Chelle's 50's Car Hop Diner 49/64 Diner

I used to visit a friend in Stafford and I would drive by Chelle's a lot, my father would also talk about going there for breakfast. It is located on 107 West Stafford Road, Stafford CT 06076. The phone number to reach them at is 860-684-6622. It's hours of operation are Sunday to Tueaday 6am to 2pm. Wednesday to Saturday 6am to 8pm. If you line diners, especially car hops from the 50's Chelle's is a trip down memory lane. I was expecting the usual diner fare going into my experience.

The dining area was set up with typical Diner booths, some of which were in obvious need of repair with tape, or multi-colored patches across them. I'd say the dining room seats about 75 people. The area to the kitchen and dining area is completely open so the waitstaff can't really hide from you. The walls were fully decorated with various relics of the 50s across the country and in the city of Stafford. The dining area is set up in such a way to be appealing to people of all ages, they even have a jukebox with 50s music on it. For being the typical diner layout I give it a 12/16.

Once again the regular menu was a standard lunch diner menu with a decent selection of breakfast items. All of these were reasonably priced. The special board had some impressive items on it. Included a 26 in hot dog that I got with chili, cheese and onions. It came out on a large platter on two foot long hot dog buns. I was delicious and I wish I'd gotten two. The layout of the menu was very simple as it should have been. The menu was set up to draw in families and couple, which was mostly what we saw in the dinner. If your on a diet or a vegetarian / vegan there was a small amount of things to choose from. However don't expect gourmet vegan food here. I give the menu layout and design a 13/16 for above average selection and good pricing.

The cooking staff prepared our buger and hot dogs fairly quickly. One thing I am disappointed about though was that the platters came only with potato chips. If you wanted french fries they were a dollar extra. The waitress was also young and kept getting distracted by her co-workers. The platter came out arranged nicely though, my hot dog looked like it had been layered rather than slopped on. I give the performance of the staff a 11/16 for slightly above average work.

The hot dog was excellent simply put, the chili was flavorful but I still tasted every thing else, I wasn't impressed by the slightly stale potato chips however. My friend Eddie said the burger was also great. He wasn't even able to finish the nearly 3/4 pound patty heaped with toppings. I have not tried their breakfast menu but the fact my father travels down there out of his way quite often gives it enough credit to me that it's also worth having. I give the food a 13/16 for simple but delicious offerings as well as unique items like the hot dog and other daily specials. A lot of places have done away with specials or simply rotate 5-10 items for their "specials". I'm glad some places still focus on creativity and selection with specials.

Another note worthy feature of Chelle's is they do have outside seating at picnic tables served by girls on roller skates. Like the true car hops did back in the 50s. I'm not sure if they serve you in your vehicle but personally I don't like eating in my vehicle. It makes to much of a mess, especially if you spill ketchup or something on the seat.

I have rated Chelle's 50's Car Hop Diner as 49/64 points, it delivered just what I expected. A family and kid friendly place with food you knew what you were getting into. Other than the potato chip issue I have no qualms with going back to this place. The pricing was adequate and service quick and friendly enough. Although it's a bit out of the way in Stafford it's still worth a trip down on a weekend for some good nostalgia.

Fire and Ice - Buffet / Chain 50/64

Fire and Ice is located in the Providence Place Mall in Providence Rhode Island. I went to school in Providene for four years. Through word of mouth from my classmates I learned of this unique and fun restaurant. Located on the ground floor of the immense mall it's hours are Monday through Thursday 11:30 am to 10pm, Friday and Saturday 11:30 am to 11 pm and Sunday 10 am to 10 pm. This place while being a chain is fairly spread out across the country. I have visited it often in the past during my college years so I expected a fairly large spread of ingredients. I would classify it as a buffet catering to college aged people as well as couples and businessmen. Very rarely do you see families with small children or people over the age of 40.

The dining area is set up with numerous booths and tables. In the center is a large circular flat-top grill and counter space where the employees cook your food. Beyond the stove area is a number of counters with buckets and bowls of various ingredients on ice. Even the pickiest of people would not have a hard time finding something they like, from vegetables to seafood to various noodles. After you've filled a bowl with the ingredients you may select one of their pre-made sauces or mix a few of your own and head to the grill to have them cooked together. They can seat roughly between 100 and 150 people between the dining area and the bar. The areas are generally kept well stocked and clean. The decor is fairly modern and trendy but over all suits the place. I give the dining room a 13/16 points. It is fairly well set up but because of the function of it you some times get a lot of traffic passing your table which can be bothersome.

The desgin and content of the menu is hard to judge as it is not set. They do generally stick to a rough outline of a couple types of salads and dressings. Then they have noodles, vegetables, seafood and finally meats. The sauces tend to match a certain item or items in the other stocks. Despite its departure from normal set ups I enjoy their creativity and give it a 13/16. While its hard to plan on going and getting the same thing every time, you can hardly say they don't have anything you life..

The servers act more as tour guides explaining everything and bussers removing dirty plates. The cooks however are more on display than even kitchens with open walls or glass viewing areas. They work methodically and very clean to appease the flow of guests. Due to the way the food is laid out and the progression you generally follow the food tends to be all cooked to the right doneness. Even if you have wide ranging items from noodles to raw meat to carrots. I give Fire and Ice's staff a 12/16 because of the servers tend to be spread thin and a little lax on attention as they don't perform like normal servers. Also while the food is cooked well it often looks like a stir-fry or chili slopped onto your plate. While I completely understand given its nature their plating and presentation isn't what you tend to frequent this establisment for.

Being in the business and seeing the items I see a lot of the same ingredients that I work with, a lot of the vegetables being either par-cooked products that come in vacuum sealed or canned products. The meats and seafoods are often still partially frozen as they sit on the line. The quality however it may sound like I am critiquing it works for the application. After being combined and cooked only professionals or people who spend a lot of time with food could tell the difference. Due to the reasons I give the food a 12/16 as is it not top notch, it is an all you can eat buffet and the food provided is very tasty and enjoyable.

I have pretty much covered the unique features of Fire and Ice in my opening descriptions. It is hard to describe without seeing it yourself but I believe I have done the place justice. In all my travels in the culinary world I have yet to run into a place with a similar style. It could be considered an upscale buffet. The price tag runs about 15 dollars usually with a special 9.95 dinner on mondays with a valid college id.

I give Fire and Ice a total of 50/64 possible points, I feel they do real well in targeting their desired clientel versus the crowd they draw in. The times that I go the people tend to be in their 20s or 30s. Generally mall shoppers or people visiting the town as well as college students. The staff does well with the concept offering a more upscale buffet than most of us are used too. While it could use some work I suppose the old adage of "If it's not broke, don't fix it." applies in this case as well.

New Description items

After having spoken to a few people about my blog I've come up with a few things I will be including in future posts. I'm sorry I'm behind but I have a double update planned for tomorrow! I will be including several new things when rating and describing the restaurants. One of the most important items of change was suggested to me by an educated source. I will now be describing the type of clientele patronizing the restaurant versus the clientele targeted by the restaurant through menu and atmoshpere.