THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, August 7, 1996 TAG: 9608070024
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Larry Maddry
LENGTH: 110 lines
NOTHING COULD BE FINER. . . than a North Carolina diner.
And two of them have brightened the roadways in and around the Outer Banks this year.
That would be Millie's at Kill Devil Hills and Mel's Diner in Grandy. Both are packing in the tourists and the locals with their old photos of FDR, swiveling bar stools, jukeboxes and old-fashioned memorabilia.
Yep, whether you're looking for high cuisine or a burger that's lean, there's probably something for you at Millie's or Mel's Diner.
Grandy, with a population of about 6,000, is a sleepy community in Currituck County whose sole tourist attraction, up to now, has been the town's only stoplight.
No more. Since opening in January, Mel's Diner on Route 168 has become the entire county's No. 1 tourist attraction. Yep, it's a dead ringer for the shiny diner in the television series ``Mel's.''
The diner is an eye-popper made of 20-gauge stainless steel that has a mirror finish so shiny that Elvis - who has a stool inside reserved with his name - could have used it to comb his hair.
It's a place Elvis would have loved. And it's already been adopted by Gaylord Perry and ``Catfish'' Hunter, a pair of baseball greats from eastern North Carolina who drop in now and then.
One glimpse of the diner and motorists who have passed it by do a quick turnaround to take a closer look at the sparkling restaurant that seems to have been beamed there from a distant spot in the cosmos.
The diner was recently manufactured by Starlight Diners in Ormond Beach, Fla. Owners Bill and Penny Pickell, longtime Grandy residents, fell in love with the diner at first sight because they were fans of the TV show.
Inside there are jukebox selectors on the counters and tables, all piping up music from the '50s and '60s, many honoring Elvis, whose picture seems to be everywhere. ``Jailhouse Rock,'' is a favorite.
The waitresses are tricked out in what Bill calls long skirts with either poodles or records embroidered on them. Spencer Tracy, Jackie Kennedy and Bing Crosby stare at the customers from Life magazine covers on the walls.
If you're lucky, you may get a window booth overlooking the white 1965 Ford Mustang Cobra parked beside a flower bed that Bill keeps there.
``You'd be surprised how many customers want to get their photos taken with that car,'' Bill said.
The food is traditional diner food with foot-long hot dogs, half-pound hamburgers and steaks with french fries, onion rings and the like. And milk shakes that come in a couple of offbeat flavors: pineapple and banana. Youngsters like the way their burgers and fries are delivered: in cardboard replicas of 1955 and 1957 Chevys.
Bill says his customers are a mix of locals and folks from all over the United States. Business has been so good there's even a gift shop next door, selling Mel's Diner T-shirts, key chains and drink holders.
``Every day we get customers in here who have stories to tell about diners they once enjoyed,'' Bill said. ``This is a nostalgia trip. They mail us old license plates from their states, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, or wherever, and we put 'em up on the walls.''
Bill said he and Penny thought the diner was just what Grandy needed, but its popularity has exceeded their expectations.
``We thought tourists might like it,'' he said. ``But we've been real pleased that folks from way down on the Outer Banks have been coming up here to see us in the winter, too,'' he said.
If it's nouvelle cuisine and old diner you're looking for . . . the best bet is Millie's at Mile Post 10 on the beach road at Kill Devil Hills. There, a diner manufactured by the Kullman Dining Car Co. in the late '30s seems to have been dropped onto the sand from outer space.
The owners - Paul and Lisa Keevil - dropped in from Richmond where they operate a restaurant with the same name that has received rave reviews from the likes of Bon Appetit magazine and The Los Angeles Times.
``People come in here, look around, and say, `I've been here before,' '' Paul Keevil said. ``And they probably have.''
Millie's diner began its restaurant life in Newport News, in the 1940s under the name Victory Diner. In the mid-'40s it was moved to Richmond where it was Sam's Diner on Broad Street. It was in run-down condition and bore the title Tex-Mex Cafe when the Keevils purchased it early this year in Chesterfield County.
Restoring the diner to its pristine condition took four months. ``We literally had to take it apart and put it back together again,'' Paul said.
``It was made in the days before diners had so much chrome,'' he added, ``and built more like an ocean liner than a diner.'' True enough. There's plenty of mahogany in the interior, which is trimmed with with steel flash panels, ornate tiles and inlaid mirrors and windows.
The Keevils are so proud of the diner's architectural integrity they are attempting to have it recognized in the National Register of Historic Buildings.
The Keevils concede they could have built a restaurant twice as large for half the price. ``But how do you get warmth and character and a special feeling from something that's new?'' Paul asked.
An old-fashioned clock on the wall and advertisements from the past, like the one for American Gentleman Shoes in one of the rest-rooms, add to the art deco mood. Millie's may look like a diner. But how many diners do you know that have a wine list better than most Outer Banks restaurants? Order a nice Canoe Ridge merlot from Washington and the waiter won't even blink.
A number of gourmet dishes are served up by chef Blake Schumpert. One of his breakfast winners is the Devil's Mess: an open-faced omelette with spicy sausage, curry cheddar and sauteed vegetables. On the dinner menu, appetizers include tuna tartare with fresh chilis and sesame oil and steamed mussels in coconut-curry sauce. Entrees range from risotto with grilled vegetables and aged Parmesan to spicy Thai shrimp with red cabbage, shiitake mushrooms, asparagus, lime, peanuts and cilantro over linguini.
Diners. . . another step backward into the future. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo by Drew Wilson\The Virginian-Pilot
Candy "Florence Jean Castleberry" Ehly serves customers at Mel's
diner in Grand, N.C. by CNB