Greetings, Diner Nationals! Sorry for the delay in between posts, but with two boys getting settled into a new school year, and with the two of us working in higher education, it’s been a little bit since we’ve been able to take the time to enjoy a new eatery. As soon as we had a few spare moments, though, we knew where we wanted to go.
Peter’s Diner in Williamstown had been on our radar for some time. Joe frequented there often in the past, having lived in the area when Peter’s was built in the mid-2000s, but I had yet to visit. Hearing lots of good things, I knew this was the place to go this time.
Upon entry, we were seated immediately. We were handed our menus and was assured a server would be right with us. Boy, was she! No sooner was the hostess gone than our server appeared to take our order. We asked for our coffees and a few more minutes to peruse.
Since Joe’d been there before, I took a minute to look around the place as he looked over his menu. A glance around the dining room told me this was another diner with more of a restaurant feel. The ceiling in the diner room looked like a 1920s ballroom, but some of the colors in the recessed lighting were reminiscent of the mauve tones that were so popular in the 1980s. The tops of the walls were also lined with recreations of ancient Greek mosaics. It’s an interesting visual combination, but it works.
I ordered the Western Burger and made it a Deluxe. Making it a Deluxe was a bit of an upcharge, adding lettuce and tomato to bleu and swiss cheeses that already came on top. I was also given the option of a complimentary cup of soup and chose the Pasta e Fagioli (or pasta fazool, depending on how you mispronounce it) soup.
The soup was good and served extremely warm. I actually prefer it that way because if it were piping hot, I couldn’t eat it. The burger was fantastic! I absolutely loved the way the swiss was melted over the bleu cheese to keep it all together. A little bit of ketchup and I was in burger heaven. The pickle wasn’t as crisp as I like them, but honestly, the burger was so good, this time I didn’t care.
Joe ordered the open-face turkey sandwich, choosing to pair it with mashed potatoes and broccoli. For his soup, he chose the cream of asparagus.
Joe’s soup was also extremely warm, but not too hot, which is especially important with cream soups – if they’re too hot, their thickness can cause the soup to stick to the roof of one’s mouth and cause mild burns. This wasn’t the case here, thankfully. The cream of asparagus was tasty, but required a little salt (or it could have been Joe’s tastebuds, which were mildly dulled to a cold from which he was recovering) and the asparagus itself, while good, tasted like it came from the bottom of the stalk.
The open-face turkey sandwich, on the other hand, was pure deliciousness. The turkey was actual sliced breast, not pre-processed turkey lunch meat, and each slice was about an eighth of an inch thick. It was piled high on white bread, slathered in turkey gravy, and also had stuffing underneath it. The mashed potatoes were creamy without being runny, and had just enough tiny chunks to reassure Joe that they were real and not instant. (Joe loves instant mashed potatoes, but at home. At a restaurant he wants the real deal, and Peter’s delivered.) And the broccoli was crisp without being crunchy, cooked just the way Joe likes it.
The restaurant looked over-staffed as there were many people milling about what appeared to be the kitchen entrance, and, based on conversations that floated around our table, at least one staff member was not pleased to be there. We get it, it’s Saturday. But make sure your grumbling can’t be heard into the dining room.
No worries, though, as Captain Cranky-pants did not ruin the afternoon Thankfully our waitress was pleasant and personable, the food was good, and we didn’t realize until we got in the car that we had only been there for about 40 minutes! How’s that for prompt service, too!
The holidays are coming up and, since it’s located across the Black Horse Pike from a major shopping store, consider stopping in to warm yourself while your credit card cools down.
Until next time, Happy Eating!
Diner Nation 