If you love Maine diners, you’ll love Classic Diners of Maine by Sarah Walker Caron. This book, published by American Palate,not only shares the history behind Maine’s classic diners, but also quirky lore and a few surprises — such as discovering a diner that appears stick built actually is a Worcester Lunch Car. In addition to chapters on individual diners, Caron also includes a timeline and recipes.
Caron, senior features editor of the Bangor Daily News, also freelances as a writer, editor, and recipe developer. She’s written four cookbooks, and she maintains two blogs: Sarah’s Cucina Bella, dedicated to quick and easy home cooking, and The Lunch Box Ladies, covering all things related to packed lunches.
I recently chatted with Sarah about some of the stories she discovered while researching Maine’s diners.
Fun little book, why did you decide to write it?
The publisher reached out to me about the idea. Diners are so iconic, everyone has a diner story—the one they went to with friends after the play in high school, the one they went to with their family. Diners are iconic and tell so much about a place.
Diners have a fascinating history in Maine. Many were brought here for or started and built around a mill culture. They became the place to go for early meals after a shift, or a midday meal when leaving the factory. Maine is lucky to have diners that have stood in place for decades and decades.
How did you approach researching Classic Diners of Maine?
Knowing the premise was diners, I began by writing a list of places that referred to themselves as diners. Others, such as Dysart’s, are diner-like, but it’s a truck stop. I eliminated those that didn’t self-identify as a diner. Some are obvious, classics that have been here since the 20s, 30s, or 40s. Then I filled it out with newer ones that also are iconic, for example, the Maine Diner; it’s actually only been around since the 1980s.
So many Maine diners are known for taking great pride in house-made items. Some diners didn’t make the cut. They were diners, some classic, but they didn’t quite have that emphasis of house made on anything. Some are beloved. Diners are about familiar food, familiar places, and family love, but I wanted to focus on bigger story of something special.
I live far north of where most of the classic diners are; there are only a few north of Augusta. I had to drive down on multiple occasions to visit them all. Some of the research I condensed into trips, where we visited as many diners as possible. My most memorable was with my two kids on Veterans Day weekend; we had seven diners on list and were there for two days. We made it to five or six. My kids loved this project. They enjoyed experiencing different places. We took turns ordering corned beef—I didn’t need to order, just have a bite or two. My son, who was 12-13 at time, rated the tap water at each—Becky’s was the best, with Miss Portland a close second.
What enduring qualities make diners special?
The food! What I was really the impressed with at many Maine diners is the fresh and local food. Some have been sourcing from farms since long before fresh and local were buzzwords. The A1 Diner has a been farm-to table-diner since the late 1980s, when previous owners took over. They put a huge emphasis on sourcing from local farms. The Maine Diner has a garden that they source food from during the summer; it’s part of the establishment, but done quietly. Miss Portland makes its own corn beef hash; it’s their signature. A lot of others also are not opening a can, but I don’t want to disparage opening can and popping it on grill, that can be great, too.
What was your biggest discovery?
My very favorite was tracking down the actual history of the Brunswick Diner—It’s an absolutely fascinating history. Previous news stories called it a Worcester Dining Car that had been in Norway and came to Brunswick in the 1940s. When I went back through the records, I found that it was stick built in Norway to look like a dining car. I also discovered that there was a different Miss Brunswick down the street. The Norwago Diner became the current Brunswick Diner when the other one closed.
The Deluxe Diner in Rumford was a last minute addition to book. I came across the name when researching something, so I quickly drove to Rumford. Glad I did, because it’s a beautiful, beautiful Worcester Lunch Car, and it’s the second oldest in the state. The basement was hand dug in the 1920s. Now, it has a brick exterior with windows, but once you step inside, everything is classic.
Dave’s, in Gardiner, was another last-minute book addition with an interesting story. When you look at it, you don’t think of it as being built to be a diner, but it is a Valentine Diners double deluxe, built in Kansas and delivered to Gardiner.
Which Maine diner has the best story?
