{"id":5259,"date":"2021-08-11T07:08:27","date_gmt":"2021-08-11T07:08:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/living.chanintr.com\/?post_type=journal&p=5259"},"modified":"2021-12-14T04:58:40","modified_gmt":"2021-12-14T04:58:40","slug":"an-american-hallmark","status":"publish","type":"journal","link":"https:\/\/www.chanintr.com\/pages\/journal\/an-american-hallmark\/","title":{"rendered":"An American Hallmark"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Text by Petch Kingchatchaval<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cDiners… are as essential to our way of life, our democracy, and our sense of community, as any other American institution we have right now,\u201d writes food critic Ed Levine. In his essay<\/a>, \u201cWhy Diners Are More Important Than Ever,\u201d Levine is less preoccupied with the quality of diner food, than with the spirit of hospitality embodied by these classic American restaurants, the way that they make all patrons feel welcomed and well-fed regardless of social strata. To him, the menu comes second. At Palace Diner<\/a>, Maine\u2019s oldest diner, it is clear that neither of these elements has been compromised. The service is warm, and the food is fantastic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1927, the Palace Diner opened its doors in Biddeford, Maine, as a humble 15-seat restaurant housed in a dining car originally built by the Pollard Company. Today, it is one of only two Pollard cars remaining in America, and is helmed by chefs Greg Mitchell and Chad Conley, who reopened the restaurant in 2014. After cutting their teeth in professional kitchens in Maine and New York, the pair met on the job at an organic farm and set out with ambitions to open a restaurant in Portland. While struggling to find a foothold in the city\u2019s burgeoning restaurant scene, they came upon the empty dining car while visiting Biddeford on a whim and quickly signed a lease. Under their leadership, the Palace Diner has become a culinary institution, inspiring countless hungry customers to make the pilgrimage to its bustling counter, which still seats only 15 people to this day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n