Dave's Diner

390 West Grove St.

Route 28

Middleboro, MA 02346

(508) 923-4755

www.daves-diner.com

By: Diane
August 11, 2012

Put your hair in a ponytail, get your poodle skirt on and grab your saddle shoes – we're going to Dave's Diner, the bastion of all things 50's. Just pulling up to this place makes you smile. Look how cute it is:

It also makes you hungry because you can often smell those burgers cooking before you hit the door.

We've been to Dave's a few times before and are always happy to return. They have a huge menu of all your diner favorites and everything we've had so far has been oh-so-good.

This particular Saturday we arrived around 3:15 p.m. for a late lunch. It turned out to be a good time because we didn't have to wait to get in, as sometimes happens here. Dave's is a very popular spot for breakfast also and the breakfast and lunch crowds combined … oh boy. But this day we were seated promptly at our favorite back booth. This gives us a great view of the adorable decor. A black and white checkered floor, pictures of huge 50's cars, framed records and, of course, lots of Elvis complement the red and chrome tables and booths. Music over the speakers and friendly waitresses complete the picture. You've stepped back in time.

As soon as we were seated the waitress took our drink order. Normally we would get their great milkshakes which come in a large glass accompanied by another full glass inside of a silver container. But we knew we'd be having ice cream later and didn't want to have dairy overload. So I got a Coke and Laura got a Vanilla Coke (which I would have gotten if I had read that far on the menu). Then we perused the large menu. Dave's has great breakfast options like huge omelets, which we've had before and which were awesome. They also have pancakes and all your early morning favorites. But we wanted lunch and specifically we wanted burgers. Dave's has several kinds of burgers and they're large and come in a sort of wonderful brioche bun. They're so good. Plus they all have funny names (so do the breakfasts). I ordered the "Only the Lonely" which says it all – just a burger in a bun. Laura, always the adventuresome one, had the "Hot Rod Lincoln" which is a burger with Cajun seasonings, mushrooms and mozzarella cheese. You could taste the quality in everything. The meat, bun, fillings – even the fries on the side were first rate.

Only the Lonely

Hot Rod Lincoln

Dave's also has appetizers like "Great Balls of Fire" which are buffalo chicken tenders, "Surf City" fried clam strips, "La Bamba" nachos with tomatoes, jalapenos and cheeses and many more. They have several soups and salads and of course the burgers. They have sandwiches like the “T-Bird,” a chicken parmesan sandwich or the "Grandpa Horace,” a mile-high meatloaf sandwich, even a "Route 66," a grilled Reuben on rye and much more. If you're craving a full meal you can get chicken pot pie, homemade meatloaf, fish and chips, steak tips, liver and onions, spaghetti and meatballs, beans and franks and even a fried chicken dinner. You can check out their whole menu by clicking the link above. If you have any room for dessert you can scan the dessert case when you come in the door for cakes, pies and puddings.

We both thought our burgers were delicious and finished every bite, even the fries. Our bill looked like this:

Hot Rod Lincoln – $8.99

Only the Lonely – 7.99

Coke – 2.49

Vanilla Coke – 2.99

Subtotal - $21.96

Tax – 1.54

TOTAL = $23.50

With a 20 percent tip for our great waitress we paid $28.20. As per our custom, we checked out the restroom and found it clean and tidy and 50's cute.

So guys and gals for a great meal and a trip down memory lane, grease up your hair, put your sidewinders on and zoom on over to Dave's. It's a blast from the past.

Dave’s Diner is open daily from 5:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Breakfast is served until 11:15 a.m. Monday through Saturday and noon on Sunday. Some breakfast selections are available all day.

P.S. – If it had been a nicer day, we would have taken the opportunity to sit out on their patio. Look how cute it is:

Don't forget to check out our friends at MenuJoy.com for great area restaurant menus.

Kathy's Coffee Shop and Creamery

66 South Main St.

Assonet, MA 02702

(508) 644-3396

August 7, 2012

Mom and I had wanted to visit Kathy’s Coffee Shop and Creamery for quite some time. We love a good breakfast and according to the online reviews, Kathy’s has one of the best. Plus, they serve one of the most hard to find ice creams at their creamery – bubble gum! Since this is my last week off before going back to work, we decided that today was the day. Not a far drive from Fall River, we pulled into the parking lot at 10 a.m.

