Tag Archives: Diners

Somewhere I’ve Never Been

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Maybe it’s the Whole 30 talking but I’m dying to have breakfast in a quiet diner I’ve never been to. I want to linger over my meal and plan the day ahead while eavesdropping on the early bird regulars. They’ll order their usual and chat with the waitress about their grandkids while I study a brochure over my veggie omelette or pancakes.

It’s Day 26 and, while I’m fine with most of my food, I’m sick of the limited protein choices. Being pescatarian, my proteins are seafood and eggs. No veggie burgers, no soy of any kind, no faux meats which literally are the only processed foods that make their way into my plate most days.

You can only fix fish so many ways before it starts to lose its luster.

But it’s Day 26 and I feel pretty good. I’m planning to keep going about another week or ten days before abandoning the strict rules and attempting to just focus on eating clean again.

Meanwhile, I badly want to find an old diner in a town I’ve never been and wait for the regulars to filter in. I’m thinking an omelette packed with mushrooms, onions, peppers, broccoli and goat cheese would be good. Add some hash browns and some toast – maybe a little fruit. That’s all. Nothing fancy.

Soon. Someday soon I’ll take off and find my way to a fabulous diner and come back with pictures to share. Meanwhile, my memories of pancakes and a delicious garden burger at the Oasis Diner will have to suffice.

The Whistle Stop

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Yesterday’s story about the lunatic asylum was pretty dark so I think we need to talk about something a little more fun.

Let’s go to The Whistle Stop!

If you take Interstate 65 south of Louisville like you’re headed to Nashville, you’ll see an exit for a little town called Glendale, Kentucky. The town is actually a couple of miles off the highway but an easy drive unless you’re in a big rig.

Here you’ll find tree lined streets, some antique stores, a bed and breakfast and a cafe next to a very active railroad track. It’s called the Whistle Stop. Here you’ll find a hometown atmosphere with waitresses who call you ‘hon’ in a way you won’t find condescending. The atmosphere is nice, the food is plentiful and the desert is delicious.

My traveling companion had a soup and sandwich. I got the country vegetable platter that let me choose four things off the sides menu – mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, steamed veggies and cornbread. It was nothing like the cornbread we Yankees make using Jiffy mixes. It was flat like a pancake and not at all sweet. Different but good, especially with a little butter.

My meal was pretty good (Heavy on the carbs. Eek!) but the cobbler was delicious.

This building was once a hardware store operated by a local couple. In the seventies, the wife claim a corner and opened a small sandwich shop. Pretty soon, people were coming by for the good eats rather than the hardware. So they eventually closed the store and transformed the space into a full restaurant including an upstairs banquet room. The walls are lined with interesting things to look at – vintage tins, pictures, old lanterns and the like. A well timed train traveling through blew its whistle, helping make the experience even more fun.

I wouldn’t drive all the way to Glendale just to have lunch (If you’re looking for a place I would drive to just for lunch, the Oasis Diner tops that list) but it’s a fantastic stop along the way.

I’d like to go back someday to hit the antique stores and take my camera for a walk down those pretty little streets. That very well could be part of my next rambling road trip! Interested in the Whistle Stop? Click here!

The Nutcracker Family Restaurant

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I don’t make it to Pataskala very often but always want to eat at the Nutcracker Family Restaurant whenever I’m in town.

It’s a locally owned place with a fifties motif, a whole lot of Coca Cola pieces and a collection of nutcrackers in all shapes and sizes.

It’s not an old restaurant and the exterior of the building is a little plain but the interior is a feast for the eyes for those of us who like that sort of thing. It’s really well done.

There’s a gorgeous counter with stools and lots of interesting things to see on the walls including gas and oil memorabilia as well as Coca Cola collectibles. The black and white tile floor, jukebox and working mechanical horse are simply perfect. At the cash register you’ll find a nice selection of vintage candies too.

They even have beautiful homemade desserts in a rotating case. Everyone knows that dessert from a rotating display tastes better!

The service is always good and the food is pretty tasty too. They serve breakfast all day and have everything from fish and fries to prime rib.

Meatloaf? You got it. A burger and fries? No problem. A club sandwich? Just ask. They even have a quinoa cauliflower burger which I want to try next visit.

The place is always busy and they have a lot of regulars which says a lot about a restaurant.

If you’re in the area I suggest you stop by and check ’em out.

Follow the Nutcracker on Facebook. From there you’ll find a link to their website which is packed full off good stuff.

Did you read about The Oasis Diner in Indiana? Man, I love a good diner!

Sneak Peak

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Here’s a sneak peak of a diner I’m going to tell you about this week. Great atmosphere, nice servers and pretty good diner fare can be found here. And check out that jukebox!

Stay tuned…..

