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Iconic Diners Beckon Foliage Watchers Who've Worked Up An Appetite
Diners have long been community gathering spaces where locals and visitors rub shoulders while whetting their appetites with freshly prepared homestyle food at a reasonable price. Diners are ideal stopping spots for foliage watchers, either before setting out to see Mother Nature's colorful autumn display or while enroute along the state's highways, byways and backroads.
Slide into a booth or perch on a stool at the counter and order up your favorite breakfast foods, a BLT or tuna melt for lunch, and a turkey dinner for your evening meal and you'll be repeating a tradition that began in the late 1800s with lunch wagons that served casual fare to people of all backgrounds.
Today's diners take many forms, with a number of them being repurposed train dining cars. Whatever the building looks like, diners are nostalgic eating spots where the waitresses are friendly, the service is reliable, the homestyle cooking satisfies your cravings, and you'll walk away full and satisfied.
The Main Street Station Diner, Plymouth, NH
Take a walk along Plymouth's Main Street and you'll immediately spot The Main Street Station Diner which is housed in a 1946 trolley car with the word "Francher's" printed on either side of the door.
Step inside for breakfast or lunch and you'll be welcomed by the Nesteruk family, who pride themselves on delicious food and attentive service. Bright red bench seats in the booths and red counter stools add a cheery note on even the cloudiest day.
The Classic, The Irish and The Florentine, each on a homemade English muffin, will appeal to Eggs Benedict fans, while buttermilk pancakes, chicken and waffles or French toast may whet another person's appetite. Other favorites on the Breakfast menu include almost a dozen omelet varieties, breakfast burritos and breakfast sandwiches, or order up a simple scrambled eggs, bacon and toast plate.
The lunch menu features favorite appetizers, burgers, sandwiches, soups and salads, and desserts, along with a kids' menu. Specialty cocktails include a Mimosa of the Week and a Boody Mary of the Week.
• Open every day from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. 105 Main St., Plymouth. www.themainstreetstationnh.com
The Littleton Diner, Littleton, NH
The Littleton Diner is a Main Street staple, welcoming locals and visitors since 1930 with home-cooked New England-style food prepared just how you like it, and living up to its tagline: "Where there's always something cookin'!"
Chris and Patti Williford have been the hands-on owners since 2003 and are proud to serve meals prepared in the diner's kitchen that will "be hearty, portions generous and prices affordable."
Breakfast is served all day. If you're a hash lover don't miss the Diner's Famous Homemade Corned Beef Hash. Build Your Own Diner Breakfasts and Breakfast Traditions like the Grandview, the North of the Border, the Hungryman and the Yankee are also popular.
The lunch and dinner menu includes paninis, wraps, soups, chili and corn chowder, salads, specialty sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs, and club sandwiches. The Diner prepares outstanding traditional favorites like the Roast Turkey Dinner, Meatloaf Platter, Fried Scallops & Shrimp, Fish & Chips, Spaghetti & Meatballs and an old-fashioned staple, Liver, Bacon & Onions served with potatoes and vegetables. Don't forget to save room for dessert. The Littleton Diner also has Seniors' and Kids' menus. Beer and wine are available.
NOTE: The Littleton Diner does not accept credit cards. There is an on-site ATM for customers' convenience.
• Open every day from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. www.littletondiner.com
The most requested breakfast item on the menu at the 104 Diner is The Cadillac, featuring eggs prepared how you like them, with toast, bacon and sausage, along with your choice of home fries or beans, and French toast, pancakes or waffles, says General Manager Megan Price. Other popular favorites include the home-made chop suey, the chicken pot pie and frappes.
The 104 Diner menu features traditional foods like the house-made mac & cheese, pastrami melt, meatloaf, chicken parm, mushroom Swiss burger, chicken fingers and potato skins among many others. Toll House pie, carrot cake and strawberry shortcake are among the dessert favorites.
The diner has a full bar menu with beer, wine and spirits, including its Signature Cocktails. Non-alcoholic drinks include Common Man-bottled root beer, cherry cokes and ice cream sodas.
The '50s-style roadside diner's customer base includes a good number of both regular locals and visiting tourists, says Ms. Price.
Open Sunday to Thursday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday and Saturday, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. The 104 Diner is a Common Man restaurant.
• 752 NH Route 104, New Hampton. www.thecman.com
At George's Diner expect "Just Good Food." The hometown diner has been owned by Owen Price since 1991 and he and his staff pride themselves on homestyle cooking using the freshest ingredients.
Located in the popular Lakes Region, the diner serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Homemade muffins and freshly baked breads complement the breakfast menu of build-your-own omelets, breakfast sandwiches, eggs prepared to order, and sides like the boneless pork chop and breakfast steak.
Sandwiches, salads and burgers rub shoulders with Italian favorites like chicken, veal or eggplant parmesan and ravioli on the lunch and dinner menu. Entrees include chicken tenders, country fried steak, steak tips in sweet bourbon sauce, grilled pork chops and deep-fried tripe. The haddock, scallops, clams, oysters and shrimp are always fresh. Try the lemon meringue pie or apple crisp for dessert.
Open Monday-Wednesday, 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Thursday-Sunday, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• 10 Plymouth Street, Meredith. www.georgesdiner.com
Crossroads Diner, Bethel, Maine
Open the bright yellow door at The Crossroads Diner and you'll immediately feel the welcoming atmosphere. As the diner's tagline states, its "where locals meet and visitors feel like locals."
The breakfast menu includes new favorites like Crab Cake Benedict and Sausage Burritos, and the oldies but goodies: omelets, pancakes and Breakfast Plates known as One Road, Two Road and Long Road, each a more elaborate version of eggs and numerous sides.
Lunch time diners can select from a variety of burgers and hot dogs, a Haddock filet, a Chicken Bacon Ranch, a Steak and Cheese, and other tempting subs and sandwiches. Lighter fare includes an array of salads, including Spinach, Caesar, Buffalo Chicken and Cranberry Walnut. A kids' menu is available for both breakfast and lunch.
Open every day, 5:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• 24 Mayville Rd. (near the junction of Routes 2 and 26, next to Walgreens), Bethel, ME. www.crossroadsdiner.net
— Eileen Alexander is a former newspaper reporter and editor. A New Hampshire native, she has a yen for old homes with character, colorful flower gardens and expansive mountain views.