Great Diners of North Country and the Adirondacks
Photo by Lee Cartledge on Unsplash
I hasten to say how many years old I was before I learned the secret of diners or shall I say the secret of dining some place new. Because I know I went to diners when I was younger. I can distinctly remember my father picking a place to eat, we'd go in, and in just a few words he'd order something that often looked like breakfast. Meanwhile, I'd be pouring over the menu and end up ordering something like a plain turkey sandwich, that, when it arrived, tasted like it was made 5 years ago. I didn't get it. Why were these little hole-in-the-wall type of places popular? They were SO old fashioned!
But after enough tries and failures, I figured something out. Here is my profound wisdom for you:
When dining someplace new, order the special.
I can't say that this advice just came to me as inspiration, I know I read it somewhere and tried it and discovered for myself that, indeed, it was true! The reasoning is that any restaurant that sells 50 or 100 of the same dish MUST be doing it right or their business would die ('cause maybe the guests would die).
So based on finally figuring this out, it has occurred to me that I must document a few of the places that I would recommend in the North Country and the Adirondacks and for what food.
Which leads me to what should be your default diner order IF you don't want the special:
BLT and coffee
With this, you can sample how a diner does 3 staple items:
- bacon
- coffee
- toast
Plus the cost should be almost the lowest on the menu. Truly, I know it's getting hard to find meals for under $5, but this should cost you under $8 for lunch, for sure.
Diners to try
Ogdensburg, NY - Tim Horton's
What to order? Tim bits and a coffee "double double".
https://goo.gl/maps/WuaR5RSJfLi3PYxX7
Burke, NY - Cherry Knoll Restaurant (Route 11 east of Malone)
What to order? Get a slice of pie and coffee.
https://goo.gl/maps/ofGyUArK8qrXvDPR8
North Lawrence, NY - The Pit Stop Diner
https://goo.gl/maps/ovQG6PrsE9WcQhwX6
Saranac Lake, NY - ADK CAVU Cafe
What to order? The special. Or breakfast.
https://goo.gl/maps/7jbqAafAkWyvsgs7A
South Colton, NY - Robideau's Mahogany Ridge Bar and Grill aka RMR Bar and Grill
This is more of a restaurant than a diner. But it's a big snowmobiler stop place. So I'd say the french fries are a good bet.
https://www.facebook.com/robideaumahoganyridge
Peru, NY - Green Acres Family Restaurant
What to order? BLT and coffee.
https://goo.gl/maps/AwsmPPxkNtqzKvrL8
Watertown, NY - Longway's Diner
What to order? Honestly this entry is on my list from family history, I cannot remember eating there. Maybe once I grabbed a coffee to go. It's a truck stop.
https://g.page/longwaysdiner?share
Parish, NY - The Grist Mill
What to order? Coffee. And get out. Really, this is the ONLY northbound food place between Syracuse and Watertown on Route 81- so you're stuck. I would NOT recommend the food here. Drink coffee until you get to Watertown and pull off onto Arsenal Street. You can get McDonald's, Burger King, or Starbucks there.
https://goo.gl/maps/8XnEEmUBqGnj7goz7
There are MANY more diners and mom 'n pop type places to eat out there. And if you're not 'from there' you will get distinct looks when you walk in and sit down (a feeling I remember being stuck on Route 90 in Ohio one night and also visiting some diner east of Canton towards Colton, NY).
That's why my 'order the special' advice works. It will ingratiate you to the restaurant even if this is your first and only visit.