Lunch report from two country diners

I love stopping for lunch at those little diners that dot the north country landscape. "Country diners," I call them.

Sometimes the food is secondary to the social aspect of these community gathering places. But I discovered two in St. Lawrence County that excel at both.

Here's the report.

CIRCLE INN

985 ROUTE 11

GOUVERNEUR

287-2223

When the Circle Inn in Gouverneur closed its doors last March after 50 years in business, local patrons and loyal customers thought they would never eat at this landmark diner again.

But faster than you can say "cheeseburger, cheeseburger," the diner that was destined for the wrecking ball reopened just months later.

Heather Mulder and husband, Tim, have taken over the reins of the restaurant. It's a dream come true for Heather, who said she has wanted to run her own restaurant for years.

That passion shows. Not only is the diner cleaned up and spruced up, but the food is kicked up a few notches, too.

You've got your hot sandwiches and your cold sandwiches, your fried food favorites and your burgers done six ways — diner food you've come to expect.

But there are some new things that will tempt even the most discerning diner-goer. Antipasto salad. Julienne salad. Grilled chicken Caesar. Flatbread wraps. Deli sandwiches. And Circle Inn specialties like the triple decker club or the Philly cheesesteak or the grilled tuna melt on homemade bread.

A restaurant's soup is my barometer for how good the food to follow will be. Circle Inn's homemade cream of chicken with wild rice was excellent — a rich, creamy stock with lots of chicken and flavorful rice, along with diced celery, carrot and onion.

The chili was also very good, with lots of ground beef and kidney beans in a nicely seasoned tomato-based sauce. It wasn't overly spicy, but I'm sure if you wanted it hotter, Heather would be able to accommodate.

Flatbread is an interesting concept. It's not a wrap. It's a thicker, doughier piece of bread about 8 inches square. Choose from chicken bacon ranch, grilled turkey club, Buffalo chicken tenders or the one we got, grilled ham and Swiss.

Quality baked ham quickly seared on the flattop, perfectly melted Swiss cheese along with chopped lettuce and tomato were all tucked into the folded-over flatbread. The menu says, "Have one for a snack; two for a meal." For us, one was quite sufficient.

Beef stew was a special of the day, and for $4, who could resist?

Like the chicken soup and the chili, it was evident that someone knows what they're doing in the kitchen. It was hearty and meaty, with chunks of beef as well as shredded beef. The broth was thick and rich, dotted with pieces of carrot and green pepper. A fresh, light homemade biscuit made this a wonderful comfort food lunch.

And it didn't end here. We saved room to sample some of Heather's homemade desserts.

Apple crisp was as good as it gets: firm, fresh-tasting apples topped with sugary cinnamony crumbs. Snickers pie had a creamy peanut butter filling topped with diced Snickers bars. Apple bundt cake was enjoyable, served slightly warm with a confectioners sugar drizzle on top.

Even the coffee was way better than average, served in a large cup with free refills. Hot chocolate was topped with whipped cream and a drizzle of chocolate syrup.

Three of us ate very well for $23.81 before tip.

Special mention must go to Kylea, our friendly, energetic waitress. It was obvious that she loves her job and the interaction with the people she served.

Circle Inn is open 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

WENDY'S DINER

116 N. MAIN ST.

MASSENA

764-5344

Someone told us we should check out a little neighborhood diner on North Main Street in Massena. It's quite a ways from the big mall on Route 37. Actually, it's far away from most everything.

Wendy's Diner looks like just another house in this quiet neighborhood, except for the backlit plastic sign out front that self-proclaims HOME COOKIN' AT ITS BEST.

There are more signs on the wall inside, too. NO CREDIT CARDS. BREAKFAST AFTER 12 NOON AT CHEF'S DISCRETION. Handwritten signs that give it that extra special homey look.

And, of course, the ubiquitous chalkboard with the day's specials: SPLIT PEA SOUP. SPAGHETTI & MEATBALLS. CHICKEN & BISCUITS.

It's squeaky clean and filled with "regulars" seated in those plastic table and chair booths. Waitresses were bustling back and forth from the tables to the kitchen. Darn lucky we got there just before noon or we would have been eating standing up.

Busy as it was, our waitress was there in a flash with menus and silverware wrapped in a napkin. I think we were the only table that wasn't greeted on a first name basis. That's OK, 'cause Walter and Richard were dining incognito.

You could tell we were the out-of-towners as we rubbernecked our way through the specials board and took an extra-long look at the extensive dessert board.

I don't know why we needed a menu. Every diner has all the same stuff, right?

We shoulda just barked it out: "Cheeseburger and fries." "Egg salad on wheat." "Grilled ham and cheese."

Plus, you know the prices were going to be right.

Split pea with ham was very good after we added a pinch of salt to bring out the flavor. Little specks of carrot were visible along with a subtle smokiness.

I thought it was a little thin for pea soup. Richard thought it was just right. He says if the temperature outside had been below zero, he would have agreed. I'll go along with that logic. Plus, he's older than me.

He picked a winner with the chicken and biscuits, a big bowl with delightful homemade biscuits smothered in a hearty gravy with good-sized pieces of both white and dark meat. "Almost like mother used to make," he commented between forkfuls.

I chose a menu item, "Steak on a Kaiser bun with onions, peppers and cheese."

I was expecting a Philly; wouldn't you have?

I guess the onions and peppers were the best part. The cheese was the orange stuff that comes out of a pump. I'm pretty sure the steak was a Steak-um. And while that might rhyme with yum, it wasn't. It all came on a toasted hamburger bun, which was nice, except it wasn't a Kaiser.

However, the side of homemade macaroni salad was THE BEST — absolutely excellent with eggs, onions, celery and just the right amount of good-quality mayo.

Time for dessert. So many pies and so little time. Apple. Dutch apple. Blueberry. Custard. Coconut cream. Chocolate cream. Robert Redford.

Robert Redford is a pie?

Yessiree, and a yummy one too: alternating layers of vanilla pudding, chocolate pudding and whipped cream on top of a crushed pecan crust, which really put it over the top.

Dutch apple was no slouch, either: a near perfect pie, apples cooked just right, a thick yet flaky and tasty crust, served warm with a cool dollop of whipped cream on the side.

Total tab for two hungry guys came to $23.53 before tip.

Wendy's Diner is open 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday. Closed Monday.

You can contact restaurant reviewer Walter Siebel via e-mail: wsiebel@wdt.net.