O'Rourke's - Middletown, CT

Posted by Michael Stern on December 18, 2008

Brian O’Rourke’s diner just keeps getting better and better.

It’s located at the far end of Middletown’s Main Street, where the dawn air swirls with the wake-up scents of hot coffee, frying spuds, and cologne of working people ready to start their day. You can claim a seat at counter or booth and eat the most basic kinds of blue-plate fare, including masterful omelets every morning and noontime fare that can be as simple as a pancake-flat grilled cheese sandwich for $1.25 or as copious as a Rueben sandwich with French fries for $4.75.

Among O’Rourke’s good everyday dishes are the steamed cheeseburger (a central Connecticut passion), 3-way chili “Seeley style” (named for the diner’s most devoted patron, J Seeley), fish and chips, and a “tuna smelt” sandwich with red onion, bacon, and steamed cheese.

The homemade soups are spectacular; there are always two or three from which to choose, including such recent springtime wonders as potato-caraway and cream of Portobello mushroom. As we plowed through lunch in our booth last March, we watched a small club of leather-clad bikers occupy one end of O’Rourke’s counter and chat with one another about the extraordinary creaminess of the mushroom soup, sending their compliments back to the semi-open kitchen.

In recent years, Brian O’Rourke has been more and more inspired to create meals to suit special occasions, ranging from stunning Sunday brunches to holiday fare that is truly world-class. Around Mardi Gras time, his daily lunch menu features moist blackened catfish, shrimp and crawfish jambalaya with hefty red Creole sauce, and an andouille sausage and chicken gumbo that he told us he learned to cook at the elbow of Paul Prudhomme.

Overall: Worth driving from anyplace

17 out of 18 people found the review helpful. Was it helpful to you?

Reviewers "Must Eats" List

Omelet ($8.00)

Swordfish Cakes ($13.00)

Brown Bread Muffin (N/A)

soup ($4.00)

Bacon & Eggs ($6.00)

steamed cheeseburger ($5.00)

chili ($6.00)

"Brian told me what was in this vegan soup, but I forgot what he said. I do remember that it was delicious and rib-sticking."
Michael Stern

"Having started lunch with this little sampler of seafood soup, I suddenly developed a tremendous hankering for a seafood main course. The waitress suggested I have the swordfish cakes set upon a bed of the soup. Excellent idea!"
Michael Stern

"This is just a "tasting plate" of O'Rouke's gumbo, which is subtle, aromatic, and impossible to stop eating."
Michael Stern

"We snapped this picture of an omelet on the grill, ready to be plated. We're not exactly sure which of the countless choices it is. It is topped with smoked mozzarella and roasted yellow peppers."
Michael Stern

"A traditional breakfast of bacon and eggs is accompanied by slices of toast made from one of O'Rourke's made-here breads."
Michael Stern

"An amusement park for tastebuds: the chunky swordfish cakes are set atop thin slices of fried eggplant and topped with a zesty-sweet zucchini-poblano chili relish."
Michael Stern

"Just one of the many breakfast offerings at O'Rourke's. Delightful!"
KitschKat

"This is a brown bread muffin, one of the multitude of interesting breadstuffs always available at O'Rourke's"
Michael Stern

"A steamed cheeseburger at O'Rourke's, but not the way Brian O'Rourke thinks it's best. He says the only proper condiments are onion and mustard."
Michael Stern

"Simple fare, but a tasty way to start the day."
KitschKat

"On the stove behind his grill, Brian keeps diced sweet potatoes and the makings of beef hash."
Michael Stern

"Brian O'Rourke puts the finishing touch -- a dollop of jam -- onto a Dubliner omelet plate."
Michael Stern

"O'Rourke's Mardi Gras special"
Michael Stern

"About 10am Sunday morning, there wasn't a seat available in any booth ... but some counter space was still available."
Michael Stern

"O'Rourke's neon: beautiful!"
dzsmith

"Rebuilt and in business. The steamed cheeseburger and eight-ounce glass bottle of Coca-Cola is $10. Well worth it."
murdercycles

"O'Rourke's is treasured by diner aficionados, who appreciate its unrestored 1940s beauty."
Michael Stern