Region Local Restaurants & Their Awesomeness

shailynn
They never tell you what you need to know.
This past week I was in a rural part of the country and was able to eat at some insanely good, old school restaurants. I committed carbicide at each place.

First off was an old school Italian restaurant that uses the same recipes that Colombus brought over with him, that’s how old school this place is. If there’s a “Little Italy” section in any large metro area, this restaurant could kick its restaurants asses.

Next up was an old school steakhouse that hasn’t changed their decor since 1982. Where a filet is $26 and they service it with an orange slice, a hunk of garlic bread and fettuccini is a side option.

You can bring your own wine and both places charge a $10 cork fee. That is insanely cheap.

After that I hit up a local bakery that’s been there since the 1950s. There’s no sugar free crap offered here so Demi Lovatos fat ass won’t get triggered.

It’s a good thing I don’t live near these places or I’d be obese. This past week regained some of my confidence in local restaurants. Just about every employee was over 50 and nobody working or dining at these places knows what kale is nor do they prepare any of their meals using a blender. Gourmet coffee to these guys is when they put a splash of Bailys in their Folgers.

Now, people that shop at Whole Foods on a regular basis would turn their noses up at these places. A vegetarian would too because every dish has meat, even the salads. Also, if you pull up in a Toyota Prius at the steakhouse, the valet will drive it into the adjacent lake while you dine.

Anyone else nostalgic of an old school restaurant where you can get a four course meal that is cheaper than your Starbucks and Chipotle Buritto you’re having today for lunch?

21 comments

Latest

  • CJKent_band
    3 years ago
    Pics and Vids or it didn’t happen.

    :D

    I go to a handful of restaurants because they are like family run and have great quality food I really like and great service that I really enjoy.
  • Muddy
    3 years ago
    Shailynn I agree these are the types of spots I love to hit up. Whatever city I happen to be in, I'll do a deep dive on the web to see what the locals are saying is the spot that has that good shit. Around me there are a few delis I'll hit up, yup where all the dudes are over 60, been do it for decades, their dads did it, they talk like they should from the area, you just know the shit is gonna be legit and it is. Old school, stuff is from another era. There's a big thing around here about how these spots are dying out while these man bun hipster douche Asian fusion places take over.
  • rickdugan
    3 years ago
    I have one spot around here that I hit once or twice a week. It's a tiny southern comfort restaurant that was passed down from mother to daughter. It looks like a shack and has a dirt parking lot. Her Trump 2020 sign is still up inside along with a "Liar-in-Chief" poster for Biden. The owner is as redneck southern as a woman can be.

    But the food is good. Deep fried pork chops and rice with gravy are among the staples. Her pancakes are about the best I ever had. I could go on. If I ate there more frequently I'd be huge.
  • shadowcat
    3 years ago
    This is the most popular restaurant in my small town. Just browse the menu. It has the largest selection that I have ever seen and it is available all day long. Be hungry because the portions are huge. Burgers are 1/2lb. You may have to wait for a table during popular hours. I am not an owner.

    http://www.broadwaydiner.us/menu.html
  • mike710
    3 years ago
    The prices at the Broadway Diner look like one of the best features. In my travels around the country, I've seen prices going up like crazy in the past year. My sister and I happened to be in San Francisco over the weekend as she was attending an event at the Fairmont Hotel. I met her for breakfast and my tab, with tip, came to just under $100 for eggs and potatoes.

    With the minimum wage going up in a lot of places, I've started to notice surcharges on bills to cover the rising cost of keeping employees.
  • twentyfive
    3 years ago
    We have a place like that diner that Shadowcat posted called The Gun Club Diner, not as cheap but really good food and their breakfast is great
  • magicrat
    3 years ago
    Shadow...$10 for a cheeseburger and fries. A new place opened up near me and although the burger and fries are really good, they also cost $18! And I don't live in a large city.
  • skibum609
    3 years ago
    $26.50 for seafood fra diavolo - salad, bread, big plate of linguini, covered in littlenecks, mussels, calimari, scallops and shrimp in a spicey red sauce. Bring your own wine - corkage fee? Zero. Decor? Grubby, but look out the window and its a panoramic view of the Atlantic.
  • jackslash
    3 years ago
    A few years ago a relative died and I had to travel to a small town in Pennsylvania. The local Italian restaurant was excellent and the portions huge. The prices were also reasonable.
  • motorhead
    3 years ago
    I hit up a small Italian restaurant in an Italian neighborhood in Chicago recently and quite frankly was disappointed. The sauce was too bland. I prefer my own spaghetti and lasagne. Small sample I admit.
  • Metalmx
    3 years ago
    @ShadowCat That diner in GA has a legit insane menu. If everything is just above average it's an amazing place to go. I want to have that Club Melt multiple days a week haha.
  • Icee Loco (asshole)
    3 years ago
    I love places like that when I travel. My favorite is a motorcycle ride through New Mexico enjoying old school places in small towns.

