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 Exit interviews: the best restaurants,
right off the highway
A great American diner
The Duanesburg Diner in
Duanesburg, NY, serves homestyle meals in a warm and inviting
classic diner atmosphere
Article by Eric
H.
The Duanesburg Diner and Restaurant
is the "Real McCoy," a country music song in the making,
where truckers and families can enjoy the best of traditional
diner food at the counter, adjacent booths, or in the informal,
friendly dining room.
The Duanesburg Diner and Restaurant
ultimately represents a celebration of American dreams and values
-- that is, a hard-working family-owned establishment making
great breakfast, lunch and dinner for hard-working people who
come to the diner for a cup of coffee, great conversation and
a good value. It is also hugely popular with the summer crowd
coming to and from the great Village of Cooperstown, N.Y.
Luis Patino and family bought
the diner in 1996, changing the name from Charlie's to the Duanesburg
Diner and Restaurant. In that time, he has created a household
name-caliber restaurant to those who travel Route 20. It's hard
to find someone familiar with the area who doesn't like the Duanesburg
Diner and Restaurant -- it is a local dining classic of sorts
in a rural, scenic and pleasant small town 20 minutes southwest
of Albany.
Whether it's a delicious tuna
melt, a burger done the way you envision in your dreams, an authentic
roast turkey dinner close to Thanksgiving quality or a slice
of homemade pie, the Duanesburg Diner does everything right,
making it one of the best diners we've visited in the northeast
section of the United States (and we've been to quite a few diners).
Luis' brother, Ricky Patino,
says the "family" works long hours to keep the restaurant
quality high.
"We have to work pretty
long days, sometimes 12 hours (the waitstaff, however, works
regular shifts)," said Patino. "We like it here in
Duanesburg -- it's a very nice town with a lot of nice people."
The Patinos are community-oriented,
allowing truckers to sleep in their trucks overnight in the large
back parking lot -- as long as they eat at the diner. At any
time of the day, it seems like someone knows someone else in
the restaurant, with the Patino family and waitstaff striking
up pleasant conversation with their customers.
Patino, who used to work at a
diner and fast food restaurant Middleburgh, N.Y., and Queens,
N.Y., respectively, says that popular dishes include the grilled
rueben, pot roast and the aforementioned roast turkey dinner
and tuna melt. Desserts are homemade and delicious -- tapioca
pudding, apple and cherry crisp and pies, to name a few.
The Duanesburg Diner doesn't
shout out, "Hey, look at how good we are." Low-key
and amiably to-the-point in its service, atmosphere and food,
the Duanesburg Diner might not make any Zagat's Restaurant Guide
top 10 list, but that's exactly the beauty of the place: it is
one's own prized discovery, an instant culinary friend just waiting
to satisfy your palate, wallet and soul.
The Duanesburg Diner and Restaurant
Routes 7 and 20, Duanesburg,
N.Y.
Tel. (518) 895-8843
Hours: Monday-Saturday 5:30
a.m.-8p.m., Sunday 7 a.m.-8 p.m.
For more information on
Cooperstown, NY, view the Cooperstown
Travel Library, Attractions Resource
Guide, Calendar of Events, Dining and Lodging sections, and photo gallery
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