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Have you been to an American Diner restaurant? |
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#1 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Londonia :o>
Posts: 11,144
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Have you been to an American Diner restaurant?
I have to fix up a small table in one and was told that they would like a Chiquito's type of place but american food instead of the latin american menu! So I'm thinking American Diner - less stuffy, more than a Mcdonalds!
So what are your experiences??
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#2 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 371
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I had a decent burger in Hooters once.
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#3 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Up North
Posts: 58,791
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Are you talking about chains such as TGI's or Hard Rock Cafe?
The food was ok. More of an atmosphere experience rather than a food experience. |
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#4 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 1,498
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Like a "Roadhouse Diner"?
A table with chairs, a table in a booth, a bar with stools or all of them? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diner Denny's is a popular diner chain in America. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HB3ueSmRkQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIIFqzBJPvw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Byy9SmMUQU http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denny%27s http://www.dennys.com/en/ And "Bob's Big Boy": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2E-xQdOuLE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQsEAWtbbLQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHOckfqOCRM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDvf9Ly_mWY http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Boy_(restaurant) http://www.bigboy.com/ |
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#5 |
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Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Berkshire
Posts: 1,202
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We go to tgi's and Frankie and benny's quite a bit. Foods usually good, service can sometime be slow as our local ones are very popular.
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#6 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 837
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Diner Food is usually old fashioned, blue plate specials. Think pot roast, meatloaf, homemade mac & cheese.
It's comfort food. Lots of mashed potatoes and gravy. Apple pie, ice cream sundaes (vanilla ice cream, not the 5000 flavours), banana splits. Sort of the stuff you fondly remember from your childhood that your Mum never really made right. |
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#7 |
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 837
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Damn, it ate my post.
Dinner food is comfort food. Think Blue Plate specials. Pot Roast, Meatloaf, gravy, mashed pototoes, canned corn, homemade mac & cheese. Desserts like Apple Pie ala mode, banana splits, sundaes (just vanilla ice cream). The stuff you remember your mother making but never really did. |
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#8 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 16,886
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I find the ones in Britain are pretty expensive and you are paying more for the atmosphere than the food, but some people love them. I went to TGI's once and paid £15 for a steak, in the one in Florida the same steak was £5.
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#9 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 4,378
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Quote:
I find the ones in Britain are pretty expensive and you are paying more for the atmosphere than the food, but some people love them. I went to TGI's once and paid £15 for a steak, in the one in Florida the same steak was £5.
Dennys is one if the worse examples of a diner in America. Diners, as most restaurants, at one time, were privately owned and run. The best diners still are. Traditional diner layout was a long small building that was meant to be portable. Cooking on one side with bar type stools to eat at counter and booths or tables on the other side. The food itself and menus were and still are very similar. http://www.geocities.com/jagdinerpla...idea1diner.jpg |
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#10 |
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Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Worcestershire
Posts: 59,800
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Yep, mostly in New York, Manhattan and Brooklyn, and mostly for breakfast. As Scrollock said they're not like Denny's or TGI Friday though.
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#11 |
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Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Pictland
Posts: 16,437
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Quote:
Yep, mostly in New York, Manhattan and Brooklyn, and mostly for breakfast. As Scrollock said they're not like Denny's or TGI Friday though.
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#12 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: London
Posts: 3,183
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One of my fav diners is just outside Albany update NY. Great mac and cheese
here's an example http://www.southeastharley.com/miscpage_010.asp one with menus |
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#13 |
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Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Wakefield
Posts: 9
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Agreeing with Scrollock about Denny's in terms of quality of food, but in terms of the menu and the general atmosphere, it's spot on for a diner. Open very late (or very early), with breakfast always on the menu - perfect for people just going in to work or just coming back from a late night out.
It's hard for an American to nail down what a diner is because there are so many regional variations to the type. The part of the country I'm from, they're more likely to be a kitchen attached to a truck stop in the middle of nowhere, with someone's wife or mom doing the cooking. The food tastes like food your mom made because it is made by someone else's mom, just in slightly larger quantities. Think rice pudding, bread pudding, pecan sticky rolls, onion rings, burgers, chicken fried steak, shepherds potatoes, deep pit bbq with salsa, hash, apple or cherry pie. I think what they mean, though, is something vaguely Happy Days-ish. At least that's what most people in the UK mean when they say American Diner. If you think they are trying for something a little less kitchy and and chrome, though, check out this site for some menu and decor ideas: http://hamletrestaurants.com/ Hamburger Hamlet used to be a staple sort of place to go for a quick salad or burger and beer after work. |
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#14 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Inactive Member
Posts: 5,337
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I have never, ever found a so-called 'American' Diner in the UK that's any good.
In the States however... they can be amazing. Always make sure I have meal at these two when I'm over there: www.lorisdiner.com www.melsdrive-in.com My favourite is: www.marinjoesrestaurant.com |
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#15 |
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Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Derbyshire
Posts: 13,041
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Agree with the others about UK restaurants like TGIs or whatever not being diners.
Real American diners in America are fab. We were in a great one in Guilford, Connecticut the other day. We were there for dinner and again for breakfast the next day. They had half the place with stools at the counter, and the other half was all booths (with mini juke boxes on the tables by the way). It was independantly owned, I think, and had waitresses with little frilly aprons who kept topping up all our drinks and being really nice. Menu was far more than just burgers, and the food was great. |
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#16 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 1,498
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A&W Rootbeer is another popular diner(probably more of a drive-in though) chain:
http://www.dinersdriveinsroadhousesj...-rootbeer.html |
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#17 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 837
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A&W isn't a diner. It's a drive-in.
Big difference. Diners serve breakfast, lunch, dinner with distinct meals. Drive-Ins are for burgers, fries, hotdogs, floats and ice-cream. It's only in the last 15 years that A&W started doing breakfast in a bun. When I was growing up the drive-ins didn't open until mid-day. Drive-ins used to have walk up service with picnic benches for eating on or the car service. You'd park, order and the staff would serve your food on trays that either slide through the car and clipped on the rolled down window or attached a tray to each window. Diners were sit down or take away only. It's kind of like comparing a chippies to a transport cafe. |
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