January's Business Spotlight - Mugshot Diner
There are times when we crave a certain category of food that is as much a matter of location and timing, as it is taste or quality. Let’s say for example it is one A.M. after a long night of fun, and you are biting into a huge sloppy Reuben sandwich , or some random late Sunday morning when you push that empty plate of eggs, crisp home fries, and bacon forward, and stop counting the number of times the waitress has topped off your coffee. Those lazy mornings when the only thing stopping you is from nodding out in the booth is the light reflecting from the polished chrome and stainless steel that surrounds you. Welcome to Diner land! A place where there is little pretense and lots of food, where your diet resolutions cave in to your cravings. The moment that you slide across that booth and open that novel sized listing of options that passes for a menu, the door to sensible eating slams shut behind you.
Well guess what? Someone took that shiny metal Dining car, shrunk it by two thirds and dropped it in the Center of Mount Holly; this is the “Mugshot Diner,” where the size of the physical plant is small, but the food options are every bit as large as its big brothers on the highway. All the classic Diner menu items are represented, Homemade soups, Giant double decker club sandwiches, hamburgers with golden fries, eggs cooked any way you like, waffles, pancakes, French toast, and my all-time diner favorite Hot Roast beef, or turkey with gravy smothered mashed potatoes. The list goes on and on and do you know why? This is a satellite of the great mother ship, the legendary Diamond Diner on Route 38, owned and operated by Gus Diamantes. Many of the items that make the Diamond Diner so popular are also available at the Mugshot; some are even driven in every day from the Diamond Diner to insure the same consistent quality. Even the wait staff including Donna and Michele, are alumnae of the Diamond Diner. The Cook, George, has been with Gus for over 30 years and has an arsenal of recipes including a list of traditional Greek Specialties. For the time being, the Mugshot is only open for Breakfast and Lunch, closing at 3 pm every day. But they are open 7 days a week. Chalk up another dining option to be included in the Mount Holly Restaurant Renaissance, and this one is a winner.
