Avalon Makes Stern's Top 10 Diners List

Bon Appetit magazines' June 2007 issue runs Roadfood authors Jane and Michael Stern's list of America's top 10 diners. Writes the Sterns, "Diners used to be thought of as greasy spoons with dubious night-owl clientele — a reputation earned a hundred years ago when the first ones were established in decommissioned trolley cars in rough urban areas of the Northeast. But when indoor plumbing was introduced in the 1930s, they cleaned up their act and became known as a source of good square meals. As American as apple pie, the diner is one of our country's unique contributions to the world's culinary culture. Here is our honor roll of 10 primo diners where the food is good, prices are low, and the atmosphere is blue-plate bliss: Avalon Diner, Houston; Becky's Diner, Portland, ME; Blue Benn Diner, Bennington, VT; Connelly's Goody Goody Diner, St. Louis; Dutch Kitchen, Frackville, PA; JoJo's, Pittsburgh; Mickey's Dining Car, St. Paul; O'Rourke's, Middletown, CT; Summerton Diner, Summerton, SC; Wasp's Snack Bar, Woodstock, VT.

IN THE NEWS: My table my-table.com reports: Michael English is the new restaurant manager at Mockingbird Bistro Wine Bar; British Chef Robert Gadsby has resigned from the Noe restaurants in Houston and Los Angeles to appear in an upcoming Will Smith film and has auditioned to become the fifth Iron Chef on the Food Network’s Iron Chef America. The Noe restaurant in Houston is at the Omni Houston Hotel ... Texas Monthly's Pat Sharpe makes Houston's renowned Mexican eatery Armandos her pick restaurant of the month in the June 2007 issue and also features Bob's Steak and Chop House (1801 Post Oak Blvd.). www.texasmonthly.com ... The Chronicle's Dai Huynh looks at big buck burgers at: Mockingbird Bistro Wine Bar (1985 Welch); 17 (Alden Houston Hotel, 1117 Prairie); Tony's (3755 Richmond); Cafe Annie (1728 Post Oak Blvd.); Remington Bar & Grill (St. Regis Hotel, 1919 Briar Oaks Lane); Max's Wine Dive (4720 Washington). Colleague Alison Cook subsequently blogs, "Her (Huynh's) search--plus my own recent (disappointing) encounter with a big-bucks foie gras burger at Stephan Pyles in Dallas--got me in a mood to find a luxury model that I loved right here in Houston. My quest ended at my first stop, Mockingbird Bistro, where I fixated on chef John Sheely's fabulous American Kobe beef burger with blue cheese." ... The Drive-Thru Gourmet looks at so-called "hand-tossed" pizzas at area chains. chron.com ... Houston Press critic Robb Walsh reviews Fu Fu Cafe (9889 Bellaire Blvd), while Paul Galvani samples the Latin small plates at Oporto (3833 Richmond). houstonpress.com

Compiled by Pat Embry, WhereTheLocalsEat.com