I had to include the 50’s Diner in our year-long sandwich tour, not only because it’s one of Peoria’s best and kitschiest diners, but because they feature a sandwich there that is so good and it also brings back a great Peoria sandwich memory! Let’s go to the 50’s Diner and find out just what this mysterious sandwich is and there’s also a special guest making an appearance, so let’s get going and get gone to...
The 50’s Diner, which is located in The Metro Centre. It’s a local and family owned and operated restaurant and we’ll be meeting several members of that family as we continue on today’s sandwich journey! So let’s continue on!
We’ll go through the door and check out the hostess station up in the front, that’s new and it’s very nice. And standing behind the hostess station is a member of that family I was just telling you about, it’s Tammy Senti, the co-owner of the 50’s Diner! The other co-owner is her husband, Scott and we’ll be seeing him soon, but till then, meet another member of the Senti clan in the bottom photo to the right, Emily!
The place is packed here at lunch time! Normally I’d sit at the counter where Melissa is sticking her tongue out at me and showing some of that lovable 50’s Diner attitude, but since we have that special guest star coming, I chose this booth over here. We’ll be dining underneath Marilyn Monroe and her dress, I’ll be polite and not look up...at least as far as you know!
Here’s the view from where I’m seated at the aforementioned booth. As usual, I’m early, so let’s take a look around the 50’s Diner while we wait for that mysterious guest of honor!
There’s another view of the counter in the center of the diner and check out back in the kitchen window, it’s Scott Senti! I told you we’d be seeing him soon and you’ll see him again in a little bit, so let’s just keep moving along here! There’s booths located to the right of the counter and main dining area and that’s Nicole and Bryant sitting at one of the booths. They had just finished their lunch and told me they love the 50’s Diner and had a wonderful meal here. Great to meet both of them!
On the other side of the diner is a gift shop that has vintage candy, including my favorite, Chuckles and there’s also clothing, jewelry, cards, handbags and starting tomorrow, there’s going to be a really fun item in stock...keep on scrolling to see what that item is, yes, we’re full of mystery here today!
I love all the fun items and pictures on the walls in here, this is my favorite corner over here, with hubcaps, Route 66 signs, a guitar and rock ‘n roll memorabilia.
There’s more vintage framed photos over here including, Elvis, John Wayne, The Blues Brothers and Audrey Hepburn. That’s a nice collection of nostalgia on the walls in here. Very fun to look at!
Meanwhile, back at our booth, our special guest star of the day has arrived and he’s already gotten some coffee! It’s our friend, Terry Towery! Terry’s a writer and wrote and was an editor for the PJ Star for 25 years and is currently doing freelance work for the Associated Press and other news and political outlets and most importantly, he’s putting the finishing touches on a novel he’s been working on for the last few years, entitled, “The Final Victim.” Terry’s been working with his agent, Laney Katz Becker of Lippincott, Massie, McQuilkin Inc. out of New York City, and it’s getting very close to being ready to be shopped around to major publishing houses. Stay tuned for further updates on Terry’s novel...but now we have something even more important to concentrate on..sandwiches!
I scanned the menu, but I already knew what I’m ordering and that picture of Lucy is a little hint there! I love Lucy! And I also love Melissa who came by to take our order!
We started lunch off with milkshakes. The 50’s Diner has great milkshakes and I got vanilla and in best Ebony and Ivory fashion, Terry got a chocolate shake! Cheers!
And here’s Emily, looking oh so pretty as always, with our sandwiches! Emily not only served the sandwiches, but she took a photo of Terry and I at our booth. Then seconds later, Terry did kind of a frightening thing, he put a little pond of ketchup on his plate and when I asked what he was doing, he told me he eats his grilled cheese sandwiches with ketchup. Aaaahh! I’ve never heard of such a thing and I have to admit it took me back to another Terry moment, one that involved Ranch dressing on pizza. I made a mental note to remember the next time I have lunch with someone named Terry to ignore their condiment habits!
Okay, time to move on to the official sandwich of the week, The Loosey Sandwich...but before that, let’s try an onion ring before we dive into the main course. That was delicious! Okay, onto the sandwich of the week!
This is the Loosey Sandwich, the signature sandwich of The 50’s Diner! I told you in the introduction that this sandwich brings back Peoria memories and if you ever had a Maid Rite sandwich back in the day, you’ll know what I mean! This is the same exact sandwich and it’s so delicious! The loose hamburger is seasoned and is savory and tasty and I ordered mine with cheese and onions, which are below the mountain of spicy beef crumbles and the tasty sandwich is housed in a bakery-fresh steamed bun! This is a real slice of Peoria history and if you’re too young to remember Maid Rite, well, trust me, go to the 50’s Diner and try this sandwich that is made right!
Scott Senti, the co-owner of the 50’s Diner came out to say hi and it was great to see him and all of the other Senti’s at The 50’s Diner! But there’s one other Senti in here we haven’t seen yet...
And that’s Kelly Senti, standing to the right of her sister Emily in the gift shop and they’re holding a copy of the 30th Anniversary Edition of Trivial Trivia—Idiot Edition! You can read all about that game by clicking here and it’s going on sale here in the gift shop tomorrow! Stay tuned for more updates on the game and thanks to Scott, Tammy, Emily, Kelly and everyone at the 50’s Diner for a wonderful 5th week in our year-long sandwich tour! And thanks to Terry Towery for joining us, always great to see Terry...until he starts throwing ketchup around, but what are you going to do? We’ll see you all next week!
MBIP Sandwich Rating
Three and Three Quarters Dagwood Bumsteads—If you haven’t tried the Loosey Sandwich at The 59’s Diner, get over there and try one right now! And get it with a vanilla shake and onion rings! And if you’re dining guest orders a grilled cheese sandwich, hide the ketchup!
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