Diner Critique: St. Francis Fountain (San Francisco, CA)

Review | Written and photographed by Nathan Mattise

Directions | Web site | Overall Rating: 3

Moving is always seismic. Not only does it involve adjusting to a brand new physical space, but all the tangential aspects of everyday life shift too. New doctors, new places to run, new routes to work…

And when you write a diner blog, a new go-to neighborhood diner.

St. Francis Fountain was within walkable distance from my new house, in my new city in my newly car less world. Clearly it was only a matter of time.

Mobile Food Week Review: The Belgian Food Company (London, UK)

Review | Written and photographed by Nathan Mattise

Directions | Web site | Overall Rating: 3

Go ahead, laugh. I spent nine days in Europe, six of those in London, and my best UK food memory came from a little vendor outside the tube stop on Baker Street. The food they were pushing doesn’t qualify as a classic national dish.  The appearance of this place screamed chain as much as the Hagen-Daas folks selling crepes in France (though The Belgian Food Company is apparently London based with only two locations).  However, when a thrifty afternoon caused my girlfriend and I to opt for street food instead of a real lunch, this is what she craved.  She didn’t become a Sherlock Holmes adventurer in her temp neighborhood, but what a discovery.

Mobile Food Week Review: Hungry’s (Pittsford, N.Y.)

Review | Written and photographed by Nathan Mattise

Directions | Web site | Overall Rating: 4

If you own a restaurant that stays open late on weekends and is located next to a pub named Thirsty’s, could you pick a better name?  Hungry’s is a recent addition to the Rochester food landscape (2007) but it quickly became a viable one.  The  tiny shed  sits next to the pub on Pittsford’s main drag and it’s easy to miss because of its size. The setup is perfect for what the place specializes in however, mobilized bar food.

Diner Critique: Cooperstown Diner (Cooperstown, N.Y.)

Review | Written and photographed by Nathan Mattise

Directions | Web site | Overall Rating: 5

If you’re in Cooperstown, N.Y., chances are you’re there for baseball (with the exception of locals and those seeking out Brewery Ommegang of course).  Baseball and food go hand and hand however (see slideshow for details), and that’s why an establishment like the Cooperstown Diner needs to fit into your travel plans. It may appear less extravagant than that hall just down the street, but there’s just as much charm and value here for baseball purists and the rest of us alike.

Diner Critique: Cartwright’s Maple Tree Inn (Angelica, N.Y.)

Review | Written and photographed by Nathan Mattise

Directions | Web site | Overall Rating: 3

The saying goes it’s about the journey not the destination, right? On that criteria alone, the best diner in the world is located in rural western New York.

You really need to be in the know and have true breakfast passion to make your way to Cartwright’s Maple Tree Inn. It’s only open from the beginning of February through the beginning of April.  The closet cities are Buffalo and Rochester… and each manages to be about an hour and a half away. If it wasn’t for a PBS breakfast special, this wouldn’t have even been on my radar.