Diner Dash - Parts 4 and 5

I picked Ali up at her house in Princeton and we were on the road by 9am. We decided to make the most of the nice weather by heading to the University of Delaware today, with a stop in Salem County for breakfast.

Our goal was the 295 Diner in Pedricktown but it was boarded up. We got back onto 295 and followed the signs for Salem.

Salem Oak Diner
W Broadway and Oak
Salem
County: Salem
Arrival Time: 10:00am

Across from this diner, an original pre-fab style with a room added on later, was a large, old oak tree – the diner’s namesake I guess. The book Jersey Diners said that the waitresses dress like elves during the Christmas season, but this wasn’t the case during our visit today. The menu was pretty short and the diner is only open 6am-7pm during the week. Jimmy Carter, allegedly, dined here once.

This was a regular, working class, south Jersey diner. We overheard a heated discussion about the viability of Barak Obama and Hillary Clinton as presidential candidates. Their perspective, somewhat racist when discussing Obama, is probably indicative of most Americans outside the New York and Los Angeles metropolitan areas.

I ordered two scrambled eggs with home fries and wheat toast ($2.35) and a cup of coffee ($1.00). Everything was fairly good; nothing exceptional to really comment on food-wise. Ali ordered one of today’s specials: veggie omelet with home fries and wheat toast ($4.50) and a cup of coffee.

The waitress was attentive and friendly without being over the top. Clearly the employees were all part of one family, a common occurrence in Jersey diners it seems.

Matt’s Rating: Food – 7, Atmosphere – 8
Ali’s Rating: Food – 4, Atmosphere – 8

From the Salem Oak Diner, we made our way across the Delaware Memorial Bridge and to the University of Delaware. We walked around the campus, loosely along the official tour route I walked hundreds of times as a Blue Hen Ambassador. The area around the music building has changed dramatically since I was last on campus in May 2004 with the recent opening of the Center for the Arts. We tried to get in to walk around, but the building was all locked up as it’s an intersession time.

Laird Campus has also changed in a big way with the destruction of the Pencader complex and the opening of three new residence halls in its place. It was a beautiful day to walk around, with temperatures in the 60s. To top it all off, I found an unmarked space in the library lot and didn’t get a ticket.

We got back into the car around 2pm and decided to find an early bird special at a diner on the way to Atlantic City. The road trip portion of our trip entails staying off the larger interstates when possible. We crossed back over the Delaware Memorial Bridge and hopped on Route 40 to cross the state (Salem and Atlantic counties) and then took Route 50 south into Cape May County. Our destination was the Time Out Diner in Tuckahoe. We both had to use the restroom pretty badly by the time we got to the Time Out. The sign on the door informed us that it was open only Thursday through Sunday. We’ve been on a roll with finding our selected diners.

The ride through rural southern New Jersey was very interesting as we passed lots of signs informing us about Jesus, acres and acres of cows and a rodeo. Luckily, we found another diner not far from Tuckahoe – Dino’s Seaville Diner.

Dino’s Seaville Diner
Route 50
Seaville
County: Cape May
Arrival Time: 3:45pm

This was another lucky find for us. We got in at the start of the early bird rush and found a large dining area. This is a modern diner, not a pre-fab building. I ordered the meatloaf special with mashed potatoes and broccoli ($7.75). It also came with soup (lentil at the waitress’ recommendation), a drink (iced tea) and dessert (vanilla ice cream). Tons of food for a great price. The portions weren’t huge, like in most diners, but I wasn’t definitely full by the end of the meal. The mashed potatoes were fake, a big disappointment for an otherwise good meal. Ali had the lasagna special ($8.95) with salad and mint chocolate chip ice cream. We also received a basket with rolls and cornbread.

Ali realized after ordering that the lasagna was probably meat lasagna. This would be her first time eating beef since July 2004. She does eat poultry so she’s not completely meat-free, but this was a big deal. She begrudgingly admitted that the lasagna was great tasting and even took the leftovers with her for later.

Matt’s Rating: Food – 7, Atmosphere – 8
Ali’s Rating: Food – 8, Atmosphere – 8

We hopped on Route 9 and then the Garden State Parkway and checked into the Showboat within about 30 minutes. A walk down the boardwalk and some shopping in the Caeser’s Pier and now we’re back at the hotel, relaxing from a successful first day on the road.