← ON THE EVE OF A GRAND OPENING: The interior of the new Prize Diner that has replaced the former Ithaca Diner: New venue new menu, fresh homemade comfort food. A sensible addition to Tiny Town's culinary scene.
Tiny Town, USA –– The Ithaca Diner was up for sale for years before a plucky young couple from out of town fell in love with Ithaca and saw a chance to run their own show inside the hallowed storefront.
In fact, they totally revamped the joint.
Helen Kulik, a food service veteran out of Owego, and Kristoffer Vieira, a union construction worker from Massachusetts, set their sites on the old place and in short order, turned it into another venue with a new menu entirely. But for those who miss the old place, Ms. Kulik is very firm about one thing:
"I want this to be a diner. It's not a cafe," she said. "All our food is homemade but the feeling we wanted to have is that of a diner."
So, local artists beware, they won't be adorning the walls with your works any time soon. And spare the laptops. This is no place for buying a cup of coffee and then taking up space for three hours. The place may look just this side of hip, but the menu sports unashamedly middle American comfort food.
On Wednesday, Dec. 16, the couple and their four employees held what is known in the business as a "soft opening." To the uninitiated, that means free food. We happened to be wandering by with camera in hand and were stunned to see the place up and running.
"We had a tremendous amount of remodeling to do in here," said Vieira, who put his construction skills to the task. He and Kulik worked side by side for two solid months -- a pretty quick turnaround by any measure -- and Thursday (today) will mark their grand opening.
Kulik is the chief cook and bottle washer. Her menu is straight forward and very working class -- with a few exceptions. We sampled a bowl of homemade New England Clam Chowder -- Kulik's recipe that was more than enough to please Vieira, who, being a New Englander, knows a thing or two about "chow-dah." It was excellent. Vieira also bragged about Kulik's meatloaf, which we didn't try but are willing to believe in based on his testimony alone. He looks like a man who knows a good meatloaf when he gets his jaws around one.
The coffee is fresh ground -- a major departure from the former diner's quaint cup of dark chicory water. Customers loved the old place for more than its food. And we think curiosity will get the better of those regulars. They'll check it out. And satisfaction with keep them coming back. Newcomers will have a fresh place to add to their selection of solid places to grab good fare.
Kulik and Vieira are a warm, generous and likable pair. They make a great team. But it will be Kulik's job to manage the cooking. The hours, to begin with, will be early: The Prize Diner will open its doors at 5:30 a.m. and run until 3 p.m.
"We'd like to go 24-hours in about six months," Kulik said tentatively. Then she looked at Vieira and they both laughed and said "maybe" in unison.
For now there will be a regular breakfast of eggs, omelettes, french toast and blueberry pancakes. Come lunch there are salads, burgers, hot and cold sandwiches and The Prize Homemade Meatloaf Dinner with mashed potatoes, gravy, veggie of the day and a roll. The latter has the promise of legend.
The prices are reasonable and match -- even beat -- any other such restaurants in town.
Mind you, this is not a venue for the vegan, sugar-free, non-dairy nation. Nor is it for the feint of heart when it comes to good wholesome food. That's a relief. This diner serves your old fashioned meat and potatoes and then some. Heck, you can just come in for some homemade mashed potatoes and a cup of coffee and enjoy the butternut squash-colored walls, the white counter top and the persimmon benches and checkerboard tiles. The folks are friendly and the atmosphere upbeat. It's a bright spot on gray days. And we're in for a spell of them.
We can't end without a mention about the apple crisp -- fabulous -- and the Coffee Milk. Yes. Coffee Milk. Coffee flavored syrup in a glass of whole milk. It's a staple on the menus of diners in Mass and is the official state drink of Rhode Island. Try some. We did and we're still buzzed.
Without hesitation, Tiny Town Times heartily recommends you check this place out.
–– C. Penbroke Handy
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