Monday, August 1, 2011

Stuck in 1982: Red Lion diner

Some places have not changed for years, decades, and bear witness to design fashions of times past, good and pad.  Here I serve you the example of the Red Lion Diner, in Vincenttown, NJ, an outpost on the edge of the Pine Barrens and a giant food serving place (and about the only place to eat around there unless you have your own kitchen).

interior from Red Lion Diner, NJ

Well, what do you think?  Plastic covered peachpink chairs (where the springs have gone bad in the sofas along the walls), chrome, mirrors, black, and evocative sculptures on the theme of 'big hair'.  I don't know the age of the decoration of this place, but I think 1982 is a good guess.  Maybe PP can tell better.

So, how was the food?  The menu is here (extensive... 8 pages like this).
Red Lion diner menu

The food was OK.  I got pulled pork sandwiches and they were OK, the regular burgers were OK too.  The salad was soso, and I am not sure about the rest of the food.  It is really a place to eat only if you pass by and have to have some sustenance.  Service was acceptable, except she forgot some of our drinks repeatedly.  But in the end, you eat at a place like this not for the good food, but for the experience. This is diner culture and real Americana.

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