Descriptions and evaluations of the best old-fashioned eateries in eight northeastern states

Across Maine, iconic diners come in different shapes and sizes. From the fluffy pancakes as big as a plate to piles of perfectly crisped corned beef hash, these beloved spots have served classic comfort food to generations of hungry patrons. For more than ninety years, Moody's Diner in Waldoboro has offered famous homemade pies to regulars and visitors alike. From the Lumberjack Breakfast at the Palace Diner in Biddeford to the steak and cheese omelet at the Deluxe Diner in Rumford, author Sarah Walker Caron reveals the stories and recipes behind the state's most iconic community eateries.

New England is the birthplace of the American diner, and this book brings together the best of them and shares with you their best recipes for comfort food, New England style. Celebrate the food, culture, and funky architecture of these scrappy culinary icons with recipes, color photos, interviews with owners, and heartwarming stories from a broad array of customers. Diners were born in New England (Rhode Island, to be exact), and they have a long and colorful history as local eateries of distinction because of both their menus and their buildings. Though many diners have gone by the wayside in the past half century, there are still plenty around, and each has at least a dish or two for which they’re best known and that keep customers coming back year after year. The New England Diner Cookbook celebrates every facet of these diamonds in the rough. Along with diners that have perfected the tried-and-true items like corned beef hash, clam chowder, and malted milkshakes, many have developed relatively sophisticated menus that include distinctly New England delicacies like Lobster Chow Mein, Butterscotch Indian Pudding, and Portobello Mushroom Fries.

In the land of mountains, milk and maple syrup, community is culture. Hear the stories of diner owners and their regulars. Whether driving through college towns, along rural country roads or down bustling city streets, the historic diners you'll find are integral to the communities they serve. Over time, Vermont diners have remained gathering places for regulars, locals and travelers alike. So much more than just eateries, places like the Birdseye, Chelsea Royal and the Country Girl Diner are where strangers become friends, where generations learn to understand one another and where simpler times are celebrated. Author Erin McCormick reveals how Vermont's diner culture came to be.

Over twenty thousand miles of highways and main streets crisscross the state of Connecticut, inviting hungry travelers and locals into the more than one hundred diners that dot the roadways. Among these eateries are some of the most prized American classic diners manufactured by such legendary builders as DeRaffele, O'Mahony, Tierney and Kullman. Author Garrison Leykam hosts a road trip to Connecticut's diners, celebrating local recipes and diner lingo--order up a #81, frog sticks or a Noah's boy with Murphy carrying a wreath--as well as stories that make each diner unique. Tony's Diner in Seymour still keeps pictures of the 1955 flood to always remember the tragedy the diner overcame. Stories like these--of tragedy, triumph, sanctuary, comfort and community--fill the pages in this celebration of classic and historic diners of the Nutmeg State.