Diners

Re:Diners (MetroplexJim)

Thu, 06 Dec 2012 07:19:46 GMT

mjambro

MetroplexJim

Twinwillow

Diners? Diners? Are you tawkin to me? How do you think I feel after growing up in the NYC area and now live in Dallas! The only diners I ever see are the other people eating in the same restaurant!

I was going to make a similar comment about the total lack of diners in Dallas, but I can't top my friend Michael!

To be sure there are a lot of places that call themselves "diners" in the Metroplex, but none of them have a menu like this: http://www.metro29diner.com/menu.html . Now that's a DINER!

Hmm - $1.75 for toast? $5.75 for one egg, home fries & toast? Side order of fries - $4.50?

Bring an American Express card - Sorry, that's no diner.

While I much prefer the quaintness (as well as fare & pricing) of a typical New England diner, my favorite NJ style diner is Clinton Station Diner (NJ) - excellent quality at about half the price of the referenced diner
http://www.clintonstationdiner.com/index.htm
http://www.clintonstationdiner.com/breakfast.htm.

As we know from, e.g., the demise of the Stage Deli in The City, pricing reflects the 'hood in which the establishment is located. Here is the cheapest house available in their 'hood:
http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/4132-21st-Rd-N_Arlington_VA_22207_M66705-68497 . That was my old Virginia 'hood; we went to the cashier's window in 2005 - when prices were even higher than today's silliness - and moved to Texas.

Here's what $15,000 less buys in my new Texas 'hood: http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/903-Creekline-Way_Mc-Kinney_TX_75070_M85905-37609 .

And, menu prices are also a little more reasonable "down here".

Re:Diners (mjambro)

Thu, 06 Dec 2012 06:22:05 GMT

MetroplexJim

Twinwillow

Diners? Diners? Are you tawkin to me? How do you think I feel after growing up in the NYC area and now live in Dallas! The only diners I ever see are the other people eating in the same restaurant!

I was going to make a similar comment about the total lack of diners in Dallas, but I can't top my friend Michael!

To be sure there are a lot of places that call themselves "diners" in the Metroplex, but none of them have a menu like this: http://www.metro29diner.com/menu.html . Now that's a DINER!

Hmm - $1.75 for toast? $5.75 for one egg, home fries & toast? Side order of fries - $4.50?

Bring an American Express card - Sorry, that's no diner.

While I much prefer the quaintness (as well as fare & pricing) of a typical New England diner, my favorite NJ style diner is Clinton Station Diner (NJ) - excellent quality at about half the price of the referenced diner
http://www.clintonstationdiner.com/index.htm
http://www.clintonstationdiner.com/breakfast.htm.

Re:Diners (Wintahaba)

Mon, 03 Dec 2012 14:52:13 GMT

Re:Diners (Wintahaba)

Mon, 03 Dec 2012 14:40:56 GMT

That Diner has gone through a real transition....The Streamliner (A 50's Not a 40's Diner-sorry)/Bob's Streamliner/Bob's Beef House/Mama's Italian Restaurant/Nino's/Uptown Sushi/Breakers FFX/Now closed again. It's amazing though that the original diner is still underneath all the remodeling Mama's started in the 80's. In the front inside you can still see some of the pink formica ceiling. I would love to uncover it and return it to it's glory. The Bob's addition in the rear right worked okay w/ the original Diner.

Re:Diners (MetroplexJim)

Mon, 03 Dec 2012 06:16:22 GMT

Wintahaba

No, The original one. My other late night haunts were Bob's Diner (Bob's Beef House-a 40's factory built Diner) and the Howard Johnson's, both in Fairfax Circle.

Bob's Beef House! One night about 30 years ago I dined there alone and had a traditional filet - bacon wrapped and served on toast. What a late-night treat! As there were few in the 'house', the owner walked through and introduced himself as Dean Martin's brother.

He looked like Dean, drank like Dean, and knew a helluva lot about Steubenville, Wheeling, and Pittsburgh; so, I guess he was!

Re:Diners (Wintahaba)

Sun, 02 Dec 2012 16:08:00 GMT

No, The original one. My other late night haunts were Bob's Diner (Bob's Beef House-a 40's factory built Diner) and the Howard Johnson's, both in Fairfax Circle.

Re:Diners (MetroplexJim)

Sun, 02 Dec 2012 14:45:24 GMT

Wintahaba

Jim, Did you ever go to Bob and Edith's Diner in Arlington, Va? Not factory built, but a great post party 24Hr place. Spent a "few" late nights (early morning?) at the counter in the 80's. Chris

Most definitely, yes -- especially during my mid-life crisis phase of dating "recent college graduates" back in the '90's. Both activities were exhausting!