Our first impression of Kathy’s was that it was quite small, but we saw some people shuffling into another room so looks can be deceiving. We chose the last booth against the back wall of the restaurant so that we could check the place out. Our waitress arrived immediately and took our drink order – two iced coffees – and brought them over right away. They were very tasty.

Where we were sitting, there were six red booths and two sets of table and chairs for two. Over the partition (which was topped the various kooky mugs – one resembling a toilet) was a long counter with stools and a few more booths. From that side you could look over into the creamery and the various freezers containing the yummy frozen stuff. Kathy’s has a very “small town diner” feel and the restaurant was clean and cozy.

Our waitress had given us a few minutes to peruse the menu, which was small but had the typical breakfast fare: pancakes, French toast, eggs, omelets, sandwiches and meats. Mom went with the “two by two,” which came with two pancakes, two bacon, two eggs and two slices of toast. She chose rye for the toast, “over easy” for the eggs and chocolate chip for the pancakes. I went with the Greek omelet with extra feta (because I’m obsessed with feta cheese). My omelet came with toast (I chose white) and homefries.

The service was really fast, and that pleased us because we were really hungry. Both meals looked amazing. Mom dug in first and praised – of all things – the toast! She said that it tasted really fresh and they were thicker slices than normal. Her eggs were perfectly cooked (she raved about those as well) and her bacon was thin, crisp and full of flavor. Finally, her pancakes were excellent! Filled with tiny chocolate chips, they were the perfect size without being too puffy or too flat.

My omelet was perfect! The vegetables inside – tomatoes, onion and spinach – were fresh and juicy. I doubt that they came from a bag in the freezer. The feta cheese was plentiful as requested, and the egg wrapping was cooked to perfection. The homefries were my favorite kind – little cuts of potato. I sprinkled them with pepper and ketchup and they were great. The toast was oddly delicious (you really don’t expect much from toast). I don’t have a single bad thing to say. Everything was scrumptious.

After trying desperately to take pictures without being noticed (which was hard to do in a busy place like this), we were handed the bill. Our total came to:

Two by two – 5.89

Chocolate chip pancakes – .99

Greek omelet – 6.09

Extra feta – .50

Two iced coffees – 3.38

Subtotal – $16.85

Tax – 1.05

TOTAL = $17.90

We left $21.50 for our waitress which included a 20 percent tip. The service was great.

*****

Fast forward to noontime, when Mom and I went back to Kathy’s to have some ice cream.

Kathy’s Creamery serves Bliss Ice Cream from the Attleboro dairy.  We’ve heard great things about Bliss but weren’t sure if we’d ever tried this particular brand. Mom ordered a small cup of coffee Heath bar frozen yogurt and I got the elusive bubble gum ice cream. The total was $6.44 (the small cups are $3.03 each).  You can get everything from a milk shake to a banana split at Kathy's.

At first I was nervous because I kept picturing myself choking on pieces of frozen Chiclets, but my fears were soon swept away by the cool taste of bubble gum. If anything ever tasted like a color, it would be this. The ice cream actually tasted like bubble gum smells – pink. It was so fragrant and filled with tiny squares of bubble gum that either a) dissolved in my mouth from being so frozen, or b) stayed with me until the end, increasing in size the entire time I was eating the ice cream. Mom’s coffee Heath bar frozen yogurt tasted like yogurt, but a very good one. She loved that it had shaved pieces over big chunks (she hates that) and a nice creamy consistency.

All in all, we will most definitely be making a return trip to Kathy’s. We’ve been warned to stay away on the weekends; apparently you can’t get near the place. After eating here, it’s no wonder why. The food is tasty, the service is great and you can get bubble gum ice cream as early as five in the morning!

Kathy’s Coffee Shop is open from 5:15 a.m. to 12 p.m. Monday through Friday, 5:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday, and 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday. The Creamery opens when the coffee shop does and closes at 9:30 p.m. daily.

Visit our friends at MenuJoy.com for local area restaurant menus!

PS - If you like cookbooks, check out the Eagle Trading Company at 4 Elm Street in Assonet:

Like finding a needle in a haystack!