior shot for Heisey's Diner just north of Lebanon, Pennsylvania on PA Rt 72.  The exterior, of what you can see is in good shape, but it has a new roof, and a good sized brick foyer so that you can get an entire shot of the diner.  I somehow doubt this O'Mahony diner originally came with a wood (formica  / laminate??) counter.  Otherwise, the diner is mostly original, and the food is a good mix of diner and Pennsylvania Dutch.  This is another diner which I would like to get back to more, and have only eaten at once, but passed more than once.

 the shot isn't the best, because the look of the diner isn't the best.  Supposedly there was a real diner here at one time, but it was butchered so much, that it now looks like this.  This would be Curley's Diner in downtown Stamford, Connecticut.  The interior of the diner also bears no resemblance to an authentic diner.  Going entirely off memory, I think this was originally a Mountain View diner.

The fourth diner would go nicely with our last photo.  I swear this used to be a nicely looking Starlite on the outside, but then the owners of the hotel next door bought the diner and remodeled the exterior to match the hotel.  so if you want to know what the hotel looks like, here you go.  At least the interior is quite original to a Starlite. The diner is the Pine Island Diner in Corolla, North Carolina which is a little north of Kill Devil Hills on the coast.

I've eaten at all five of the diners on this list today, though the food at George & Sally's Blue Moon Diner.  The Silk City diner is more of a showpiece at the Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, Michigan, but they do serve a few food items, like hot dogs.  The waitresses dress up in that lovable 50s style.  Steve Harwin restored this diner, and it was sold to the museum and sits not too far from a restored Shell gas station. 

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 #31-35

I added four more diners to the list.  Got to eat three diner meals, with the highlight being the big portions and affordable prices at the City Star Diner in Manheim, PA.  This is a DeRaffele Environmental diner.  It is a very boxy diner, which seems to be what DeRaffele went after later in the environmental phase.  Diners of Pennsylvania by Stackpole books says this is a 1990 DeRaffele.  The inside reminded me of the Monk episode where the San Francisco sanitary workers are on strike, and he goes into the white room and smiles.  The dining room has a lot of white.   The food was quite affordable, as I said earlier.  Got a full meal for $9 and had to take more than half of the main course home with me.

Kyle Weaver works at Stackpole, and took on the job of re-editing the second version of Diners of Pennsylvania.  I went on two trips in northeast Pennsylvania to check in with diner owners.  Kay's was a stop for dinner with Kyle.  While the O'Mahony diner does not sport a counter, at least it was saved.  The current owner found the diner in a scrapyard and saved it.  The diner acts as additional seating for his hugely popular Italian restaurant.  Also, the baked goods are insanely good.  Like I have told people. The Scranton area really has some good food, and if you go hungry in this region, you're either sick, or not trying.

  I had been by Al's diner once, quite a few moons ago, but I finally got to eat at this O'Mahony Diner now named Nick & Ivy's Country Diner in October of 2011.  Al Sloan brought his and three other diners up to Alpena, Michigan and decided to get this one open for the residents to enjoy.  The diner was quiet when I stopped in, on a Thursday.  The interior is pretty much original and sports an L shape customer area with the kitchen in behind the counter area.  The women's room door was open and showed that the diner had pink tiles on the floor in the women's room.

Moving farther west, the Band Box Diner was built by Butler Mfg just before World War 2.  Over a dozen of these little diners were placed all over Minneapols - St. Paul, with this one in the Dinkytown section of Minneapolis the final Band Box.  The interior has been enlarged, which may be why this diner was able to survive.  Today, the diner is an iconic part of the neighborhood, whereas one time, it was rumor to have been a hang out for mobsters.  When I ate here with Gordon Tindall, I asked the owner if the fries were real and he said they were and that the stools, and the water were also real.

We will end in the southwest in Arlington, Texas, at the only diner I have eaten at in Texas so far.  I ate here with my cousin Wendi S. just before heading out towards Colorado.  This Starlite diner started out as a Denny's, but was discontinued and sold to an independent owner.  My cousin did not know about this place and said the food was good and she hopes to go back.  The interior has forest green trim, which is rare for Starlites as the vast majority have red trim.  I could not find a tag for this 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)