Diner series: Mt. Hope Diner

This series on local diner institutions began with a premise
that these community fixtures fly under media radar, but deserve wider and
brighter exposure. With that stimulus, I sought to learn how long-standing
diners have remained relevant and successful, many for several decades. One
emergent theme is that the personalities of flourishing diners reflect the
beliefs and sweat equity of their owners.

Mike
Mihalitsas has owned Mt. Hope Diner since 1989. Mike’s parents, Pat and Sandy (the
original restaurant’s namesakes), opened it in 1966, and ran it with Mike’s
Uncle Gus for 23 years. This dynamic diner family, at various times, also
played ownership and operational roles in both Jay’s Diner and the Country Club
Diner. To get a sense of Mike’s deep roots here, consider that growing up in
this same neighborhood, he would often walk from #49 School on Lattimore Road
to (then) Pat and Sandy’s for lunch. To appreciate the sense of family that
still pervades Mt. Hope Diner, consider that Mike’s daughter, Dina, and Mike’s
girlfriend, Lisa, both work as servers, while both Lisa’s son and Mike’s son,
each named John, work in the kitchen. On a recent polar vortex morning, Dina’s
five-year-old daughter Melody, with school cancelled, wandered about, cheerily
chit-chatting with customers and workers alike.

On that
morning, as I spoke with Mike in one of the booths lining the diner, the volume
of customers stopping by to greet him impressed me. Similarly impressive was
the diversity of the clientele and the camaraderie among them and the staff.
This was no accident. Mike has made it his mission to know his customers and
demonstrate appreciation for them. He and his employees — many of whom count
their years there in double-digits — are there for customers.

“We’re not
here to judge, we’re here to serve and take care of you,” Mike says. “As part
of our hiring process, we even ask ‘Are you a kind person?'” He added, “We all
do our best not to say ‘no.’ For instance, we’ll make just about any kind of omelet
anyone requests. Customers must always leave here knowing they’re right.” One
witnesses this readily and regularly during a meal at Mt. Hope.

Mike went on
to say, “We’re hitting 53 years here and I still see people that have never
been here. I need them to know that we care about our product and our
customers. I’m still in the kitchen every day. After 53 years I still say
‘Thank you’ every day.”

A
distinctively inviting feature unique to Mt. Hope Diner is its Book Exchange
rack of books and magazines standing near the entrance. While cleaning out a
house ten years ago, Mike found a cache of books, which he then put out to
share with customers. This compelled customers to bring in their books to give
away, and the Book Exchange was born. It’s been self-sustaining ever since.

Then there’s
the food. I had the opportunity to enjoy three different stalwart sandwiches at
Mt. Hope Diner. The fried chicken sandwich ($7.95), a large, thick,
crackling-crisp, peppery breast on a toasted hard roll with lettuce, tomatoes,
onions, pickles, and mayo was tasty, unpretentious, and filling, making it easy
to see how it makes the restaurant’s best sellers (listed at the top of the
menu). The sandwich came with similarly crispy, well-cooked fries, to which I
added a side of hot, well-seasoned, and importantly, not glutinous homemade
brown gravy for dipping.

Another
best-selling sandwich, ordered during morning hours (all menu items are served all
day), was Dad’s Favorite ($7.35). Honoring Mike’s father, this sandwich includes
two grilled-to-order overlapping cheeseburgers on a slab of Martusciello’s
French bread. Though it was delicious, I couldn’t finish it. This was partly a
preemptive move to save stomach space for the sublime rice pudding ($2.65), a
dessert any diner worth its salt should do well. Mt. Hope exceeds that
threshold. Mike adapted this recipe — full of cinnamon and vanilla notes, and
denser than most, with firmer rice — from his grandmother, and I loved every
aspect of it.

Hot
sandwiches with gravy (roast beef, turkey, meatloaf, and the like) are the
backbone of any legitimate diner. I chose to indulge in Mt. Hope’s hot turkey
sandwich ($7.65 with mashed potatoes, of course), and it didn’t disappoint.
Chopped, freshly roasted turkey breast filled the space between two slices of
soft white bread, which was smothered with surprisingly yellow and piquant
gravy (again, not glutinous) that also blanketed substantial mounds of creamy
mashed potatoes.

Soups are
also a hallmark for good diners. Interestingly, Mt. Hope Diner, like Country Club Diner,
also serves Manhattan-style clam chowder ($3/cup, $3.50/bowl) daily — a rarity
in our prevalently New England-style chowder culture. Relating his family’s
connection with Jay’s Diner, famous for its New England chowder, Mike explained
simply, “Jay’s did New England, so we did Manhattan, and it’s been that way for
53 years.” The warming, tomato-y chowder contains tender clams and large chunks
of potato, carrots, and celery. On another day, I indulged in the soup du jour,
Chicken Romano ($2.85/cup, $3.35/bowl), a comforting tomato-based soup with
shredded chicken, pasta shells, and carrots.

Mt. Hope
Diner hits all the marks for enduring diner success: congenial, attentive
service (with remarkably consistent timely coffee refills), simple,
high-quality food prepared well, fair prices, and an owner and staff that truly
aim to please and provide a warm and welcoming environment for all people.

This article appears in Feb 13-19, 2019.