The Comet Diner

Posted on February 27, 2016February 27, 2016 by Dusty Roads | 4 Comments

Last weekend was beautiful, almost T shirt weather. The sun was shining and what little snow was left was rapidly melting. Quite a change from the -10 weather of the previous weekend.

So with the sun in my eyes, my friend and her 2 children loaded up the car and headed out for an early spring adventure. It was a nice drive to the little town of Westford in northern Massachusetts. We got there at just about noon so before we went in search of our afternoon activity we decided we should have lunch.

We had just gotten off the highway and expected to see restaurants or fast food places where we could grab a quick bite. We saw one little strip mall with a Chinese restaurant and a Pizza Shop but then nothing. We drove through the little town center with its library and town hall but no restaurants. Finally we turned around and headed back.

Passing the highway we saw another little strip mall but unlike the first one there were a lot of cars in the lot. We slowed down and spotted Comets Diner.

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As we pulled in I saw saw several people heading into the diner. A good sign.

Inside was the wonderful 50’s decor with murals of sock hops and drive in speakers decorating the tables.

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We lucked out with the last booth, only tables or seats at the counter remained.

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Comfort food filled the menu. They even had deep fried chips, a homemade version of potato chips.

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The kids had a side of chili cheese fries that they seemed to love, at least there weren’t any left overs. Desserts consisted of ice cream or strawberry shortcake.

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It was a real traditional short cake too with one twist. There was a layer of vanilla ice cream. Nancy and I split one because they were huge but soooo good!

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Thus fully satisfied and fully fueled for the afternoon we left the Comets Diner behind but I’d definitely recommend it if you get to Westford, MA.

There’s Something about a Classic Diner

Posted on August 30, 2015August 30, 2015 by Dusty Roads

The last time I caught up with my cousin Kathy it was at Lester’s Diner in Fort Lauderdale, FL. At the time I thought, such a fun atmosphere, just like something out of the 50’s. I didn’t give it much more thought after that.

Of course Johnny Rockets seems to have a huge following but it isn’t really a diner. It’s a fast food restaurant found in malls where it pretends to be a diner.

So when I saw an article in the AAA South Eastern Massachusetts magazine about diners in Massachusetts I decided to check one of them out.

I picked Dave’s Diner in Middleboro because it isn’t that far from me and convenience in an eating place is important. Who wants to drive for 2 hours for a 30 minute lunch? I’d say only food critics or reviewers.

So anyway on a nice, sunny Sunday afternoon I headed out to locate Dave’s. My neighbor told me to be prepared to find it very busy and she was right but even with a full parking lot, I was seated right away. I was given a choice of indoor or outdoor seating.

Outdoor was tempting as the outside seating season in Mass is short but it was pretty hot and humid so I stayed inside in the air conditioning.

The menus were on the table. There was an impressive list of specials clipped to the front. My waitress came right over to take my drink order while I waded through the menu. One thing that impressed me is that they had a section of smaller meals for people with a “smaller appetite”. That was in addition to a kid’s menu. I like that!

I had my eye out for a open faced turkey sandwich. I haven’t found a good one in Massachusetts in all the years I’ve lived here. Every time I visit my sister I insist that we have at least one meal at a restaurant called the Peppermill. They have the best open faced Turkey sandwich so I get my “fix” there.

But diner food should include an open faced sandwich and sure enough Dave’s had Grandma Elsie’s Hot Turkey Sandwich.

It was huge, way more food than I need for lunch but it looked great. I dug in and it was pretty tasty. Using Texas Toast for the bread was a great touch. My only complaint was that it needed more gravy. I’m sure they would have brought more if I’d asked but it was pretty clear that I wasn’t going to be able to finish everything so why waste more food.

Bottom line, the Peppermill’s open faced sandwich is still better than Dave’s but there is no shame in placing 2nd. And Dave’s is much closer than South Glens Falls, NY! The meal is more than enough food for an average size appetite and probably plenty for the big appetite too. I would recommend it and will be going back.

If you are looking for the Diner it’s right on RT 28 in Middleboro. The official address for GPS is 390 W. Grove St, Middleboro, MA 02346

Final Hours in Fort Lauderdale

Posted on March 10, 2013March 10, 2013 by Dusty Roads

My Mexico cruise/ Fort Lauderdale adventure is winding down. I have one last thing to squeeze in and that is a visit to family.

I met my cousin at Lester’s Diner in Fort Lauderdale where we enjoyed a real good old-fashioned breakfast of pancakes and bacon. The diner is like a blast from the past, an authentic 50′s style restaurant and home to the infamous 14oz coffee cup. This signature landmark has been a family owned and operated business in South Florida for over 43 years.

My cousin told me she used to work there and met her husband there. Another old-fashioned touch. She was a waitress, he was a trucker. Sounds like the basis for a romantic movie. 🙂

My cousin is the outgoing one and she seemed to know everyone as we made out way to our booth.

After breakfast we headed to my aunt’s home which turned out to be literally around the corner from the Diner and after a short visit there we went on to the airport also just “around the corner.”

That should have been the end of the story. Drop off rental car, get on plane , arrive home but it turned out it wasn’t quite that easy. I dropped off the rental and grabbed the shuttle to the terminal. I checked my bags curbside and headed into the security line. It was huge. As I stood there looking around I realized I didn’t have my coat! It was still in the rental car. I tried calling the lost and found but kept getting lost in the IVR prompts so back to the shuttle to reverse my previous trip.

At the Hertz counter they directed me to lost & found and there was my coat. Yay! Now back on the shuttle again to the terminal and back on the line. It hadn’t moved much. I was in the same place as when I left. Slowly , very slowly the line began to creep forward.

In the Fort Lauderdale airport the security is on a slightly lower level from the check in counters. As the line crept forward I eventually reach a point where there was a ramp that led down to the TSA agent and security scanners. I wish the TSA had allowed pictures because at that point I could look out over all the travelers and it was a wall to wall sea of people all jostling and pushing for position! It was an amazing sight and I had lots of time to watch as I waited for my line to move forward again.

Once at the scanners the routine was the same…shoes off, lap top out of the luggage, walk through scanner, retrieve, put shoes back on and find the gate. Whew! from the time I got back on line the 2nd time until I made it to my gate it was over 1 hour! So glad I went early. My cousin had suggested I chat a little longer saying I’d be through security in 10 minutes. Maybe if I was on an early flight but apparently not if you are flying mid-day!

The rest of my flights were uneventful. I offered to be “bumped” in exchange for a $400 voucher but I would have to fly out the next day, not just a later flight on the same day so I passed it up.

My flight finally landed around 8:30 pm amid snow and sleet. The parking valet had my car warmed up and cleaned off when I got off the shuttle. The drive home was not too bad in spite of the weather and there they were. 2 little furry faces meeting me at the door.