A few weekends ago, Lauren and I went to the Hubbard Ave Diner in Middleton, at the recommendation of a friend of hers. The only thing she told me about the place before we went is that they had really good meatloaf, and were famous for pie. That was all the convincing I needed.
For anyone who's seen Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives on the Food Network, this place is a quintessential American diner. I'd identify a diner as having five major components: good bakery selection, surly/old waitresses, crowded with locals, tacky/cheap furniture, and large homemade meals. This place definitely had all five, with the main star being the food. The decor was nice and the waitress was definitely in a bad mood, but with the menu of "comfort food" favorites they had, I plan on going back as often as possible. The thing I miss most about living with my parents, besides free rent, is the homestyle meals, and the Hubbard Ave Diner looks like a place I can get my fix. When you're a kid, you grow accustomed to your mother's cooking and may get sick of the routine, but as an adult I have grown to savor every home-cooked meal I have the chance to eat. The Diner is America's most important contribution to world cuisine, a place where locals can gather and get fresh, cheap meals made from scratch - a community kitchen of sorts.
The diner was packed when we arrived, but we did not have to wait that long to get a table. While passing the time, I paroused the pie selection in the display case. They had just about every kind of cream pie you can imagine, and a very unique selection of fruit pies as well. There were at least 30 kinds, plus all sorts of cookies and other baked goods. There was also a book of specialty pies you could order that Lauren thumbed through. Right before being seated, I noticed a plaque on the wall that showed the winners from the annual amateur pie baking contest held by the diner, just one of the many ways the diner ties in with the local community. The winners were in three categories - fruit (Strawberry Rhubarb), adult cream (Double Chocolate), and childrens cream (Maple Pancake).Once seated, it took me quite a while to decide what I wanted. The menu featured such homemade staple items as chicken pot pie, pot roast, various casseroles, spaghetti & meatballs, and a meatloaf that they call the "Meatloaf of the Gods." I ended up going with that, and Lauren had a casserole. Both were very served in a heaping portion for a modest price. I enjoyed my meal with a tall glass of milk and it was amazing. Naturally, we finished our meal with a slice of pie - I had the caramel apple walnut I was eyeing in the glass case, and Lauren tried the lemon meringue. I'm not a huge meringue fan but it was good, and the caramel apple walnut...well I don't even need to explain how delicious it was, those three words just go together like "bacon" and "cheeseburger."
So far, my favorite two places I've blogged about here have been in Middleton (Roman Candle). I think Lauren and I have a duty to look into moving there someday.
rankings and stats:
ambiance - 7
beer & wine selection - 3
food variety - 7
service - 4 (it's a diner, this should never be above a 5)
accessibility - 8 (adjacent parking lot)
design - 6
taste -8
price - $$ (cheap, but more expensive than your typical diner)
Would we recommend? Yes
Style - diner
Dress - come as you are
Location - 7445 Hubbard Ave, Middleton WI
http://www.foodfightinc.com/hubbard.htm
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