We stopped in here for breakfast on Monday morning. My corned beef hash was some of the best I’ve ever had. The Worcester semi streamliner has to be my favorite model of diner, and this one is in great shape. Great food in a great building in a great location. What’s not to love?
I later found out that I missed seeing Larry Cultrera (of Diner Hotline and Classic Diners of Massachusetts fame) by a matter of a few hours that day. Funny how those things happen.
Tried to go again for my yearly A-1 fix, but got the timing wrong. We did, however, hit it with the sun shining on it instead of from behind it for once, so we managed to get some good pics.
The A-1 is a Worcester semi streamliner located in Gardiner, Maine. There are a couple other posts on it on the blog with interior pics, etc.
Some pics from last week of the Yankee Diner, Charlton, MA. More posts about this diner elsewhere on this blog.
The lunch wagon evolved into the modern day diner as it got bigger and became stationary. At the same time some lunch wagon manufacturers, Buckley in particular it would seem, embraced then new automotive technology, modernizing lunch wagons by making them self propelled. Though the diner manufacturers seem not to have continued in earnest with this evolutionary line, self propelled lunch wagons are all over the place today, out of the backs of box trucks or built up on the frames of pickups.
Dec. 1900
1901
1903
1905
1919.
I’m not sure as to the manufacturer on this, but its lunch wagon lineage is clear. Ornate and looks very heavy.
The A-1 is one of my all time favorite diners. Great food with an excellent selection served in a beautifully maintained Worcester semi-streamliner in a unique location.
After debating between the South of the Border Burger (with chili and pepperjack) and the North of the Border Burger (with cheese and Canadian Bacon), I picked the North, I figured it was appropriate. My dad got a plain hamburger.
The burgers were big and juicy, the fries were fresh and hand-cut. For dessert we had a slice of oreo cheesecake.
Front of diner with flowerboxes.
The last time we’d visited the Miss Portland, they had closed up shop. The diner was looking sad, the rooftop sign was partially off and with its future looked dim. Since then, the diner has been moved, but only a few doors down, restored, and a new, complimentary addition has been added off the left side.
The diner is Worcester Lunch Car Number 818, and was built in 1949. According to their website, the diner was originally located on forest Avenue, from 1949 to 1964. It was then moved to 49 Marginal way, where it stayed until it closed in 2004. It is currently owned by Tom Manning, who re-opened it late 2008.
Larry Cultrera’s November visit.
I had a short-stack of platter sized blueberry pancakes, with thick cut bacon and a cup of coffee. So often I find pancakes that sit like lead. Not so at the Miss portland, these were light, fluffy, and chock full of blueberries. The coffee was brewed fresh.
Their Website is http://www.missportlanddiner.com/
Mac’s Diner Burns – Article in the Telegram
By Scott J. Croteau TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
scroteau@telegram.com
WORCESTER — For the half-dozen times a month Bob Hebb heads into Worcester from his hometown of Ayer, he makes sure to head over to Shrewsbury Street.
His destination is Mac’s Diner, where a large kettle of soup usually beckons and the stools are filled with patrons he knows by name.
But yesterday, Mr. Hebb arrived at his favorite restaurant only to learn that an overnight fire had damaged and closed the business.
The owners of the restaurant — which dates to 1931 — are unsure when they’ll reopen.
“You have never eaten in here? They have a kettle of soup that is about this high,” Mr. Hebb said, holding his hands a couple of feet apart. “I don’t know where I’m going to eat.”
As Mr. Hebb was left wondering where he’d get his usual soup and a sausage sandwich — made on the diner’s homemade bread — a crew of city Department of Public Works and Parks workers headed to the entrance at 185 Shrewsbury St.
Mr. Hebb soon informed them of the situation: “It’s closed. There was a fire.”
About noon yesterday, owner Chris McMahon of Holden walked around inside the diner and assessed the damage. Mac’s is said to be the oldest diner in the city.
He doesn’t know when it will reopen.
“I couldn’t even guess. I’m at the mercy of the Fire and Building departments,” he said. “Hopefully not that long. I have to make a living.”
The fire started about 12:30 a.m. in a storage area in the rear of the building, where there are freezers and refrigerators.
Mr. McMahon said the cause of the fire appears to be electrical but fire officials have not yet determined the cause.
Firefighters broke through a front window and doused the flames with water.
The upper diner area was damaged as well as a side area. The acrid smell of burnt wood replaced the normal smell of home-cooked meals yesterday afternoon.
The damage could have been worse, but the diner’s concrete and brick walls didn’t give the fire much to feed on. Holden police knocked on Mr. McMahon’s door early yesterday morning to notify him about the fire.
He raced down to Shrewsbury Street.
“When I first showed up here, I was in total shock,” he said. “I have come to assess it. It’s manageable, but it is definitely going to set us back.”
“In 78 years, we’ve never had a fire here,” Mr. McMahon, 31, said.
“We plan to fix it as soon as we can because we are all going to be out of money.”
Customers continually called the diner yesterday asking if the owners needed help and to say they were sorry. The diner is normally open Monday through Friday for lunch, with dinner also served Thursday through Saturday.
Many customers favor Mac’s because of its BYOB standing.
“April, May and June are our busy season,” Mr. McMahon said.
“It’s not a good financial time, and our employees are also out of work. We’re missing out on our money time.”
Mac’s Diner is/was a 1931 Worcester Diner.
Frachers Diner – 2007
Here are some shots I took of the Yankee Diner last April. I was stopped by a Massachusetts State Patrol officer while here, not while I was walking back through the woods, not while I was taking pictures or peering through windows, no, according to the officer, I was stopped for looking suspicious, because I was wearing a long overcoat (it was really cold out) and sunglasses.
The diner was/ is closed, but it’s a nice example of an old Worcester lunch car.
The interior. Please note the axe at the far end.
And here’s something, back in the woods that’s of note- the original neon
Diner Hunter 