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)

Diners #71-75

  Lousy weather calls for dreams of diners.  But first some news.  The Hometown Diner from Ottawa, Ohio is moving to Rindge, New Hampshire.  This Silk City diner started out as the Silver Diner in Kentucky and was bought by Steve Harwin who fixed it up.  I was able to visit the diner while in Ottawa, Ohio, which is in the northwest quadrant of Ohio.  The diner had a mediocre location, being north of downtown in a corner of a mid century shopping plaza.  Good food and a good experience would negate any location issues.  The food was not bad when I was there, but I think the owner, who was living part time, if not most of the time, in Germany, wanted to be in Germany all of the time.  Ottawa is also not a large place, so I am sure they did not have a large customer base either.  Their population according to google is 4,438.
   In "celebration" of the moving of this diner, I will be posting photos of diners that have moved recently or will be moving shortly. 
 

  Here is the Hometown Diner, which by the time most people read this, will be in Rindge, New Hampshire.  But when this photo was taken, it was in Ottawa, Ohio.  You can barely see that the back building has a little Silk City style to it, but otherwise, it is plain.  I am not a fan of the foyer. It is too boxy and takes away from the curvy charm of this Silk City diner.  The interior has its original tones of brown tile and is simple but clean.  It will be sad to see this go, but getting to Ottawa was not an easy task without losing quite a bit of time on my travels.  Sometimes that is part of the purpose of traveling, and sometimes you just want to get to your destination, as a vacation is only so long.

Keeping in Ohio and with a Silk City theme is Kim's Classic Diner in Sabina, Ohio.  Another small town.  This one is west of dowtown, at least on a US highway.  I have eaten here only once and I think I have been through town three other times, when the diner has been closed.  The internet seems to say the food was not all that good, and Sabina just does not seem like a diner town.   This diner started out near Port Jervis, New york on US Rt 6, was bought by Al Sloan and moved to Alpena, Michigan before it went to Ohio.  I met the original owners and they seemed nice and interested in diners, but a business takes so much more than that.

Here is a two for!  The Pumpjack Diners located in Wichita Falls, Texas.  Both of these diners were remodeled by Steve Harwin.  This one was the former Brandywine Diner of Wilmington, Delaware.  Mountain View #368 from 1954 according to Steve Harwin.  Steve talks about the nightmare in rescuing and restoring the diner.  He stated that when the owner closed down the diner, he was living there and that many animals also lived inside the diner.  The other diner seen below is a 1955 O'Mahony diner from Dayton, 

Ohio.  In Dayton, it was known as the Gatehouse

Diner.  This was a chain of two diners, one being a Sterling diner.
  When I visited these diner in Wichita Falls, they were closed, and there is no word on if they will reopen.  The city is a good size, but the location is quite odd, being maybe 100 feet from an above round expressway over the city streets.  Not terribly difficult to get to, but not easy on and off, the diner really sits in a residential neighborhood just outside of the downtown area.

 A Valentine diner to end this trip out west to closed diners that have recently been moved.  Chickasha, Oklahoma is home to a roadside gem called the Muscle Car Ranch, owned by Curtis Hart.  Curtis has collected a ton of roadside signs from all our the lower mid-west and assembled them at his RV park.   Among his collection are two Valentine diners.  This one, Brees Diner spent most of its days in Chickasha.  Curtis found it in storage in a nearby town and brought it back to his ranch.  It is mostly original on the inside.

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 #66-70

Some historical diner stuff, which I will post about on the blog, but otherwise not a lot of diner news.  Had a nice mother's day dinner at the Country View Diner in Brunswick/Troy, New York.
  In Rhode Island, Poirier's Diner will reopen.  Not sure what the name will be, if they will keep the Poirier's name. Will find out soon.  The diner was moved to a different location in Providence and rehabbed.  If not sooner, I do plan to visit the diner on Saturday October 19.

  In honor of this, I will start with a diner in Rhode Island.  he State Line diner is on US Rt 6 just over the border from Connecticut.  I passed the diner a few times, but have only been inside twice.  The diner is a narrow model Worcester.  There is not a row of booths along the windows like your typical Worcester, but this one only has booths at one end of the diner.   This is the layout that Ward & Dickinson used for their diners.  The counter dominates the interior, and the interior is very original.  The absolute only negative in the entryway, otherwise this is a nice diner to see!

  The East Shore Diner in Harrisburg, a 1953 O'Mahony features a L shaped interior.  From my photo, you can see the two pieces that came together to form the East Shore Diner.   I have only passed this diner twice and have eaten here once.  The interior is nicely kept.  According to Diners of Pennsylvania, the diner is only open until 3 pm as the area's business dies down in the evening.  The diner sits on a former bypass of Harrisburg that has more of an industrial flavor.  It is a shame there are not many more of these double unit O'Mahony diners in such nice shape.

The Silver Spartan Diner sits on the Campus of Case Western University just east of downtown Cleveland in Ohio.  The Diner Mite built diner is open to the public, but seems to cater more to college students than to the outside public.  Urbanspoon dot com reported that Denny's has taken over  the location and google maps can not find the diner, so I do not know if the diner is gone or being used by Denny's.  You can not tell from this photo, but the diner is difficult to photograph due to its location.  Being a Diner Mite, there is not much interesting to the diner, from an architectural standpoint.

 Arthur's Paradise Diner in Lowell, Massachusetts is a Worcester diner.  I have been by this diner two or three times, but have never been inside.  The diner seems like it is only open on the weekdays.  The diner sits in a former mill area, where many of the mills have been re-purposed as either apartments or shops.  hopefully sometime in the near future I can partake in a meal at the Paradise.  although I have photographed all the diners in Lowell, I have only eaten in one of them.  Note the stained glass windows in the top sash, a Worcester tradition for many of their diners.

Unfortunately, by the time I got to this Mountain View in Front Royal, Virginia, it was a car dealership.  They did allow me to go inside and look at the diner. The terrazzo is original, so if someone wanted to, they could bring this diner back to life.  Front Royal is the northern entryway to Skyline Drive, the northern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway.  It is a real shame this diner doesn't serve people in town anymore, as this is a neat old time town.  From the placement of the down drain, it looks like this was a two piece diner, which made it easier to be brought down to the factory in New Jersey.

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 #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)