Dream Diner

My friend Doug and I went out for breakfast; he’d said that he had some really good food at the Dream Diner. There was a bit of a line to get in and we waited maybe 10-15 minutes. Not too long, but a line is usually a good sign and it was packed inside. I saw many happy diners of all ages eating breakfast and thoroughly enjoying themselves.

The menu had tons of items to choose from. They usually serve lunch as well, but this was Memorial Day and they were only serving breakfast and closing at 1pm. I ordered the Manno omelette (corned beef hash inside) with cheese. It came with home fries and raisin toast. And I threw on a short stack of buttermilk pancakes for good measure. Doug had the Rainbow special: scrambled eggs with ham and cheese, home fries and an English muffin.

I watched them make the omelettes and they have an interesting technique. They pour the eggs onto the flat top, allow them to cook for a few moments, then separate them into three sections, or three omelettes. This resulted in the cook being able to bang out the food very rapidly, but also made the eggs very thin and light. The filling was placed on the eggs and then the omelette was rolled up. I’m used to puffy eggs, but this was great. The eggs and filling played off each other perfectly. The home fries were just right. Not crispy at all, but tender and creamy, and a nice even hand was used in the seasoning. The raisin toast was thick, dark, and well-buttered. The only disappointing part were the pancakes. They tasted great, but I found them to be too thick and heavy, not light and airy.

The staff was great and very accommodating. They took pictures of us and were right on top of any requests we had. It was pretty cool to see the open kitchen and be able to watch the controlled chaos of diner cooks.

An interesting note: all of their omelettes are named after diner manufacturers and their website gives a history behind the names. I thought it was a nice tribute to those who came before them. If you are up near the Massachusetts/New Hampshire border (or even if you’re not), go up to the Dream Diner for breakfast. I think you’ll like it a lot.