    Then there's the Americana of small Utah and Idaho towns.

    Severe Utah has a small place with the best burger and meatloaf I've ever had.

    And any small new Mexico joint beats most Mexican places in the US
  • crazyjoe
    3 years ago
    Sam's No. 3 in Denver has been there since 1928. They were featured on Diners Drive Ins and Dives.
  • mike710
    3 years ago
    I love Sam's No.3. Every time I go to Denver for work, I hit Shotguns or the Mile High Saloon and go to Sam's after. The pricing isn't quite as good as the restaurant Shadowcat posted but it is just as extensive and everything is served all day.
  • EastCoaster
    3 years ago
    ^^^ desertscrub, I will answer two of your questions:

    "is it the 60's again?" No, it's 2021.

    "or can i just put a glock to my dick and pull the trigger?" Yes, you certainly can -- no one here is stopping you. And if it will improve your disposition, I hope you do.
  • skibum609
    3 years ago
    People in most of America have no idea what constitutes "old". Psssst its not 1928. Let us try Casey's diner in natick MA for diner food and the best hot dogs on earth. It is one of the, if not oldest continuous operating diner's in the country, having opened in 1890. Still 10 stools. Tourists in Boston should go to the Union Oyster House which is the oldest continuously operated restaurant in the country, not the oldest tho., since it opened in 1826.
  • georgmicrodong
    3 years ago
    There's a small diner in my hometown that still serves the best food in the town. It's been there for at *least* 70 years (my parents mentioned it was there when they moved to town), and while it's changed hands several times, it still has the same name, mostly because they don't want to change the sign out front. If they do, they won't be able to replace it, as it's placement is no longer legal according to the local municipal code. Every few years they try to get them to take it down, but their lawyer always wins.

    As for show houses, locally there's Derby Dinner Playhouse, where they have a serviceable, if not gourmet, buffet, and a really excellent show. Often a musical, but not always. We went last month, and it was an adaptation of one of Agatha Christie's books. Very well done.

    Elsewhere, there's a fish house that looks like an old barn converted to a restaurant, but the portions are huge, good tasting, and not expensive. There's also a really excellent BBQ place that smokes their own brisket, ribs, sausage, etc.

    Some chains are OK, but if I'm traveling, I'm first going to look for local flavor; pun intended.
  • CJKent_band
    3 years ago
    @theniggaformerlyknownas2icee

    You wrote and I quote:

    “My favorite is a motorcycle ride through New Mexico enjoying old school places in small towns.”

    Pics and Vids or it didn’t happen.

    :D
  • Cashman1234
    3 years ago
    I enjoy Italian food - possibly too much. There are some incredible Italian holes in the wall nearby - and the food is amazing - and the portions are beyond human.

    If it’s possible to become addicted to pizza - I may have that addiction. A great slice is like a slice of warm gooey heaven!

    There used to be two hot dog trucks in Newark that had great dogs. They were good for late night munchies.
  • nicespice
    3 years ago
    I remember some customer from the club talking about this one place up in north Colorado, and by north I mean Weld county—away from the more “desirable” places in Boulder or Ft Collins.

    So I looked it up. The google reviews for that place turned out to be insanely good, and after trying out their burger (I think it was only like $8 for an entire meal too 😮) I understood why people liked it so much.

    Maybe next time I road trip up north I’ll find my way over there. Yum 😋
  • Icee Loco (asshole)
    3 years ago
    Vegas has some amazing old skool Mexican ecebtral American and soul food.
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