Norton’s offers comfort food at comfortable prices

We’ve always been suckers for diner food, so when we heard that Norton’s was serving dinner specials on Thursday and Friday, we had to check it out. We found a varied menu of tried-and-true comfort foods such as fried chicken, meatloaf, pot roast, steak tips and roast turkey.

A little background: We’ve always been skeptical of diners as theme parks, and at first glance, Norton’s Classic Cafe might look that way. But on closer examination, this isn’t a cookie-cutter, look-alike diner chain. Instead, it’s a fantasia of chrome, Formica counters and a black-and-white linoleum floor in a former ice cream shop.

There are photographs of Elvis and the young Kennedy family on the walls, a smokin’ turquoise-and-white Ford Fairlane-turned booth, a bubble gum machine in the shape of a vintage gas pump and a bathroom door that looks to be the front of a Coca-Cola machine. Norton’s gets the ambience right. And it’s location, downtown near City Hall, just feels authentic.

Of course, the menu does cutesy it up a bit, but that just adds to the fun. Breakfast specials have names such as the Chevy Bel-Aire ($5.89), two eggs any style with choice of bacon, sausage or hand-cut baked ham and home fries and toast; the Ford Fairlane ($7.49), two eggs any style, two pancakes, two sausages, two pieces of bacon, home fries and toast; or the 54 Mercury ($6.59) two poached eggs served with corned beef hash, homes fries and toast. And by the way, you can eat breakfast at any time.

As with most diners, the food is built for comfort, not for critics; the prices are more than reasonable and the servers are cheerful and make you feel like they invited you to their homes for a hot, home-cooked meal.

The dinner specials, served Thursday and Friday when the eatery is open until 8 p.m., include comfort foods such as fried chicken, steak tips, meatloaf and turkey, as well as fried clams, haddock and other fish dishes priced at $8.45.

Mr. T for T feels the test of any diner should be its Meatloaf ($6.95), and Norton’s passed with flying colors. The three thick slices of spicy ground beef were topped with a smoky, homemade mushroom sauce and accompanied with a pile of canned corn and homemade red skin mashed potatoes.

Mrs. T for T judges her diners on soup and dessert. Norton’s homemade chili ($2.75/3.89) and soup du jour ($2.75/$3.89) – on this day chicken and rice – passed her test with flying colors, as did the pudding of the day, Grapenut ($2.59).

We also thought the Roast Turkey Dinner with all the fixings ($7.59) was an excellent preview of the holidays to come.

And Norton’s Chicken Fingers served with French Fries ($5.89) are not frozen, but rather made from juicy, boneless chicken breast for the same price as a deep-fried, mystery-meat fast-food meal.

Norton’s is also proud of its fish dishes, including the Fried Clams and Fried Scallops dinners ($9.95), served with a starch and veggies of the day.

There are also specials during the night seatings like Sauteed Chicken with mushrooms and capers in lemon butter sauce ($8.95), and pasta specials like homemade Macaroni and Cheese or Baked Ziti (6.95).

And if you’re like us, you’ll also sample something from the soda fountain like a Vanilla Coke made with real syrup, thick frappe or a refreshing Lime Rickey.

In these days of shrinking discretionary spending, Norton’s Classic Diner is a real bargain for a hungry family looking for a fun night out with no sticker shock when the bill arrives.