Category Archives: Diners/ restaurants

Bethesda Tastee

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This one’s a 1930s O’Mahony. I took my early ’40s O’Mahony catalog, which is probably similar to what the original owners selected from.
If you look under the awnings on the outside, the trapezoidal stained glass windows (see the original promotional picture and paintings of the diner) are still visible. Inside, they have been covered with woodwork, apparently some time ago. The diner suffered a fire a couple years ago. Photos of the damage line the two dining room wings. The dining rooms very nearly match the floor tile of the diner as well as its character.

Tastee in the ’70s before all the clutter.
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Painting in the Tastee of the Tastee in the 1940s.
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Post-awning
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Advertisement in the post upon opening.

Promotional material from O’Mahony.

Interior
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Tilework
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Syrup
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Overall shot
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And here’s our waitress, a veteran of the diner of 23 years. One of my all time favorite diner waitresses.

Silver Diner No. 1

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Here’s another trip to the Rockville Silver Diner, one of the first retro styled diners in the country. For more than 20 years it has been the flagship of the Silver Diner chain. In a little while it will be demolished.

A shot in bad weather showing the neon.

A better day. Since it opened, the doors were moved from the front of the vestibule and moved to a bump out of the vestibule to the right. A dining room addition was pushed out to the right side of the diner, and corner pieces were added.

Glass brick. Note that the stainless work by the moved doors doesn’t match that done by Kullman.

Later corners.

Ceiling detail in the dining room addition.
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Light fixture.
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Jukebox and Silver Diner ketchup
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As of a couple of years ago, the diner had late ’80s CD jukeboxes.
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Randy Garbin of roadsideonline.com
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Out front
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The Streamliner Diner- Fairfax, VA

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An old photo, by my dad, Michael G. Stewart, of Bob’s Diner, Fairfax, VA
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The diner was originally known as the Streamliner Diner. It changed its name to Bob’s Diner, named after its second owner, Bob Parcelles, who had run the 29 diner in 1952. A large addition was added to Bob’s in the 1970s and the name changed to Bob’s Beef House. It went out of business in 1985, was remodeled and reopened as Mama’s Italian Restaurant.

As it appears now.
9715 Lee Highway
Fairfax, VA 22031
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A 1955 Postcard.
Text:
Streamliner Restaurant, U.S. Routes 50-29-211 – 1/2 block west of Fairfax Circle, Fairfax, Virginia. Distinctively different food. Open 24 hours – air conditioned. Owned and operated by: Mr. and Mrs. R. J. Parcelle
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Another Postcard:
Streamliner diner-restaurant and Bob’s Beef House. Quality foods – banquet and party facilities. Open 24 hours. Robert J. (Bob) Parcelles. Phone 273-0221.
9715 Lee Highway, Fairfax, Virginia 22030.
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The Prospect Diner

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Though the neon is now gone, the Prospect Diner is better than ever. Great food, low low prices and a great diner atmosphere. This is one of my favorite ’50s diner designs. It’s transitional, not quite space age- not yet, but man does it ever look cool.

I had scrambled eggs, corned beef hash, homefries and toast. The home fries and hash were great; nice and crusty without being burnt, just they should be. The coffee was fresh and refills came fast.
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Barrel Roof- Shady Glen Picnic Grove- PA

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I’m not sure what this was, but it struck me as peculiar so I took some pictures of it. It’s now being used as a picnic shelter, but appears to have had a previous life. My first thought was salvaged roof from an old barrel roof diner, but I’m not sure. The roof itself looks quite a bit older than the poles its on or the footers, and I can’t imagine the amount of custom fabrication it seems went into this being originally done for a picnic pavilion which could have just as easily been wood and shingles.

So what do you think?
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Little Tavern: Washington no. 7

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I went and hunted down the site of Washington No. 7 today, which opened on December 23, 1931. From the size of the tree growing up through the vacant lot, I would say its been gone for a while at this point. The building itself is gone, but the outline of the signature Little Tavern roof is still visible on the wall of the building next door. The brick basement is all still there, covered by a steel framework which I would assume was the floor of the LT. And what’s this I see? Green enameled steel roof tiles? Too bad they’re a story beneath street level and behind a plywood construction fence.

This entire section of G street looks like its waiting to be torn down or otherwise redeveloped. The buildings to the left are all vacant. The Hahn / Florsheim shoe store in the old bank building is also gone, though it seems the National Bank of Washington still occupies it and the buildings seem to have fallen on hard times. For those who don’t know the area, it’s all high priced offices and condos around this cluster.

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The vacant lot

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Next door to the National Bank of Washington

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ghost of an LT

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Sorry for the crappy pic- I may be tall, but the eight foot plywood fence is taller, and getting pictures through the 1/2″ gap between two of the panels just wasn’t happening. This is the steel framing over a brick foundation and basement. Lots of tree going on.

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Rusty green tiles from the Little Tavern green roof.

Washington no. 7 was (is?) located at
1344 G street northwest Washington DC