Customer Reviews

Retro Diner: Comfort Food from America's Roadside

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

It's a colorful, fun-to-read book with a lot of basics. Meatloaf, biscuits, stuff that's good well... 'diner food'

As with any cook book, read ahead of any recipe to make sure you really understand it before you jump in. Sometimes they call for things that seem a little odd prep-wise.

Nice illustrations, too!

I recently bought this book, and tonight I was looking through to see what recipes I might like to make.

On page 11 is a recipe for "Hunter's Crescent Rolls." It tells you to soften yeast in warm water, and set aside. And apparently leave aside forever, as they aren't mentioned further in the recipe! No mention of when to mix in the yeast.

This is disheartening, and makes me wonder if the other recipes have similar errors.

Full of retro flair this cookbook was fun to flip through and had entertaining historical trivia sprinkled throughout. It is exactly what it claims to be: diner food. Meatloaf, tuna sandwiches, biscuits, waffles, pie, and multiple types of soup fill the pages. If you've already got go-to recipes for most of these things, don't expect anything big from this book. If you're looking for good recipes (or to recreate flavors and memories from the past) for these items, this would be a great place to start.

This little book is a great 'blast from the past' for diner lovers. It has recipes in all categories, but the biggest hits are the desserts -- like the sky high banana cream pie.

I bought this book sight unseen and was not disappointed. Actually I bought it as a gift for my best friend and she loved it. Trouble was - it was hard to give it up. Cool photos, tasty recipes - a real jewel.

I HAVE BOUGHT MOST OF THIS LINE OF BOOKS AND THEY ARE ALL GREAT GOOD OLD FASHIONED RECIPES EASY TO READ AND LOTS OF LITTLE FACTIODS THROUGHOUT THE BOOKS I JUST LOVE THEM I GIVE IT TWO THUMBS UP!! CHECK OUT THE WHOLE LINE THERE IS SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE

I really love this cookbook! Not only are the recipes all from diners across the country, but they all contain ingredients you would find in a typical cupboard. It also has wonderful images from back in the day and a history of the diner. I would buy this as a gift and I plan to buy the other cookbooks for myself!