Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1016 Rte. 82 at the Taconic Pkwy. (
&
518/
851-7117;
www.taghkanicdiner.com).
(
Albany (50 miles/81km).
seems to take pride in doing things well—
they don't skimp on either quality or quan-
tity. It's an art to turn out a classic patty
melt, Yankee pot roast, corned beef hash,
or a mound of half-crisp, half-fluffy savory
home fries. Breakfast is served all day,
and, oddly enough, on Saturdays after
2pm they offer a competent (though
merely so) Mexican menu of various burri-
tos, quesadillas, and fajitas alongside the
gringo diner food.
L
$$$
The Country Squire B&B,
251
Allen St., Hudson (
&
518/822-9229;
www.
countrysquireny.com). $$
The Inn at Green
River,
9 Nobletown Rd., Hillsdale (
&
518/
325-7248;
www.innatgreenriver.com).
Diners & Drive-Ins
256
Blue Benn Diner
The Heart & Soul of a Diner
Bennington, Vermont
Don't look for neon above this 1948-vin-
tage chrome diner—the artsy college
town of Bennington, Vermont, made them
take that garish thing down years ago.
And with various additions over the years,
the stainless-steel panels on its sides
aren't so easy to see anymore. But though
it may not be a pristine architectural exam-
ple from the outside, from the inside the
Blue Benn looks just like what it is—a clas-
sic hometown diner.
Underneath its low, curved, cream-col-
ored ceiling, handwritten signs flutter from
every available inch of turquoise wall and
stainless-steel shelving, advertising the
day's specials (who knew there could be
so many varieties of omelets and pan-
cakes?). Customers perch on stools at the
long, well-worn lunch counter or crowd
into the cramped wooden booths by the
windows, where they can flip through the
eclectic catalog offered on the wall-
mounted jukeboxes. You'll probably have
to wait for a seat, at least from July through
October, when summer vacationers and
leaf peepers flood through town, but the
friendly yet efficient service helps keep
things moving.
As you'd expect from such a local insti-
tution, breakfasts are a great gathering
time—the coffeepots start brewing
around 6am—when you can savor a stack
of pancakes or French toast topped with
genuine Vermont maple syrup. In fact, the
breakfast fare is so good, they serve it all
day long. Places like the Blue Benn often
coast by on standard diner fare—and the
Blue Benn executes quite respectable
blue-plate specials such as pot roast, hot
turkey sandwiches, meatloaf, and creamed
chipped beef, served in generous help-
ings. But it also caters to a more modern
audience with a number of vegetarian
dishes like nut burgers, vegetarian enchi-
ladas, or grilled portobello mushroom on
sourdough bread. Sonny Monroe, who
has owned the place since 1974, seems to
like mixing up the menu, using locally
grown ingredients whenever possible. The
fresh-baked pies and doughnuts are
renowned; the Indian pudding dessert is a
rich cornmeal-and-molasses treat. Get
