What is it about a diner that just feels so comfy? Especially if it’s a vintage diner. It’s that whole booth thing I think, you feel sheltered, couple that with a steaming hot mug of coffee and, well it makes you slink back and say ahhhhhhh.

A diner is a meeting place, has been for decades, especially in New England, it’s a staple here.

In good economical times and in bad, everybody loves a diner. The playing field is very level in such a place don’t you think? For me the more vintage the better.

I was horsing around on the internet googling diners in Connecticut and came upon “Georgie’s Diner” in West Haven. I decided it had to be tried right away so Geoff Fox and I headed there in between news shows. Fox, the weather boy at WTNH-TV was game, like he had a choice.

“Georgie’s” has been open about six months after being refurbished to its new lustre. What a treat! First of all the doors on the place had me at “hello.” An entrance is everything isn’t it?

Inside the theme is red…the light reflected that too as the giant boomerang-shaped neon lights in the ceiling gave off a pinky-reddish glow.

The cook was in plain site in front of a long bar with low red stools. I was envisioning a crowd of early morning customers with their eggs and coffees and talking about the day ahead and solving the world’s problems.

I can tell you right now there will be a lot more posts here on Annie Mame on diners, we’ve got some gems in Connecticut, and the stories behind them are so interesting.I think those tales need to be told. Diners really do reflect the history of the towns they’re in.

“Georgie’s” started out as a diner in New Rochelle, New York in 1956. It got moved to Stratford, Connecticut where it was called the Duchess Diner until 1967 and then it was moved to its current location in West Haven where it was renamed the Elm Diner because it’s on Elm Street. George Anthis, one of its many operators, is the one who commissioned its latest restoration so the diner now is named after him.

Fox of course got a kick out of the fact that he was recognized by two gals in a booth behind us. He took the opportunity to hug each one of them and of course posed for pictures. And that’s another thing about a diner, the mood inside is usually one of fun, people are just usually talkative and friendly in a diner.

The folks who own “Georgies” also own another diner up the shoreline a piece in Guilford called the Shoreline Diner. It’s much bigger inside, and yes, I have frequented that one as well. The desserts in both places are to die for, that’s if you have room after snarfing down what ever blue plate special you ordered, cuz the portions are more than sizeable.

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