T
ool & D
ie page 10
D
umpster
D
iving
with
B
one &
H
eidi
Heidi and I had thought about Flo's diner
for a long time. We would pass by it on
the occasional trip to Turning Stone Ca-
sino. There used to be a large sign that
was taller than the building itself, with a
huge arched arrow pointing to Flo's claim
to fame...10¢ coffee! Good or bad, fresh
or burnt, smooth or bitter - that's worth
the trip in and of itself.
On an unseasonably cool Sunday morning,
we finally commit to the 25+ miles drive
(round trip). Flo's is approx. 10 miles north
of Bridgeport, NY on Rt. 31. It's a nice
drive, but the strange layout of the land-
scape can't be understated. That stretch of
road is all old farmland, with new homes
sporadically peppered in between decrep-
it abandoned barns, sheds and old farm
houses. It makes me wonder why one
would build a brand new $150,000 abode
next to a yard full of rusted farm equip-
ment, and littered with junk. It's here that
we saw the house that, even in broad day-
light, spooked both of us.
We took a picture, but it doesn't do it jus-
tice. It's tailor made for a serial killer, a
perfect location for a new Rob Zombie
flick, or a great backdrop for a band vid-
eo. I swear that while taking the photo,
some mutated freak was going too come
out screaming at us, and swinging a hatch-
et. Unfortunately, nothing happened until
the drive home...
Flo's opened in 1976 in Canastota, NY and
is still run by the same family. They have
well over 100 items on the menu and 15
that are under $1.00. They're open 7 days
a week from 5am-10pm and you can get
breakfast, lunch, and dinner anytime of
the day.
We get there a little before 11am, and no-
tice that there are two doors - the main
front door, and a side entrance that had
a large sign over it that read - `SUNDAY
BREAKFAST BUFFET'.
*Jackpot!*
10¢ coffee, AND a homemade breakfast
buffet?!? This is going to be great. Heidi
and I approach the side door...it was locked
and dark inside. I was excited for all of 30
seconds. We go in the front, wait for the
waitress to acknowledge us, and ask about
the buffet. She replies "Oh, is that sign
still up? We need to take it down. `So...
no buffet?' Not until the spring, hun. Go
ahead and seat yourself, and I'll be right
with you." Damn, we knew it was too
good to be true.
We found a large booth in the corner,
and sat down. The table had a logo from
another business on it - `Gator-ville some-
thin' or other in Florida'. I'm sure it was
picked up at an auction somewhere. The
place had large booths around the perim-
eter and rows of smaller tables jammed in
between. We were a little disappointed
that the place had less of a diner motif,
and more of a casual family atmosphere.
I guess our preconceived notion of din-
ers is a lot of chrome,
50's/60's retro style,
and rock-n-roll-with
a little bit of grease
mixed in. Flo's `diner
appeal' started and
stopped at the front
counter, which was
long enough to seat
at least 12-14 folks.
The main dining area
had very little of the
diner charm that we
both love.
We got our coffee,
and ordered. We de-
cided to get breakfast
and we were both
surprised to see how
cheap
everything
was. I don't think
they've adjusted their
prices for
inflation since the bicentennial. Heidi or-
dered the pancakes with two sides (bacon
and home fries), and I ordered the `Texas
French toast' with two sides. Fast and
very friendly service...so fast that the
whole time we were there, I never saw
the half way mark of my coffee cup.
Two sips and a refill - two sips and a re-
fill - two sips and a refill. I asked Heidi
if every refill would be considered an-
other 10¢. We figured we'd check the
bill.
The food came fast, and was very
heavy and rich. Eggs don't agree with
me, but I thought what's the harm in
a small amount on the French toast?
Plenty, when there's two slices and
they're both an inch thick. Don't mis-
understand, the food was delicious, but
it did more than stick to your ribs - it
hung on for dear life. The bacon was
so oily that it glistened, and needed to
be sponged off with a napkin.
A pet-peeve of mine is that at almost all
the diners we've frequented, the home