Dash of American optimism to spice up the table

 Loving care has gone into the décor with Hollywood stars on the floor tiles, old fashioned coke ads, red plush bench seats and portrait posters of fifties icons Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley. The pride of place is the Cadillac seating on the raised porch over the pavement outside.  Also bright red, the car has been split in half to accommodate booth seating with two upholstered car seats facing wooden benches over a table. 
It’s basically a take out with an option of sitting down to eat. There are a couple of tables inside and the comfy Cadillac outside. You pay at the counter and collect your food in brown bags. No plates, no cutlery, but plenty of paper serviettes dispensed from a large popcorn container.
On the day we were there Deano (Dean Westlake) was helping move a gorgeous crimson Dodge into position on the pavement to serve as an advertising banner. I love the concept but think he’s going to need a lot more traffic to make this a success. The menu is small – different burgers, a couple of fancy sandwiches and a special ‘hot dawg’ – which is pricy at US$7 for a standard burger.  Chicago Burger (US$5) topped with onions, mustard and red pepper was the special the day we visited and it was very good, the burger fat and juicy, nicely flavoured on a large soft roll. We shared a bag of Louisiana fries US$3 – thin cut and crispy with Cajun spices.
My mom opted for the Chicken BLT (US$7), a huge portion of crispy golden fried chicken, on a ciabata roll with bacon and lettuce and I was tempted by the sound of Reuben’s smoked beef and cheese on rye – a pretty hefty US$8 for a sandwich – but will certainly try it next time.
Sweet stuff (all US$4) are chocolate brownies, apple and berry pie and waffles – and all meals include a free soft drink, coffee or water.
We had fun. From sinking into the bouncy upholstered seats, to watching all the activity on the street from our elevated position, to unpacking our brown bags to enjoy our food it was all entertaining.  I had to make three trips back inside to collect salt and ketchup sachets, then serviettes, then a coke for my Dad – but eventually we could settle down and eat messily with our fingers. 
Diners have a long history in the USA with the first being created in 1872 by Walter Scott who decided to sell hot food out of a horse pulled wagon. Manufactured lunch wagons with seating appeared throughout the North Eastern US in the late 19th century, serving busy downtown locations without the need to buy expensive real estate and by 1925 the name ‘diner’ was widely accepted for this kind of long, narrow eating house, the very shape dictating the layout of bench seating and a long service counter.
Wikipedia talks about diners as symbols of American optimism harking back to the prosperity of the 1950s and the hey-day of middle class America where every family could aspire to modern consumer living with a refrigerator, a television and a car. Diners feature a lot in American movies, usually stay open late and serve bottomless coffee along with all day breakfasts.  Deano’s is open daily except Sunday from 10am to 6pm (9am to 2pm Saturdays), doesn’t serve breakfast but is imbued with a similar sense of cheerful optimism.
– g.jeke@yahoo.com