This is a REAL place. One thing's for sure: The Miss
Worcester has got soul. The staff is friendly and
interacts with guests as if the place were one big living
room. In fact, on both of my visits there, I have seen
folks I know. Even though I am a fan of diners, I am also
a very healthy eater and take much care with what I eat,
and with exercise. Normally I do not eat fried food. I
just don't like it, and the upshot of that is that I easily
avoid very fattening foods. So when, during a Sunday
morning visit to the Miss Woo, I heard about the fish &
chips, I was most interested in the baked alternative,
which, I was duly informed, was only available in limited
quantities. Yes, sometimes they run out of the baked.
So tonight, Thursday at around 6:40pm, I walked in to that
comfortable, homey diner car knowing what I was going to
order. Yes, indeed: the baked fish dinner for me. Well,
that was not to be; they had already sold out. But, the
woman informed me, it's very lightly battered, and “we
‘baby’ it after it comes out of the oil. We swab it down
with paper towels.” [Insert visual of the Baby Jesus in
swaddling clothes, and audio of angels singing.] So, I let
myself be convinced and went for it. Soon, my friend and I
were served two slices each of Italian bread, butter on the
side. Then from across the car, "tartar sauce and slaw
with that?" Oh yes!
As our fish came out of the fryer, I heard one woman say to
the other, "Make sure to baby it real good." She was
taking care of me. Sure enough, I was pleasantly
surprised. The fish was absolutely delicious. Fresh,
light, with that delicious thin layer of batter, a whole
filet of haddock on a bed of french fries, with a heap of
tartar sauce and cole slaw. The latter had a really nice
kick to it. I finished everything. And I feel great.
Tomorrow, back to the gym. And then Saturday morning, I'll
hope to be back for a few eggs and (dry) toast ; )
The Miss Worcester is a genuine diner, but since I am not
knowledgeable about the construction etc, I can't fill in
the make and year above, nor can I comment on the condition
with any authority. It is clean, though not meticulous,
inside, and the service is attentive and honest. Both
times I've been there (the other was on a Saturday morning
around 11), people have relinquished their booths if they
weren't really sitting there (both were families whose kids
had taken residence in the neighboring booth, and their
parents told them to make way for us). The signage, as in
many diners, is part of the charm; for example, a
handwritten, laminated note in each booth informs its
inhabitant that if s/he is alone, and it's busy, that s/he
will have to move to the counter (though not in those exact
words). The prices are typical diner-range; lots of
quality food at very low prices. The haddock & fries
dinners cost only $5.95, I believe. Their breakfast
special with the works is about $3. The coffee is good -
very strong. During my breakfast visit, I drank several
more than my usual one cup. Man, was I wired that
afternoon!
One last note: The Miss Worcester has awesome t-shirts.
They are 50/50% poly/cotton, and black, with a picture of
the diner printed on the front in white. The back used to
feature the New England Patriots logo, but now the home
team has won Super Bowl XXXVI, the Miss Woo (already, less
than a week later!!) has t-shirts printed with the Super
Bowl Champion (with the Pats logo incorporated) logo on the
back. They have XL and XXL, so unless you're of very large
stature, you'll be wearing a dress; they also have kids'
sizes, though I think I nabbed one of the last of those.
They're a modest $9.99.
The Miss Worcester is worth a visit even from many miles
away. See you there!
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