Syracuse diner, Doc's Little Gem, to serve last meal tonight

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2010/03/syracuse_diner_docs_little_gem.html
 
 
Another diner down the drain. Too bad.
 
Luckily, for Syracuse, they still have many good diners in and around the city of Syracuse. But, it is the end of a long era for many of us with fond Little Gem memories - mostly, late at night.

it's to bad, had a lot of late night meals there after a night out in Syracuse

Today's article in the Post-Standard:
 


 
syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2010/04/with_one_last_overflow_crowd_d.html
 
I'm having a hard time re-posting links.  They show up in the preview, but not in the post itself.

Hey folks it's still for sale!

Whenever we were in Syracuse, enroute to our farm in Carthage, we made a point to stop at the Syracuse Diner.  It will be missed

I had a number of great late night meals there after hitting the town as well. The food had actually gotten pretty bad in recent years, in my opinion, but it's sad that another Syracuse landmark is disappearing.

SeamusD, I agree with you.  My last meal there was really quite dreadful...................it really  went down hill in past  few years.

Actually,  I spent most of my life in the Syracuse area and know all the restaurants there very well.  Most of my family  reside in  Syracuse area  so I am up with  the restaurant scene there.  So  I will again repeat that  The  Little Gem Diner went down hill and  really was bas the last time I was there.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

CC, I live in Ithaca about an hour from Syracuse so I'm well aware of Doc's closing.
Around these parts its all the local media is talking about.

It was built by the Fodero Dining Car Company.

Doc's little Gem was more of an experience than great food. IMO, the North Side (now Little Italy) had better food at their diners - even late at night. But there was a certain authenticity to the place that catered to the late night, trucker, blue collar crowd, with it's location in an industrial area.

If the Inner Harbor project ever really had gotten off the ground, the Little Gem would've thrived. But that never happened, then the smoking ban - which kept away the regular crowd, leaving only weekends and late night. And, as I said, much competition in that arena, as well - especially as some food joints in the Armory District stayed open late to feed the hungry boozers.

The last meal I had there was fine. The smoking ban was already in effect, so the place was super clean - which was shocking. I had never seen it sparkle so much. There was nothing wrong with our breakfast other than the portion sizes were smaller than the old days, and the prices were up a bit. But, it's not like my stomach was empty - plus, after living in DC for 9 years, the prices were still cheaper than here. So I wasn't complaining.

Still, food-wise, it had nothing on Serpico's and Stella's on the North Side, Mom's Diner on Wescott, Nick's Place in Hanover Square (the best diner food in Syr, IMO) and suburban stallwarts like the B'ville Diner in Baldwinsville.

But that old car had some charm, as did the staff - even the gruff ones. So, a certain piece of Syracuse history has closed. Maybe someone will buy it and re-open it - with a new direction for the next generation who appreciate eating home-spun food in the art deco car.

In case there's confusion, The Miss Syracuse Diner, on Water St, is still open for breakfast and lunch.  The open again, closed again, etc., etc., Miss Syracuse Diner has been open under new owners since last year. The Bixler diner has been serving Syracuse since 1939.