Offbeat Eats

(Closed) Well, until the Farmers Diner opens next month, the list of Diners I haven’t reviewed has grown mighty short, so I figured I’d write up some diners that aren’t exactly local, but you might happen across in your travels. So, traveling down I-91, in Bellows Falls there is the Miss Bellows Falls Diner on 90 Rockingham Street (right in downtown). Miss Bellows Falls (MBF) is actually a fairly notable diner in that (a) it’s an almost completely intact Worcestor Diner Car (#771) n faithfully maintained condition , and (b) it’s on the National Register of Historic Places (and, like all the other diners on the Register, claims it’s the only one…). But, in addition to just the architectural and historical interest, it’s also a pretty good place to eat.

Over Memorial Day weekend I was visiting my grandfather in Rhode Island, and used this as an excuse to visit one of my favorite breakfast joints down that way. The Modern Diner is tucked away in a quiet corner of Pawtucket, RI, and is your classic Streamliner “diner car” diner that’s since been augmented with some additional kitchen space and seating. The Modern sports quite an extensive menu, including several dozen specials posted on the wall by the entry. Pretty much anything I’ve craved for breakfast, they’ve had, including most any type of fruit-covered waffle, and about a dozen varieties of Eggs Benedict (including lobster). They are also pretty inventive, I’ve seen some pretty fancy french toast dishes here as well…

(Closed) Since I’ve basically exhausted the list of Diners in the Upper Valley, I figured I should review some of the other breakfast joints. I’ll start with one of my favorites: Dana’s by the Gorge in Quechee, VT (umm, by the gorge…). Anyone who regularly dines with me knows that my favorite breakfast items are, roughly in order, biscuits and gravy, pancakes, and waffles. So usually when I’m visiting a place for the first time I’ll have one of these three items. However, Dana’s was different, since one menu item jumped out at me: the Vermont Rarebit (pictured at right). It’s basically an eggs Benedict dish, with the hollandaise sauce replaced with a Welsh-rarebit style cheddar sauce. Very delicious, and I seem to order this 90% of the time I’m there. And, in season, I visit there often enough that they are starting to recognize me.

(Moved) I’ve just returned from a trip to the Twin Cities. As a former resident, it’s interesting seeing the places that have popped up since my last visit. Unlike other areas where it has died out, the Coffee Revolution is still in full swing, with both the number of independent coffee houses and locally-founded or -based chains (Caribou and Dunn Bros) on the upswing. More interesting to me, however, is that a number of good chocolate places have apparently cropped up in the Twin Cities as well. Particularly, we ran across Legacy Chocolates…