So many have great backstories, but I really love the backstory of the Portland Diner, which had a number of troubled years. What I love is the gentleman who owns it now, an editor of Newsweek, was from Portland, and he decided on a whim to buy it and operate it—I have this image of him being in New York, rushing to his job, and buying a diner on a whim. He operates it, is committed to fresh and local food, and makes a great corned beef hash.
Let’s talk about corned beef hash, which you tasted in every diner. Is it the ultimate diner food?
It is the ultimate diner food, and it tells a lot about the diner. You can buy corned beef hash in every diner in Maine, but how do they do it—is it from scratch? do they put a great crust on canned? It’s a favorite of mine, and it’s also a quirky thing to taste in every Maine diner. Becky’s house-made corn beef hash is my favorite. It’s the perfect mix of corned beef to potatoes, and it has great flavor.
Traditional diners tend to be very tight spacewise, how are they faring during Covid-19?
When I started researching the book, almost 90 counted as diners, but there are definitely fewer now. The Miss Wiscasset is closed. Nicky’s Cruisin Diner in Bangor closed suddenly and the building was torn down.
Covid-19 has been especially hard on diners. They don’t have the space that most restaurants do. Most classic dining cars are not in a position to space out seating as it’s installed on diner floor. To operate in a safe way means allowing only a few people in at a time. Owners have to make very hard decisions: how to operate if operate at all.
The Deluxe Diner is too small; there are only 16 tight stools. It’s for sale, and I hope they find a buyer, because it’s such a wonderful, wonderful place. It’s weathered closures before and come out fine at the end. I’m very hopeful they’ll find the person who wants to steward that beautiful dinner into the future.
The A1 in Gardiner, which is larger than the Deluxe, is doing take-away and has outside seating. The Palace in Biddeford is doing takeout only. The Miss Portland has curbside pickup, outdoor dining in a heated tent and some indoor dining.
Do you have a favorite Maine diner?
Several top my list. Nicky’s was the one I went to with my kids when first moved here. When I meet friends out of town, Becky’s is usually where we go. The Palace Diner with its small menu and very tight quarters has a wonderful atmosphere and food; I would go everyday if lived in southern Maine. The Miss Portland is a really great experience in original dining car. Martha’s, in Ellsworth, is the one I go to most often in normal times.
Anything you’d update or change?
There are definitely updates to be made, but this isn’t the right time, maybe after the pandemic, when things settle. For one thing, I need to move the ones that closed to a different section, since readers won’t be able to go. I also want to add the Farmington Diner, which acquired a new dining car, and I would love to include that in classic diner section. And I’m watching the A1 Diner. The MDOT is replacing bridge it stands on, and I would love to bring that story to completion. The state is doing an amazing job of working around the A1, which definitely the most unique location of any diner in Maine.
You included recipes for diner classics, but didn’t source them from diners – why?
Other books more dedicated to diner recipes have sourced from diners, and that’s a wonderful way to do things. But, I’m a home cook, translating a recipe from a chef in a diner to a home doesn’t always match up. They prepare food in bigger batches. It made sense to use my own recipes, which are designed for home use and tested, so you won’t end up with 6,000 pancakes.
Sarah shared her recipe for corned beef hash, her favorite diner food.
Homemade Corned Beef Hash
Serves 4 | Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 20 minutes
Inspired by the fine housemade corned beef hash at the Miss Portland Diner and Becky’s Diner, this recipe is loaded with big bits of shredded corned beef, potatoes and carrots. Delightful with fried or poached eggs, this is a satisfying breakfast.
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 small onion, quartered and sliced (about ¼-inch thick slices)
8 oz (1/2 lb) prepared corned beef, shredded (2 cups)
1 ¼ cups diced boiled potatoes
½ cup diced boiled carrots
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet set over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden — about 7-10 minutes.
Add 1 tbsp olive oil to the skillet along with the corned beef, potatoes and carrots. Stir. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring infrequently, for 8-10 minutes, until cooked through. There should be browned sections mixed in.
Cooking tip: This is best made with leftovers. When you are making corned beef, choose a slightly larger piece so you have about a half-pound leftover to make this too!
