I grew up in New Jersey, where eating in
diners is a way of life.
On weekends my family crammed into comfortable, vinyl-covered
booths, chose three selections for a quarter on the jukebox and
ate big breakfasts: scrambled eggs, home fries, two lavishly
buttered slices of "whisky down" (toasted rye bread),
and enough coffee to keep us awake until Monday morning.
When my mother didn’t feel like cooking, we knew where to find
a good, cheap supper – soup or salad, an entree, chocolate pudding
or Jell-O with whipped cream and milk – all for around $7.50.
I talked to girlfriends for hours over cheesecake and coffee
in diners, fell in love in diners and was dumped in diners, too.
Which is why, after friends on the culinary grapevine called
me with positive reviews, I cabbed it over to Hope & Anchor,
a new Red Hook diner that opened in June.
Red Hook has the kind of down-on-its-heels but up-and-coming
feeling that Williamsburg had 10 years ago. It desperately needs
places to eat and drink cheaply and well. Hope & Anchor (the
name is the state motto of Rhode Island, where co-owner Gary
Rego grew up), fits the bill. Dubbed "a new American diner,"
it is as much a diner as it is a friendly neighborhood bar and
restaurant serving inexpensive yet comfortably sophisticated
food. As you’d expect, the diner is already popular with its
neighbors.
Chef and co-owner Dianna Munz, formerly of Panino’teca 275 on
Smith Street, has created a menu of dishes that reflect American
cooking of yesterday with newer multicultural selections.
The room has a comfortably upscale spin. There’s a bar with a
few locals enjoying after-work drinks on one side, as well as
chrome diner tables and chairs, and, of course, banquettes –
here they’re covered in glittery red vinyl. The walls are painted
a deep red with a mirror running the length of the room. The
feeling is "sit, eat and enjoy."
Like any self-respecting diner, Hope & Anchor serves breakfast
all day. Standard diner selections include eggs served any style,
omelets, pancakes, and hot and cold cereals. Side orders are
diner mainstays with a spin: along with scrapple (a Pennsylvania
Dutch dish of boneless pork and cornmeal which is sliced and
fried), French fries and toast, there’s a chorizo sausage hash.
All manner of classic diner sandwiches have a place on Munz’s
menu: you’ll find a BLT (bacon, lettuce and tomato on a choice
of white, wheat or rye bread); a double-decker grilled cheese
and tomato; a turkey, ham, Swiss and bacon club; and the one
sandwich that no diner can be without, the tuna melt.
The snacks and dinner selections provide the most bang for the
buck. The snacks are served in portions that could easily make
a light dinner with a drink, or serve two as a hearty appetizer.
Cheese pierogies (shaped like ravioli, not the usual crescent
shape) sat atop an unsweetened cherry sauce, and were topped
with a small dollop of sour cream and a spoonful of caramelized
onions. The dish, an Eastern European classic, was light, tangy
from the cheese and sweet from the caramelized onions.
The clam cakes were less successful. Described as a Rhode Island
favorite on the menu, my friend, who grew up in that state, tried
them and commented, "authentically awful." (I can only
assume that anyone ordering them hails from Rhode Island and
desperately needs a nostalgia fix.) More of a fritter than a
fish cake, the deep-fried "cakes" were made with a
herb batter that carried not a trace of clam flavor, and were
paired with an overly salty mayonnaise dip flavored with Old
Bay seasoning. One was enough for me.
Both of the entrees we tried were winners. A special plump ravioli
stuffed with a puree of cauliflower in a pungent sauce has been
deleted from the menu. That is unfortunate for Hope & Anchor
diners looking for a taste thrill. The ravioli, its puree encased
in delicate pasta, was lightly sauced in browned butter and topped
with golden raisins and salty capers. Each piquant mouthful of
the ravioli – first salty, then sweet – made for a deeply satisfying
dish.
Grilled pork loin, juicy and full of meaty flavor, was accompanied
by two side dishes: slices of tender potatoes served cold in
a simple, tart vinaigrette, and an herb salad of fresh, raw basil
leaves and parsley. The combination of the savory meat, unassuming
potatoes and that simply prepared, yet complexly flavored salad
was delightful.
Hope & Anchor offers a modest wine list with just three selections
by the glass in each of its categories: sparkling, white, red
and rose. Prices are $5-$6. A small, eclectic selection of American
bottles range in price from $25-$34. A variety of beer is available.
Munz waves a patriotic flag with her down-home take on American
desserts. There’s a strawberry shortcake, a majestic looking
apple pie a la mode and an enormous dark chocolate fudge layer
cake.
The banana cream pie, its flaky, buttery crust paved with a layer
of brittle white chocolate and topped with chunks of ripe banana
was a goopy yet delicious mess.
The combination of chocolate pudding and graham cracker crumbs
that comprise the two layers of the chocolate icebox cake, while
delicious on their own, made for a decidedly platonic pairing.
When put together, no sparks flew.
It seems especially unfair that a person like myself, who appreciates
all things diner-related, should be deprived of a decent diner
in her own Windsor Terrace neighborhood. I’m whining and I won’t
stop until Rego and Munz open another Hope & Anchor diner
near me.
Hope & Anchor (347 Van Brunt St.
between Wolcott and Dikeman streets in Red Hook) accepts Visa,
MasterCard, American Express, Discover and Diner’s Club. Dinner
entrees: $9-$12. For information, call (718) 237-0276.
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