"Hey! Look at that diner?" The question mark was always slipped in as we drove by. Was it open? Was it a sculpture of a diner like how I tell my son that the things in vending machines actually aren't snacks but sculptures of snacks? A simple web search would have answered the question years ago, as would stopping, but what's the fun in the former and who has time for the latter?
Each year, early in January, Ben and I take a morning or afternoon to dream. We go somewhere away from the workshop and the store to reflect on the past 12 months and set audacious goals for the next 12. We began doing this in 2020, guided by Ted Gonder and his wife, Franzi, who started hosting a digital event called Bravespace in response to the pandemic. The experience turned me from a resolution naysayer into an avid goal setter, and we've continued the tradition — including food.
Setting goals works up an appetite, so we always try to go somewhere after that is comfortable and, itself, inspiring. Last year we went to The Tavern at the Beekman Arms, and relished in the colonial tap room with low ceilings and bench seating. George Washington and Alexander Hamilton, to only name a few, had ducked through the doors, stepped on the floors, and tipped back a pint. That's exactly the kind of history we relish.
When I started looking for our lunch spot for this year, I wanted something new to us but old to the world. Upon confirmation that Dan's Diner is, in fact, a dining establishment, a visit would also offer an opportunity to solve a mystery that had lingered for years. The question mark would be resolved.
The mystery was solved with the best possible outcome: Dan's Diner is fabulous.
These days it is Austin McComb at the grill, continuing a legacy started by Dan Rundell, a passionate collector of American Diner memorabilia who bought the 1925 diner from a Connecticut scrap yard after seeing it in Hemming's Motor Magazine.
Over 12 years, Rundell restored the diner to its former glory. And it is, truly, glorious. The oak ceiling with gold-leaf decoration offers a warm hug, the etched glass windows let you float into a parallel time-space continuum, and the single row of stools demands an up-close-and-personal immersion into the world that Rundell built.
The menu is simple and classic. Breakfast is served all day, lunch kicks in at 11am, and they close at 2pm. I ordered a pastrami on rye, Ben got chicken fingers, and we both devoured the fries. The coffee was strong, the Arnold Palmer delicious, and the small team of two a well-oiled machine. Like the interior, the prices feel vintage (although more 2015 than 1925). You get a good meal from good people in a good place without feeling bad about your wallet.
Dan's Diner is not a place to go with a big group. There are no tables — just bar stools — so it's best for a date or solo lunch out. We'll be turning to it for both.
Visit Dan's Diner
1005 NY-203, Chatham, NY 12037
7 days a week, 7am - 2pm
website
