Tumble Inn Diner - 2

Due to this crazy cleansing diet I am on for the next few weeks, my breakfast choices are a little limited. It is unfortunate that baked goods, bread, and sugary items will not be on my plate for a little while. However, this gives us a chance to see how accommodating places might be and hopefully they can fill me up!

Date: 5/22/10

Restaurant: Tumble Inn Diner
Address: 1 Main St.
City: Claremont
Phone: 542-0074


STANDARD - 2 eggs OE, potatoes, bacon, toast
Eggs *** Nothing special, but fine.


Potatoes **
Kind: Not sure if these have a particular name, but they are the sliced potatoes. We requested they be well done, but they came with only just a few crispy ones and the rest were pretty wet and soft. Sven is not a fan of the the sliced variety anywhere, so if they are your thing, you might feel differently.


Toast ***
Kind: Texas Toast
Homemade? No. Could see that it came from Market Basket. The toast almost got ditched for a muffin again. The only option was blueberry. I had to remind Sven that I couldn't eat either and we HAD to get toast for research purposes. He didn't seem too happy about that. I think Sven has a real muffin problem. 


Bacon ****
Pretty darn good.
 


SERVER RECOMMENDATION
Our server's favorite breakfast is the sausage gravy with biscuits and a side of scrambled eggs. Had I been able to eat this, I surely would have ordered it. 


SPECIAL/OMELET ***
They didn't appear to have any Specials board. I ordered the "Everything" omelet which contained ham, bacon, sausage, onions, peppers and spinach (which they let me sub for mushrooms). No potatoes, no toast. It was large and loaded with stuff, which was great, but it was a little overcooked which made it a bit dry. I have to gripe just a little bit here... I feel like if you ask for no potatoes and no toast they should offer an alternative, or reduce the price of your meal just a bit. Of course most places don't do this, and the Tumble Inn Diner didn't either, but I can tell you that if I stumble on a place that does, they are going to get major kudos from me!

MISCELLANEOUS
Coffee ****
Standard Chock Full O' Nuts coffee, but the strength was decent. Was definitely coffee and not just warm brown water.

SERVICE *****
Tanya was great. When we first arrived, all the booths were taken. She greeted us almost instantly and asked if we wanted coffee and menus to look at while we waited for a booth. She was personable and helpful. The place was pretty busy and we liked her, so not going to knock of a star for the slow coffee refills. 



DECOR *****
Classic diner car filled with really cool blue tile work, wood booths and details, retro counter and stools, stained glass above the curtained windows and diner models and memorabilia on the small "luggage rack" shelves. Very cool.


CLEANLINESS ***
Really a 3.5.


BATHROOMS ****
Small and clean enough. Each bathroom contained just the toilet and there was a common sink in the hall with the old-school, individual, hot and cold faucets.


NOTES This place is great for people watching. A good local place with good hometown folk. It appears to be an all women-run business. Homemade pecan pie (so the sign said), we didn't have any, but should have.

SVEN'S TAKE
There is a great art museum back in my hometown of Erie, Pennsylvania; and for over twenty-five years one of the funkiest and most magnetic exhibits has been a permanent diorama of the old Avalon Restaurant. The installation is scaled to 1/3 life size (that’s huge!) and is populated with 21 soft-sculpted dolls mimicking the real-life people who used to work in or frequent the place. Each figure is a wonder, with attention to detail that transports the viewer into the midst of the scene. You might not be able to smell the bacon cooking, but it sure seems as if you can hear the din of conversation as you gaze down at the characters – and I mean CHARACTERS! – in the place. If you’re anything like me, you’ll find yourself smiling at the little Mennonite girl by the doorway; sympathizing with the harried mother whose babies are sitting every-which-way-but-right in the side booth; timidly avoiding the psychotic gaze of the frightening "Violent Viola"; or trying to catch the attention of the waitress behind the counter for a refill of coffee.

http://www.erieartmuseum.org/exhibits/permanent/avalon/index.html

The Tumble Inn Diner in Claremont, NH is a real-life version of just such a place. Sure you could go there for the food – which is consistently above average, though never great. But the real reason you go to a place like this is for the atmosphere. This is an old diner, populated with real characters. Witness the oversized father and his diminutive son at the counter, either coming from or going to a baseball game. They’ve got matching orange jerseys, with "Giants" screened larger than life on the back. Or look over at the booth with three fifty-something guys who look like they’re still nursing hangovers they had in their thirties. A steady stream of customers comes through the door and down the narrow aisle of the classic dining car, each one a living testament to the fact that this is a salt-of-the-earth eatery in a blue-collar town. I guess that’s my way of saying I love this place!