Miss Worcester Diner Reopens

The Miss Worcester Diner, on Southbridge Street in Worcester MA, has finally reopened after years of legal wrangling and a complete renovation. Please see the linked article from the Worcester T&G:

http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061007/NEWS/610070339/1006/NEWSLETTERS07

quote:

Originally posted by MUGger

The Miss Worcester Diner, on Southbridge Street in Worcester MA, has finally reopened after years of legal wrangling and a complete renovation. Please see the linked article from the Worcester T&G:

http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061007/NEWS/610070339/1006/NEWSLETTERS07

Hi MUGger and welcome aboard. Can you tell us something about the diner, what they do well, what the atmosphere is like etc? I've never been there but would take a drive if worthwhile. Thanks. Fred

I only had breakfast there, so I can't give you much other than observations.

First, it will be open every day but Monday, and with operate around the clock on weekends.

Second, when I try a place for breakfast for the first time, I usually order eggs, bacon, toast and home fries. My eggs were cooked right as ordered (over medium). I was offered and got Italian toast -- a nice Shrewbury Street touch away from Shrewsbury Street. The bacon seemed good quality -- not too fatty, nicely crisped. The home fries were O.K. -- cubed potatoes with peppers and onions, and plenty of paprika. They were not crisp, however, and I like that crisp outside/soft inside you get with the best home fries (a personal preference -- the home fries were fine for what they are, and obviously freshly made).

Third, the breakfast choices seemed good and varied -- beside some tempting specials, the menu had internationally themed breakfasts (corned beef hash and eggs for Irish, kielbasa and eggs for Polish). The one that tickled me was the Hawaiian breakfast -- Spam and eggs (should this have been the Monty Python breakfast instead?). The menus seemed like they were run off a copier, instead of pre-printed -- usually a good sign, because the cooks can be flexible and adjust to tastes as the place's clientele evolves.

Fourth, the renovations seemed nicely done with respect for the place -- there was tile on the bottom of the counter and a tiled step in front of the stools, with just enough chrome and wood to give it that authentic diner aura. The Miss Worcester had casual, efficient service and a real friendly "neighborhood" feel, despite its location (surrounded by railroad yards and factory buildings). It was nicely crowded the entire time I was there.

Fifth, the boast for the place (in the article) is that the food on the menu was homemade, down to the soup and sausages. I always take that kind of boast with a grain of salt -- I tasted a lot of canned and pre-prepared food at the previous incarnation of the Miss Worcester.

Bottom line: if you're already coming to Worcester or are not too far away, it's worth trying a meal. I probably will be back a few times, to see what they offer for lunch and dinner.

Sounds like a diner! Thanks for the review, looks worth a trip. Fred

About Diners. Many of us are fascinated by them. The reasons are multifarious. In short, you know why you like ‘em. However, there really isn't one truly definitive website delineating the history, lore, traditions, preservation and up-to-date news regarding our love affair with this uniquely American institution.

Indeed, there are several sites devoted to diners. And some do an awfully good job at what they do. But at the end of the day, despite dozens of pictures and scattered histories and wonderful reminiscences, they are rather incomplete. And with no coordination between these albeit dedicated but scattered and disparate websites, one rarely picks up where the other leaves off.

OK…It’s not the March of Western Civilization. But don’t we feel a terrible loss when something vanishes and we have little recorded about it…what it was and what it meant to us?

That said, has there ever been talk here of adding a thread to Roadfood.Com dedicated only to the noble diner, where information, pictures, history and anecdotes can build and grow until, voila, there it is, the comprehensive be-all, end-all, know-it-all about diners? Just wondering.
The Bear

We have several diners here in Worcester (which manufactured diner cars for many years), and I've visited a few elsewhere. For me, the quintessential diner has the following physical features:

- It must be long instead of wide, with a counter and stools than run the length of the diner.

- The grill and the food prep areas must be behind the counter.

- Windows and chrome all around, with a line of booths paralleling the counter.

- A door at each end.

The intangibles, however, are what make a place a "diner." Some of those intangibles include a history and a name like the "Miss Worcester" -- you should feel as if your dad or grandfather could have sat in your seat and had a similar meal. The name is important. It's like a boat -- names add romance and nostalgia, and give a diner a sense of place and time. Diners may change ownership, but their names assure that they don't lose their accumulated history. Because of their compactness, a diner should also have that friendly neighborhood feel -- waitresses who know all the "regulars," banter between the cooks, customers and waitresses, opinions expressed freely. Sort of like the best bars, only with food. You should also feel that it's a family friendly place, and that there is no problem taking your brood there for a meal (although it's best for a one-on-one meal with your kid).

The food is almost secondary. At a minimum, however, a diner should do eggs well. The rest of the offering should be affordable, filling and taste homemade (even if your mother was a bad cook).

BTW, I think a diner thread is a great idea for this forum, given that a diner is "roadfood", often at its best.

Most diners are a result of the industrial revolution. At that time the early ones were horse drawn and some but very few exist today. Muger pointed out that the Miss Worcester had a neiborhood feel although in an area that is less than that. Well thats where diners were, in areas located with industry and commerce. The hours of operation were limited 4am to 2pm was the norm. They catered to the working man not the neiborhood. Today some diners have become yuppiefyed with a diverse menu in many, and linnen service to boot. It's nice to see the Miss Worcester has been reurected on it's original location, the Worcester dinning car has a long and proud history, the Caddilac of dinning cars. Chow Jim

The manufacturer of the Miss Worcestor Diner, the Worcestor Lunch Car Company manufactured diners in the 1930s (a classic example is the Miss Bellows Fall Diner) which has that rounded roof look and the ceramic and steel walls. Absolutely beautiful. I agree that atmosphere is key but diners often are places where you can get a terrific breakfast that goes beyond the fare at IHOP or other chains and that is often more regional in nature. There is also a club you can join - I tried to Google it but kept coming up with sites for the credit card - for diner fans. I'll keep looking. Fred

try- dinercity.com

This is my first post... I just joined tonite and am excited to share my diner experience at the Miss Worcester this week also. We found the Miss Worcester by accident last thursday, Oct 5 because we were on our way to Maine and just wanted to see the site as it was the home of so many great diners we had visited over the years. We were pleasently shocked to find it open with a huge sign out front announcing "WE MADE IT! NOW OPEN - Miss Worcester Diner - Great Food - Ice Cold Cold Coke". We also sampled the breakfast menu and share the above opinions on the food - mostly pretty good. I also tried the home made blueberry pie which was better than average... a good crust and a tasty filling. I have photos I would like to share with you all but I don't know how to post them yet... I will read the instructions tonite and try and post my review and pictures. The new owners have tried to keep the original character of the decor and have redone the wood paneling, re-painted the original stools, and added some more modern florescent lighting. The booths and counter areas still maintain the original atmosphere and we didn't notice the new lighting until I asked what had been redone. We will definitely do a return visit.