"diner" news and stories

Those of us on the west coast know that if there are good diners out here, they are few and far between, so you probably have to get your diner fix if and when you take a trip back east. This brilliant set of Diner Plates lets you bring the diner straight into your home, albeit minus the charming waitresses who call you "Hun" and endless steaming mugs of watery coffee. The plates have sharp photographs of a retro-looking diner on them, giving you the impression that you are looking through a tiny window. There is a semi-matching set of plates that feature roadside signs available, too, so by combining them, you can have an entire road trip without leaving your driveway. It won't quite be road food, but you could come pretty close.

If this picture doesn't look like the epitome of homestyle diner food, I don't know what does. The basket of cornbread looks like exactly the sort of thing you'd expect to see on the table at a place that serves really good fried chicken. The picture was taken at a Harlem restaurant called Amy Ruth's, which is known for their fried chicken and waffles, by The Girl Who Ate Everything. She describes it as being very tasty, as well as "fluffy, light, tender and moist enough not to be classified as 'dry'" and it was, in fact, served up just before she and her dining companion tucked into plates of fried chicken, fried okra and mac and cheese. It's more of a Northern-style cornbread than a Southern one, but if it tastes even half as good as it looks, I don't think that too many fried chicken fans will complain if they get this as a side dish.

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It's not often that you see Dr. Joyce Brother's answer a question pertaining to food, but this seems like an issue that could be a problem for many foodies. No, it's not a 9 1/2 Weeks sort of thing. The question is about what to do when an adventurous eater is interested in someone who is not only picky and unadventurous ("the culinary tastes of a 6-year-old) in their eating habits, but is also entirely uninterested in changing.

Dr. Joyce said that the foodie is better off finding someone who can share her interest in food, since cooking and meals are not only important to her, but are a huge part of everyday life. It can be difficult to choose restaurants and menus when dining with friends if one or two people only ever want a cheeseburger and fries - imagine how much more frustrating that would be in a relationship when the issue comes up three times a day. Even if she could put aside her interests from time to time, it would only cause friction in the relationship as time went on.

It's sound advice. But the temptation must be there to try and convince the unwilling eater to expand his or her horizons. Has anyone succeeded in converting the PB&J devotee to something a little more exciting?

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A diner in Bloomington, Indiana found a finger alongside his hamburger when he dined at a local TGI Friday's. A member of the kitchen staff had cut off a portion of his finger and, in the confusion that arose when people rushed to help the man, the finger ended up on a plate. It was only a small piece of finger, but the diner noticed it immediately. The police were called, but told the customer that it was not a criminal matter.

A company spokesperson acknowledged that this was a serious incident, both for the employee and the diner, and said TGI Friday's was "very, very sorry."

 

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Today - February 28th, 2006 - all participating IHOP restaurants will be giving away free pancakes to their customers. The free pancakes are in celebration of Fat Tuesday and each diner who requests them will be given a short stack at no charge! In IHOP speak, a short stack of pancakes is three pancakes, but diners with large appetites shouldn't worry about the small-sounding portion, since each pancake is nearly the size of a plate. During the promotion, customers will be invited to donate to the Children's Miracle Network, a nonprofit group which works to raise funds for children's hospitals in North America. Check out the IHOP website for full details and locations for your free breakfast!

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