Friendly Service And Good Food

Make Diner A Local Destination

At Sandy Hook Diner, where staff and customers are on a first-name basis and the entryway leaves just enough space for a friendly hug, the warm heart of the interior overwhelms the unassuming exterior of the eatery.

Some of the customers have been frequenting the diner since it first opened in what is now an attached apartment to the building housing the eatery. In 1936, an old railroad car recovered from a field in New Fairfield was moved to the space at 98 Church Hill Road. Refurbished and outfitted with a grill, counter, and a dozen bar stools, it became the main dining area of the diner until 1955, when a larger addition added the full kitchen and another 38 seats.

Sandy Hook Diner is the kind of place where people hold open the door and step aside to let in new customers. The original blue and white tile counter still welcomes diners to make themselves to home on the cushioned bar stools, spread out the paper, and relax. Despite the hustle and bustle, there is no sense of being rushed to “turn the table.”

Regulars greet each other and nod across the room to neighbors as they make their way to one of the two- or four-seat tables, and large groups freely push together the tables to make room for a lively gathering. If the staff is busy, they make sure to acknowledge incoming customers with a wink or a wave, and there is plenty to look at during what is generally a brief wait.

A long shelf along one wall of the dining room holds a eclectic, seasonal collection of Americana: snowmen in the winter, harvest decorations in the fall, roosters and chickens throughout the summer. Replicas of antique tin signs offer homey advice to ponder while the table is swiftly reset: “Hands Off the Waitresses.” “A Woman Without a Man is like a Fish Without a Bicycle,” and a tongue-in-cheek warning that there will be a “$10 charge for putting up with” overly grumpy customers.

Ellie Lewis owns the diner, and counts on her staff and head cook Cliff Rothe to keep the kitchen running smoothly, seven days a week. Best known for the breakfasts served at any time, and exclusively on Saturdays and Sundays, the Sandy Hook Diner has been a destination for work crews, business people, and families for more than 60 years.

“Breakfast is what we are known for,” said Mr Rothe. “As a matter of fact, 75 percent of our lunch business is from the breakfast menu.” Along with the standard breakfast fare, Sandy Hook Diner features daily breakfast specials, like the three-egg Tex-Mex omelet filled with homemade chili, peppers, onion, pepper jack cheese, and salsa; classic eggs Benedict; and homemade sausage, gravy, and biscuits. The kitchen turns out a mean scrapple, as well, said Mr Rothe.

Every weekend the kitchen features two pancake specials, such as oatmeal raisin, cornmeal, or buckwheat blueberry. Order a full stack of three pancakes big enough to cover the entire plate, or for the smaller appetite, order a short stack of just two pancakes. Light morning eaters can wake up over a cup of coffee — frequently refilled by the accommodating waitstaff — and a steaming bowl of oatmeal with raisins and brown sugar. Diners watching cholesterol appreciate that turkey bacon and turkey sausage — both sweet and hot — are available, and the kitchen will try to accommodate special dietary requests.

Bagels, muffins, and scones can be substituted at an additional cost to any breakfast meal, or enjoyed on their own.

Customers who have already filled up on breakfast fare earlier in the day find a full array of sandwiches at lunchtime from which to choose, most accompanied by either potato or macaroni salad made on the premises.

Burger lovers delight in the generous 8-ounce hand-packed, all beef burger hot off the grill, served on a hard roll. Soups change regularly on the lunch specials menu, all made in the diner’s kitchen, but the popular meat chili is on the menu every day.

Fish and chips is a big seller at lunch time, as well, said Mr Rothe, and diners gravitate to the quiche specials offered in the summer.

If the generous portions are not enough, desserts are available. Choose from gourmet Snickers pie, Heathbar Crunch pie, Key lime pie, or the diner’s own apple pie, served straight up or a la mode.

“Everybody knows everybody here,” said Mr Rothe. “If you come in once, the waitpeople will remember who you are.”

Sandy Hook Diner is open Monday to Friday, 6 am to 2 pm; Saturday, 7 am to 1 pm; and Sunday, 7:30 am to 1 pm. The full breakfast menu is available at all times. The lunch menu is available Monday through Friday only.