The Oasis Diner

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Oasis Diner 2 sign.JPGMy trip along the National Road last week was unplanned but I had read about this place called the Oasis Diner in Plainfield, Indiana. If I made it that far, I wanted to stop because it sounded like my kind of place.

I was right. In fact, it was so good I ended up having three meals there.

Manufactured by Mountain View Diners in Singac, New Jersey, it was shipped to Plainfield by rail in 1954. According to their published history, the Oasis went through a series of owners before being listed on the 10 Most Endangered Indiana Buildings list in 2010. The town rallied and local residents Doug Huff and Don Rector answered the call to relocate, restore and reopen this fabulous old diner.

And I’m so glad they did.

blog dinerThey did a beautiful job researching and restoring this stunning structure to its mid century splendor.

Today The Oasis is the only diner of its kind on the National Road in Indiana and one of just a handful of historic diners to remain on the National Road from Cumberland, Maryland to Vandalia, Illinois.

It’s a long story but circumstances were such that I ended up eating three meals there – one lunch and two breakfasts over three days. There are plenty of other dining options in town but none are a cool old diner so, by my estimation, there was no reason to try them.

This place is light and bright and airy. Extremely clean with some vintage advertising pieces and other fun decor. It feels timeless and welcoming. It’s the kind of place that has regulars and waitresses who remember how you like your eggs and who seem genuinely concerned that you’re comfortable and happy.

For lunch I had the black bean burger which is dressed with provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion and Thai chilli sauce. It has a nice little kick to it. For breakfast one morning it was a veggie omelette packed with spinach, roasted red peppers, mushrooms and feta cheese. The second morning I had scrambled eggs and chocolate chip pancakes (Don’t judge me. It was worth every calorie).

It’s so hard to find decent vegetarian food in most restaurants but good mom and pop diners usually have some tasty options that aren’t limited to limp iceburg lettuce salads and greasy grilled cheese. The Oasis doesn’t have a ton of meatless options but they offer enough that I had choices and I made a point of thanking my waitresses for that. For all you meatetarians out there, they have some really unique sandwiches and breakfast items that you won’t find anywhere else as well as the usual burgers, soups and reubens. Here’s the menu if you’re inclined to fantasize about fun diner fair.

The verdict is that The Oasis Diner is well worth your time, especially if you’re a diner nerd like me. Here are a few more pictures to entice you to drive to Plainfield, Indiana.

Tomorrow I’ll tell you about the great tour I had at the Model T Museum in Richmond, Indiana.

Carl’s Townhouse

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I love a good diner. A fancy meal is great once in a while but if you want to impress me take me to a place with a lunch counter and an honest to goodness rotary phone on the wall. If I whip out my phone and start taking pictures you’ll know you did good.

In honor of Small Business Saturday, I hit two antique malls in downtown Chillicothe and had lunch with my mother at Carl’s Townhouse. Carl’s is a local landmark that began life at the New York World’s Fair in 1939. According to their menu, it was purchased by a local resident and brought to Chillicothe where it operated as NCL, an acronym of Nice Clean Lunch as well as the names of the original owners Nagley, Conrad and Landrum.

A fellow named Carl Reinhard purchased the building in 1951 and operated it as Carl’s Townhouse until his retirement thirty years later. Since then, ownership has changed a couple of times. Most notably, it was moved to its current site in 2000 when the building was slated for demolition at its original Paint Street location.

Moved to Second Street in the dead of night, the building was restored and expanded over the next two years. It has operated here ever since, using the original Carl’s menu of sandwiches, soups, homemade pies and all day breakfast on the weekends.

46525501_2028883797189801_3957679086133837824_nThe black and white tile floors are gorgeous and I love all the chrome but the crown jewel here really is the counter. I love the counter and the stools. 

And I can’t believe I did this but there’s a rotary phone on the wall and I totally forgot to take a picture. I grew up with a rotary wall phone but it’s not something you see much these days.

Saturday was gloomy and cold so my mother had vegetable soup (which she said was really good) and grilled cheese. I had onion rings with my grilled cheese along with a piece of butterscotch cream pie that was to die for.

They have a daily special, good service and fabulous atmosphere. The food isn’t fancy, just your diner fair but we really enjoyed it. If you’re downtown and looking for something a little different but still quick, Carl’s is the way to go.

Carl’s Townhouse is located at 95 W. Second St. in Chillicothe. If you go, Sweet William’s across the street has the best chocolate dipped strawberries and Totem Supply Company just down the block carries some fun gift items and retro tshirts featuring local spots of bygone years like Rinks and Camp Sherman. And, of course, there are a few good places to find antiques in town and some great specialty shops including Apollo Records and Ivy’s Home and Garden. Take some time to explore!