This past weekend, muh wife and I set out to try something that I have never done before. Before we did that, we went to lunch at the Bridgewater Diner.
For years, muh wife and I have been driving by a diner on Route 22 in Bridgewater called the Felix #9 Diner. It sits in the middle of the road where business entertain customers traveling both north and south bound on Route 22. We have driven by the restaurant probably at least a 100 times in our relationship and I think every single time, I have made a reference as to how I used to go there all the time with my friends when I was in high school.
The diner represented happy memories in my life as I remember going there and ordering cheese fries with gravy…. But it had to mozzarella cheese and the gravy had to be on the side. The side gravy was the key. They could never short you on gravy if it was on the side.
I also remember Jamie taking the saltshaker and pretty much emptying the container into his side of gravy. We all knew he was going to do it and yet… we always cringed whenever we saw it. If I remember correctly, I was more concerned with his recent smoking habit than I was with his salt intake.
For the past few months, the Felix #9 had been going through some remodeling and it would drive me crazy every single time I would drive by it. I would say stupid shit like… “The Felix #9 is an institution! They better not be fucking it up!” It was stupid since it wasn’t an institution except to anyone in my mind.
It recently opened up and I was disappointed to see that it had a new name – the Bridgewater Diner. Muh wife and I walked in anyway…even though I knew I wasn’t going to be satisfied with whatever I ordered. I ordered the Cheese Fries with Gravy on the side (and the cheese was mozzarella of course!) but it wasn’t the same.
It wasn’t the same because they actually had this item listed on the menu and it was called – DISCO FRIES. I looked past the commercialization of my high school existence and ate them delicious concoction anyway. I am glad I did.
Now… I need everyone to please raise their glass as I say…. “Here’s to you Felix #9. I will always miss you and mourn your absence in my life. Thank you…Thank you very much!”
4 comments:
Ah, reading your blog brings back fond memories of the Parsonage Diner. So much an Edison institution, that at my sophomore year first floor meeting one of my fellow floormates heard I was from Edison and immediately asked, "Parsonage?" You always ran into half of your high school there whether you waned to or not, but it was always a safe bet when you were faced with the infamous suburban teenager dilemna of "What the hell is there to do around here?"
So it goes without saying (such a typical sign of the times) that I was a little disheartened when it was torn down to be replaced by an Eckerds.
In Edison, we always called them disco fries. :)
-Leslie
Ah, how I miss going to the Twain every weekend... My Felix #9... I always loved the bicycle lady who never let you order what you wanted... Ahhh the memories...
And Karchamb...don't forget the pickles, always extra pickles on the table!
And smelmoo - they've been disco fries forever - my favoritest thing.
Aren't diners just perfect!
I can't believe it!
So many orders of cheesfries and gravy... so many cups of coffee... so many packs of cigarettes. Just like my cigarette habit, I guess it too was bound to end.
Like Eric mentioned, to this day Felix #9 still comes up in conversation.
Arizona has absolutely no "real" diners - only than those retro commercialized wannabe diners (i.e. "5 and diner"... see, even the name is stupid.)
No matter what, they'll always be "cheese fried and gravy" to me!
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