South Street Diner (place)

Also a diner on South Street and Kneeland in downtown Boston, MA. This used to be the (in)famous Blue Diner, but sold the name and kept the awesome grub. I used to work across the street from it, and would be in there at all hours eating all sorts of stuff that was, in the words of Detective John McClane, "very bad for you."

This establishment has many, many things to recommend it. Here, in no particular order, are some of my favorites.

• Inexhaustible cadre of waitresses running the whole gamut from dangerously sexy to just plain cute
• One of the above habitually wore a T-shirt which read "Porn Star in Training."
• THE BURGERS.
• Anything not rare = charcoal, but in a tasty way
• THE FRIES
• Specials! Example: A decent steak and potatoes dinner for $4.95. $7 with a beer.
• The jukebox. Sinatra, Crosby, Ghost Riders in the Sky, occasional Dylan.
• The fact that at midnight they replaced the light bulbs over the counter with red and blue ones.
• Sol. He owns it. He runs it. He rocks.
• The milkshakes (pardon, frappes) which simply kick and which you can stand a spoon in.
• The unswerving vote of confidence from the myriad workers on all shifts of the Big Dig!
• Their occasional lobster special - a whole &^$^*! lobster, with buttah, plus rice, veggie and drink...$9!

Hmm...I gotta be at work in seven hours, and I'm on a diet...but maybe I should drive down there and have a burger with the atmosphere...