Is there any species of building that can so involve all our senses as an old-time diner? Eyes feast upon the gleaming stainless steel exteriors, ears enjoy the hum of conversation and the sizzle of eggs on the griddle, hands delight in the smooth marble counters and the heft of a heavy porcelain mug, the nose fills with smells of grilling bacon and home fries, and the palate savors every forkful of omelet or Yankee pot roast.

Evolved from converted horse-drawn covered lunch wagons that served New England mill workers in the late 19th century, a diner is "a prefabricated structure with counter service hauled to a remote site," according to historian Richard Gutman.

Sandwiched between the principal diner manufacturers in Massachusetts and New Jersey, Connecticut is fortunate to have about 100 of them. Although many places call themselves diners, the true stainless steel models and the older barrel roof versions are easily identified, unless extensively remodeled like vinyl-sided Tony's, which sits in the shadow of elevated Route 8 in Seymour. A few, like West Hartford's Quaker Diner, have the proportions and soul of a true diner although they were built on site.

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