Robert Caro's The Power Broker

I am usually in the middle of reading either a history or a historical biography. The finest biography I've ever read has been Robert Caro's multi-volume biography of Lyndon Johnson called The Years of Lyndon Johnson. Caro's been writing it since the 70's and he's working on the last volume covering LBJ's presidency now. (I've earlier written about Caro's work here.)

Caro became interested in the topic of power and Lyndon when studying Robert Moses and writing The Power Broker.

I am very excited to learn tonight that an unabridged audio version has just been published, as that is how I find the time to do most of my reading!

http://amzn.to/kgPzpx

Diners, Drive-Ins& Dives

This AM Beth and I tried Broadway Diner, located just on the other side of the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel that crosses under the Patapsco River (which forms Baltimore's Inner Harbor) that feeds into the Chesapeake Bay.

Other than being a great 24 hour Baltimore Diner, on 25 April 2009, the Broadway Diner was featured as on Guy Fieri's show Diners, Drive-Ins, & Dives. The show was called Diners You Sent Me To.

Beth and I enjoyed our meal, although you can tell from the Diner's Breakfast Menu that they're a little pricey. What made it a bit more pricey was the $4 in tolls we had to pay to travel through and then back through the tunnel. Though we arrived at 11:30 AM, the parking lot was almost completely full. We knew we were near Baltimore because the waitress called me "Honey" twice. Quintessential Baltimore, of course, would have called for the appellation "Hon." :) The food was very, very good. It was a late breakfast, so Beth actually ordered a Gyro, which came with a special sauce they make. Beth reported that the sandwich was out of this world. Her french fries which I stole were off-the-hook and I actually liked them better than my hash browns. Aesthetically, the place was very pleasing though while some of the booths featured mini-jukeboxes, some featured bar-type video game boxes that Beth and I found annoying. A unique feature of this particular Diner was a full bar. We enjoyed ourselves there and would definitely go back, though probably not often because of the prices.

I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

We've added Broadway Diner to our list:

• The Double T,
  
  
• The Paper Moon,
  
  
• Overlea Diner,
  
  
• Golden West Cafe,
  
  
• Two Sisters Grill,
  
  
• Pete's Diner,
  
  
• Frank's Diner,
  
  
• Honey Bee Diner,
  
  
• Forest Diner,
  
  
• Happy Day Diner, and now
  
  
• The Nautilus Diner and Restaurant.

Towards the Quintessential Baltimore Diner: The Nautilus Diner in Crofton, MD

Beth and I this AM tried The Nautilus Diner and Restaurant in Crofton, MD, about 22 miles from our house. It questionably qualifies as a Baltimore Diner - imo - but it had its high points.

The food was pretty good, though our potatoes had a fishy taste. The service was attentive and excellent. We also enjoyed the mini-jukeboxes at each table, a throwback to the 50's. We may give it another shot, though I definitely prefer our most recent discovery, the Honey Bee Diner in Glen Burnie.

About five years ago, Kenny Sheppard and I started visiting and episodically reviewing Baltimore Diners when he was a Ph.D student at Johns Hopkins. But after Kenny abandoned our somber quest to marry Candace and move back to Canada, Beth agreed to join me in my search. Baltimore Diners have their own culture that I find fascinating. Wait staff tend to be efficient but not effusive. In the better Diners, the food is excellent. They most definitely have a blue collar feel.

So far, Kenny, Beth, and I (occasionally joined by Candace) have visited:

• The Double T,
  
  
• The Paper Moon,
  
  
• Overlea Diner,
  
  
• Golden West Cafe,
  
  
• Two Sisters Grill,
  
  
• Pete's Diner,
  
  
• Frank's Diner,
  
  
• Honey Bee Diner,
  
  
• Forest Diner,
  
  
• Happy Day Diner, and now
  
  
• The Nautilus Diner and Restaurant.

The quest continues.