The Bridgewater Diner

The Bridgewater Diner has a great location -- in the center island of US Highway 22, in the heart of Somerset County New Jersey.

It is unrelated to the very popular Bridgewater Diner of the 1950s and 1960s; that location is now the Time to Eat Diner. (See my November 23, 2010 entry on the Time to Eat Diner.)

This building was formerly the Felix No. 9 Diner, once voted the best diner in New Jersey. The place got a bit run down, and was purchased and renovated by the owners of the Spinning Wheel Diner, and is now again a first rate establishment.

As is unfortunately the case with most diners today, the Bridgewater Diner is not open 24 hours a day, but it does stay open until 3:00 AM on Fridays and Saturday nights.  It has a very extensive breakfast menu, with lots of omelettes, wraps, sandwiches, pancakes and specials. One of their unusual "signature breakfasts" is the "Jersey Border":  2 potato pancakes with poached eggs, country ham and Hollandaise, plus a side of fresh fruit.  It is worth trying.   

Spinning Wheel Diner

The Spnning Wheel Diner is at 1545 US Hwy 22 East, Annandale, in Hunterdon County New Jersey.  It is part of the stretch through Hunterdon and Somerset that has one of the highest concentration of nice diners in Jersey (as well as a couple of diners in advanced stages of decay).

The Spinning Wheel is known for its burgers and soups.  It has a classic diner appearance, with lots of shiny metal, glass and bright red on the exterior. At the top of the facade is a large icon of a spinning wheel, and the large pylon highway sign features a steaming cup of coffee and a large digital clock, clearly visible to passing cars on the highway.

Time To Eat Diner

The Time to Eat Diner is located in Bridgewater, New Jersey, right off the Somerville circle.  Much of the traffic now bypasses it and overlooks it from an elevated portion of US 202 that "flies" over the circle and its traffic jams. So now, business from cars just passing by is certainly reduced, but the diner still looks busy and prosperous.

It is, however, the name and the sign that make this diner such an interesting one.

Way back when I was in high school and college, this was the Bridgewater Diner (a name now taken by a rival on US 22), and it was THE hangout for teens and college kids on break or summer vacation. It retains a strong home-town feeling.

The Readington Diner

The Readington Diner is a refurbished facility on Route 22 Westbound in Hunterdon County.

It is pretty much across the highway from the abandoned Whitehouse Diner  /dinerdan/the-abandoned-whitehouse-diner
and not very far at all from the abandoned Branchburg Diner   /dinerdan/the-branchburg-diner , which makes one wonder why those places have gone out of business.

I really like the logo used by the Readington Diner, the jaunty waiter with a bow tie carrying a tray with a huge cup of coffee.  A great cup of coffee is, of course, the backbone on any diner.

The Brooklyn Diner

Another New York City Diner.  Despite its name, it is located in Manhattan, on 43d Street, Between Broadway and Seventh Avenue, with another location at 57th Street, near Seventh and Carnegie Hall.

 Every part of Brooklyn is represented by Jewish, Italian, Irish & other ethnic favorites, as well as enormous desserts,

The Branchburg Diner

The Branchburg Diner is an abandoned facility on US Highway 22 East in Branchburg Township, Somerset County, just a few miles from my home

It stands in disrepair, and the sign has deteriorated to the point where it now proclaims "ANCHBURG DINER."  A small addition to the original diner still operates as a bar and package store, under the name "Royal Diner,"  another diner in the area that has since disappeared.

It is a bit curious that this diner has fallen in disuse, as several diners in the immediate area, including Loukas' Last American Diner, The Spinning Wheel Diner, and Genie's Weenies, are still doing well.

Andover Diner

Diners usually rely on a core of regular customers, but to be successful, they need to also attract people driving by on the highway. Many diners accomplish this by large or eye-catching signs, or by displaying American flags out front. Others make themselves stand out by the appearance of the diner itself.

Last week, I passed the Andover Diner, on US Highway 206 in Sussex County. With its bright red exterior, it had no trouble grabbing my attention as I drove past.

Tick Tock Diner in New York

Diners are usually associated with New Jersey, but they can thrive anywhere, even in the Big Apple. One of New York's most famous diners is the Tick Tock, in the Hotel New Yorker, at Eighth Avenue and 34th Street, diagonally across from Madison Square Garden and Penn Station. Talk about location!

The food is typical diner chow, at reasonable prices (for Manhattan), and the diner is open 24 hours a day. The outside has typical diner decor: lots of shiny metal and neon lighting. Inside, there are some interesting wall murals. A truly interesting diner.

The Happy Waitress

Diners are know for their special sandwiches, and also their traditions. The Happy Waitress represents both.
I walked into the Huck Finn Diner in Union a few weeks ago, for a quick dinner before teaching my class. I wanted something different, so I looked over the specials on the menu. I spotted the Happy Waitress, and thought that I hadn't had one of those in years, and it might really hit the spot.

When the waitress came over, and asked what I wanted, I said that I'd like a Happy Waitress. True to the long standing tradition among diner waitresses, she responded "Just a minute -- I'll see if anyone here has ever seen one. [Rim Shot]

In any event, a Happy Waitress is an open-faced cheese sandwich with bacon and tomatoes. Quite tasty, and on the menu of almost every diner.

The Scotchwood Diner

The Scotchwood Diner is a large, busy, family oriented diner on US 22 east in Scotch Plains, Union County, New Jersey. I takes its name from the fact that it is located near the Scotch Plains -- Garwood border.

It features 24-hour service, a prime highway location, and lots of shiny metal and neon. The big flagpole flies not only the American flag, but also the US Marine Corps flag, one of the things that induced me to pull over and give it a try. The service is super fast, and the Philly Cheese Steak was a delightful classic.