(I assume you are talking about their original place on Columbia Pike near the Sheraton and the Navy Annex. That place is legendary for post 2 A.M. 'hangover prophylaxis'. In the late '90's they also opened a second, much larger place in an old Roy Rogers down the Pike between George Mason & Four Mile Run. Much different vibe there.).

Re:Diners (CCinNJ)

Sun, 02 Dec 2012 12:28:11 GMT

The bread pudding is soooo good...I'd pay $14.95 just for that!

Re:Diners (Twinwillow)

Sun, 02 Dec 2012 12:21:29 GMT

A great meal and, a great deal! Plus, I loved the article about the O'Mahony diners.
I truly believe the diner I grew up with in Cedarhurst, L.I. was one of their smaller "Westbury" diners. I've been told it's been, long gone.

Re:Diners (CCinNJ)

Sun, 02 Dec 2012 12:12:28 GMT

Jerry O'Mahony was a Bayonne native.

http://dinerhunter.com/20...y-omahony-dining-cars/

Our neighborhood Diner has always been a great place.

http://www.broadwaybistrobayonne.com/index.html

We had a family meal there last week. Here's my lunch...

I forgot to take a pic of my salad and sweet & sour red cabbage.

It was $14.95.

Re:Diners (Wintahaba)

Sun, 02 Dec 2012 11:56:09 GMT

Jim, Did you ever go to Bob and Edith's Diner in Arlington, Va? Not factory built, but a great post party 24Hr place. Spent a "few" late nights (early morning?) at the counter in the 80's. Chris

Re:Diners (Twinwillow)

Sun, 02 Dec 2012 11:40:20 GMT

Great clip, Jim. Thanks. As a matter of fact, I had just watched their DDD re-run the other night.

That lamb dinner with those Greek potatoes looked fantastic! It was obviously not delivered by a Sysco truck. Although I'm afraid to say, in Dallas it probably would be.

An aside, next time you're in town, try Farnatchi in Knox Village. 2 doors down from Fadi's. You'll love it!
http://www.farnatchi.com/Farnatchi_Menus.html
It's also BYOB (for you). Mrs. Metroplex can enjoy the peach ice tea.

PS; Have the chicken parm paninni served with the (best) skinny fries with a ton of fresh, finely minced chopped garlic and parsley sprinkled on top. And, a garlic mayo dipping sauce on the side.
Bring mints!

Re:Diners (MetroplexJim)

Sun, 02 Dec 2012 09:09:40 GMT

chewingthefat

MetroplexJim

Twinwillow

Diners? Diners? Are you tawkin to me? How do you think I feel after growing up in the NYC area and now live in Dallas! The only diners I ever see are the other people eating in the same restaurant!

I was going to make a similar comment about the total lack of diners in Dallas, but I can't top my friend Michael!

To be sure there are a lot of places that call themselves "diners" in the Metroplex, but none of them have a menu like this: http://www.metro29diner.com/menu.html . Now that's a DINER!

Great menu Jim, plus it tells me I'm way underpriced!

Yes, they are a little pricey but they have a prime location in a very "pricey 'hood": 22207. And, they certainly don't skimp either on their portions or the quality of their food; e.g., the cheese and cold cut leftovers from their $12 chef's salad were always more than sufficient for another meal!

Here's their DDD segment: http://www.metro29diner.com/diners.html that gives you the 'flavor' of this wonderful enterprise. If it could be duplicated here in one of our equivalent 'hoods: the Park Cities, Lakewood, or North Dallas; it would be "a destination".

Re:Diners (Twinwillow)

Sat, 01 Dec 2012 19:18:37 GMT

As you can tell from the pics, that never happened. Too bad.

The closest thing we have to a real diner in Dallas is the
"Original Market Diner". But, its open for breakfast and lunch only. The food is excellent during its open times but in addition to not serving dinner, it's too far away from the populated demographic area it would draw from.
http://originalmarketdiner.com/Home.html

After looking at their new website, I see they're now open for dinner Thur-Sat.

Re:Diners (Wintahaba)

Sat, 01 Dec 2012 18:41:52 GMT

Thank you very much for the links and your experience overview. The reason I called it a Diner (or thought it still may be) is it was factory built in Kansas to be a diner originally. Chris

Re:Diners (Twinwillow)

Sat, 01 Dec 2012 17:45:07 GMT

@Wintahaba: Reviews and pics for Wingfield's in Dallas-
http://www.yelp.com/biz/w...ast-and-burgers-dallas
http://wingfieldsbreakfastandburgers.com/

Re:Diners (chewingthefat)

Sat, 01 Dec 2012 17:39:26 GMT

MetroplexJim

Twinwillow

Diners? Diners? Are you tawkin to me? How do you think I feel after growing up in the NYC area and now live in Dallas! The only diners I ever see are the other people eating in the same restaurant!

