Retro Diner: Comfort Food from America's Roadside [Hardcover]

Linda Everett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2002

Jump back through time to an era when sitting at the counter in your neighborhood diner was sure to bring hearty made-from-scratch food, friendly service, and an atmosphere all it own. Those sleek stainless steel eateries can still be found with lines of faithful and appreciative customers waiting to scoot into a red leather booth and sink their appetites into true American comfort food. The waitress may holler out your order in slang only a diner-phile may understand, but if you're a regular she probably remembers your name. Look! Here's that slice of Mile-High Meringue Pie to top off your meal! The first luscious mouthful will take you away to where Elvis is on the nickel jukebox and friends walk in the door.

Featuring a fun, colorful journey through diner history, Retro Diner offers over 115 of the best comfort food recipes from the American roadside, including Blue Moon Diner's Patty Melt, Steeltown Meatloaf, Dixie Diner's Blueberry Pancakes, and Peach Cobbler from Jake's.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

•Features a fun, colorful journey through diner history.

•Over 115 of the best comfort food recipes from the American roadside including Dixie Diner’s Blueberry Pancakes, Steeltown Meatloaf, and Jake’s Peach Cobbler.

About the Author

Linda Everett is the author of several books including Retro Barbecue. She has done freelance writing and research for several prominent media companies, including A&E's Biography and MSNBC. From a family of cooks, she currently makes her home in Ocean Park, Washington, amid a large collection of cookbooks and recipes.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Collectors Press (October 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1888054689
• ISBN-13: 978-1888054682
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 8.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #395,502 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A compendium of nostalgic, yesteryear cuisine, January 10, 2003

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Retro Diner: Comfort Food from America's Roadside (Hardcover)

Retro Diner: Comfort Food From The American Roadside by Linda Everett is a compendium of nostalgic, yesteryear cuisine that is a kind of birthright culinary legacy for every American. Profusely illustrated throughout, Retro Diner is a celebration of great eating as experienced by generations of men and women who ate "blue plate specials" and other palate pleasing, appetite satisfying, pocketbook friendly fare from a local diner. From Granny Glenn's Biscuits n' Gravey; Corn Chowder from the Sweetheart Diner; and Off the Grill Ham n' Cheese; to Countryside Chicken n' Dumplings; Big Daddy's Diner Meat Loaf; and Mushroom Burgers from Mooney's, Retro Diner is a pure and highly recommended celebration of a distinctive American cuisine and individualistic dining ambiance that was to pass into cultural history with the introduction and coming dominance of the fast-food franchise.

29 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Step into the past with top recipes from top diners, December 17, 2002

By 

Harold McFarland (Florida) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Retro Diner: Comfort Food from America's Roadside (Hardcover)

Dive into the specialty dishes that made the old-time diners famous. "Retro Diner: Comfort Food from the American Roadside" won't make it onto the top healthy foods list, but it sure makes some old-time favorites come to life.

With recipes from the 1930's to the 1960's you are sure to find your favorite diner meals here. Alabama Sweet Potatoes, Monte Cristo Sandwich, Butterscotch Pie, you'll find recipes here that you won't find anywhere else. But don't look for any shortcuts here; these are the original recipes, which means the recipes don't start with a plain cake mix but with flour, eggs, and salt.

The book can be confusing at times like where step seven of Dixie Diner's Blueberry Pancakes say to "bake in your waffle iron", which would make it a waffle and not a pancake, or the Chipped Beef recipe that does not include toast or biscuits in the ingredients list but does state to serve it over toast or biscuits, a bit of an annoyance if you are done preparing it and then find out that you have no bread. Things like this are the only reason this did not receive a full five star rating.

Still, even with the small annoyances, the book is a pleasure to read. To add to the enjoyment of the book, it is filled with illustrations, advertising, and photographs from the appropriate years. For those who would like to travel back to a time of simple pleasures the book is a wonderful nostalgic trip and the recipes sure to delight.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE GOLDEN AGE OF DINERS!, July 22, 2005

By 

Tim Janson (Michigan) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Retro Diner: Comfort Food from America's Roadside (Hardcover)

In an era where generic, noisy, bar & grill restaurants crowd every street corner, the days of mom & pop diners and their home-cooked specialties are sorely missed. Retro Diner from Collectors Press is an ode to the golden age of diners and diner foods. Filled with over 115 recipes as well as vintage photographs, menus and advertising, Retro Diner is a look back at those days of spinning seats and gum stuck under the counter.

The book begins with a short introduction of the history of diners and how they originated out of the need to fill hungry workers who worked late shifts when most restaurants were closed. They hit their peak in the 1950's in the time of juke boxes and car hops and those magnificent train car-style diners that most of us only know from seeing in film and TV. Thankfully diners have undergone a resurgence in popularity in recent years, thanks in part to TV and film. Many have taken on the task of restoring the old places and many new diners have been built in that classic 50's and 60' styling.

Retro Diner presents the authentic recipes, culled from these various diners, arranged into sections such as breakfasts, soups, sandwiches, and the ever-popular "Blue Plate Specials". Start your day with easy home made biscuits, southern-style corn fritters, or corn beef hash and eggs.

Soups & Sandwiches were always a popular choice among diner patrons. Enjoy the Corn Chowder from the Sweetheart Diner or Cream of Mushroom from Harry's Midnight Diner. How about a Count of Monte Cristo sandwich in all it's battered, deep-fried glory or the patty melt from Blue Moon Diner.

Every diner had it's "Blue Plate Special" and Retro Diner presents no less than ten classic recipes for an all-time diner favorite, meatloaf. Then there's the Dinner Pie from Jack's D.C. Diner and Hungarian Goulash from Zippy's; chicken-fried steak, chicken and dumplings, BLT's, Apple Pie, and so much more. Even if you don't enjoy the recipes, you're sure to enjoy this trip down memory lane.