Diners in Paradise?

Diners are most closely identified with New Jersey, but they can be found throughout the Northeast US, in the Midwest,  and even in in New Orleans and Europe.

But diners in Paradise?  For many reasons, traditional diners don't fit in well with the Hawaiian landscape and lifestyle, although the Ruby's Diner chain from California does have a location in one of the shopping malls in Kahului, Maui.

There are a few establishments on Maui, however, that I like to think of as Hawaiian versions of the Jersey diner, including Polli's in Makawao, the Bada Bing in Kihei and Cafe O'Lei in Iao Valley.  Polli's slogan -- "Come in and Eat or We'll Both Starve" -- is certainly quite worthy of a real Jersey diner.

Whats in a Name?

Diners often try to stand out by adopting imaginative names.

Morris Avenue is a busy street through the heart of Union, New Jersey.  On one end we find the Mark Twain Diner, and on the other end, the Huck Finn Diner.  Both feature Christmas lights year round. 

I wonder what happened to Tom Sawyer.

Another Railway Dining Car

Railway Dining cars were the inspiration for the classic diner, and many were used as diners.  (See May 5 entry.)

Another restaurant we visited 30 years ago when my son was young was Rod's Ranch House on Madison Avenue in Convent Station, Morris County, NJ.  They featured one of the nicest dining cars around, perfect for satisfying a young boy's imagination.

In those days, Rod's was a family restaurant, closer to a diner.  Today, it is more upscale, as Rod's Steak and Seafood Grille, but the dining car part of the restaurant is still a classic.

Washington Diner

A typical Jersey style diner, the Washington Diner is located on Route 31 North in Washington, (Warren County), New Jersey, at the intersection of Route 57.  It is just a few mile from the Royal Diner (see April 30 entry), in a part of New Jersey rich in the diner culture.

The Camellia Grill

Diners are found mostly in the Northeastern part of the US, and are most typical, of course, of New Jersey.   Diners can, however, be found anywhere.

One of the most unusual places for a diner is New Orleans.  The Big Easy is, in fact, the home of one of the most unusual diners I have ever visited:  The Camellia Grill, a landmark New Orleans eatery since 1949.  Popular with locals, tourists and students at nearby Tulane University, the diner closed for more than a year after Katrina, but is again open and thriving.  The St Charles Avenue Steetcar line trolley stops right outside the door, at St Charles and South Carrollton.  The trolley ride from the convention center or the French Quarter offers a wonderful tour through the Garden District, and makes a trip to The Camellia a wonderful little excursion for any visitor.

While it looks like a small plantation home from outside, inside it is pure diner, with good food and fast, friendly service.

The Diner Lunch

The looks of a diner are important, but in the end, a diner is about the food.

Diners are most famous for breakfast [see the May 3 entry], and many offer breakfast all day long.  Beyond breakfast, many diners specialize in burgers;  burgers of all types.  A true diner will also offer virtually any sandwich that one could desire.

Diners are also distinguished by the plates, glasses and utensils:  real china, real glass and real silverware (or at least metalware).  No paper, no Styrofoam, and no plastic crap like that used in the fast food franchises.  Real place settings for real people.

Below are recent images of some of my favorite diner sandwiches:  Philly cheese steak as dished out by the Scotchwood Diner, on Route 22 in Scotch Plains, NJ, and pastrami on rye as served in the Millburn Diner, Essex Street, Millburn, NJ.

The Railroad Dining Car Diner

The "diner" can trace its pedigree back to Walter Scott's horse drawn lunch cart, which first appeared in Providence, RI in 1872.

The classic diner as we know it, however, is more closely related in appearance and function to the railroad dining car.  Indeed, some railroad cars were used as diners in the early days, and some of those dining car diners still exist.

Below is one such diner that I visited last Sunday.  It is part of a much larger and more modern facility comprising the Clinton Station Diner, in Clinton, NJ (Hunterdon County), located at exit 12 of Interstate Highway 78.

The railroad car is still in use, as the second image below attests.  I don't know how long this particular dining car has been used as a diner, but we often took my son to eat in the railway car 30 years ago, when it was known as the Union Gap Restaurant.

Inside the Summit Diner

Last night a had a quick dinner at the Summit Diner, in downtown Summit, Union County, New Jersey.  Taylor Ham (not pork roll) and cheese on a hard roll, with a diet Pepsi (no Coke -- Pepsi).  The service was quick and the price very reasonable.

Of course, I couldn't resist taking a photo of the inside of this classic diner, built in 1929, and still pretty much in original condition.  Here you can see the counter, with round stools, and the booths, each with its own window.  The other half of the diner is almost a mirror image, except the side door is replaced by a door giving access to a storage area in the building behind the diner.

81 years and still in prime condition!  They certainly knew how to build things in that era.

The Diner Breakfast

One of the hallmarks of a diner is a hearty breakfast.

Every diner features breakfast fare, and many offer "Breakfast Anytime."  The diner breakfasts tend to be a bit on the heavy side, with meat, eggs or pancakes, potatoes, and extras.  Pictured below is the meal I enjoyed yesterday morning at the Clinton Station Diner in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, just off Interstate 78, at exit 12.

The Fine Diner

The Fine Diner is a quiet little place on the main street of Clinton, NJ (Hunterdon County), on the banks of the South Branch of the Raritan River.  It is open for breakfast and lunch only, every day but Monday, but it seems to be most popular on Sunday mornings, like many other diners out in the country.  It serves a wonderful pork roll and cheese sandwich, along with most other typical diner fare.