I was going to make a similar comment about the total lack of diners in Dallas, but I can't top my friend Michael!

To be sure there are a lot of places that call themselves "diners" in the Metroplex, but none of them have a menu like this: http://www.metro29diner.com/menu.html . Now that's a DINER!

Great menu Jim, plus it tells me I'm way underpriced!

Re:Diners (Twinwillow)

Sat, 01 Dec 2012 17:31:42 GMT

I've been there and have to say, their burgers are very, very good. A good, 1/2 lb good! But they are not a "diner" in any way shape or form. Just a (very busy) burger place in a hispanic neighborhood in the Oak Cliff section of Dallas.

Re:Diners (Wintahaba)

Sat, 01 Dec 2012 13:00:16 GMT

Have either of you two Dallas gents ever been to Wingfield's Breakfast and Burgers? It is a tiny early 1960's Valentine Co. built Diner (Wichita, Kansas) that gets rave reviews for the burgers, I don't believe they serve breakfast though. I guess it's not in the best part of town from reading reviews. The single is a 1/2 pounder. Wingfield's Breakfast & Burger 2615 S Beckley Ave Dallas, TX 75224 (214) 943-5214

Re:Diners (Twinwillow)

Sat, 01 Dec 2012 12:42:22 GMT

Now, THAT'S a diner menu! Thanks, Jim.

Re:Diners (MetroplexJim)

Sat, 01 Dec 2012 12:20:54 GMT

Twinwillow

Diners? Diners? Are you tawkin to me? How do you think I feel after growing up in the NYC area and now live in Dallas! The only diners I ever see are the other people eating in the same restaurant!

I was going to make a similar comment about the total lack of diners in Dallas, but I can't top my friend Michael!

To be sure there are a lot of places that call themselves "diners" in the Metroplex, but none of them have a menu like this: http://www.metro29diner.com/menu.html . Now that's a DINER!

Re:Diners (Wintahaba)

Sat, 01 Dec 2012 10:14:00 GMT

I know that Jersey has the MOST Diners, mostly they are the large post 1965 style w/ a gazillion things on the menu. I personally prefer the New England style of 30-60 seats for a more true interactive Diner experience. This said, almost all of the classic Diners were made in NJ (except Worcester Dining Car Co. and Sterling) and shipped all over the East Coast. My favs for food and experience are the A1 Diner (Worcester DCC) in Gardiner, ME-The Modern Diner (Sterling Streamliner) in Pawtucket, RI-Quintessence Diner (Fodero DCC) in Albany, NY which is now closed as Albany Med bought the land for expansion-future unknown.

Re:Diners (tcrouzer)

Sat, 01 Dec 2012 09:47:59 GMT

While my own diner experience is limited, I can recommend the Park Place Diner in Denver PA. Six of us ate there on our last trip to Lancaster PA for the quilt show. We always go to Denver to drop a few dollars at Sauder's Fabric Shop and look for local places to have lunch. Park Place (formerly Zinn's Diner) has a large menu and we were all pleased with the quality of the food and our experience there.

Re:Diners (Pigiron)

Sat, 01 Dec 2012 00:14:23 GMT

I live in Jersey now, and am within walking distance of a very popular diner. I find myself eating there many times each month. It's always packed with families, cops, tables full of kids sports teams, teenagers goofing around. During the week after the hurricane, it was a quasi community center. The entire town was there charging phones and having hot meals. It's really nice to have it there. It's always open, always friendly, and my kid loves it. My only complaint: the food sucks. I guess you can't have everything.

Re:Diners (Twinwillow)

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 23:51:38 GMT

Thanks, starfire62. In the million times I've watched Goodfellas, I never noticed that!

Re:Diners (starfire62)

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 23:40:09 GMT

and if you notice when the truck driver goes back into the diner you can see modern cars driving by on the highway.

Re:Diners (Tony Bad)

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 21:55:01 GMT

I drove limos for a few years, spent a lot of time at the NY area airports. I drank enough coffee from the Airline Diner to float a small ship.

Re:Diners (Twinwillow)

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 21:02:52 GMT

Scrolling down from the top, in the "Goodfellas" clip, "The beginning". It's supposed to be 1963 but, they're leaning on the trunk of a '65 Chevy. I know because I owned one in 1965. Also, There were no 747's flying in 1963. Boeing didn't start flying the 747 until the late 70's
http://aht.seriouseats.co...storia-queens-nyc.html

Re:Diners (Twinwillow)

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 20:54:08 GMT

Thank you, Wintahaba for clearing an old man's memory! http://www.panoramio.com/photo/16618540

Re:Diners (Wintahaba)

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 20:27:32 GMT

TW, It is a stunning 1952 "Mountain View" built diner called THE AIRLINE DINER...now Jackson Hole...A sweet neon...I am a diner freak....and seeking treatment. Chris