A Train-Car Diner With Prime Rib to Spare

A plate of prime rib the size of a small roast has a way of changing the tone of dinner. Here, it arrives in an old train car, where tables and chairs fill the compact rail-car interior and a casual diner meal gets a setting that is far more memorable than the usual booth.

The car is comfortable, cozy and well maintained rather than theatrical or fussy. You are still coming for a straightforward, generous meal, but there is pleasure in looking around and realizing that lunch or dinner is unfolding in a piece of railroad history.

The menu runs from breakfast through dinner, giving the train-car experience more range than a one-note steakhouse or seafood shack. A group can settle in for homestyle meatloaf and mashed potatoes, a big seafood platter, a salad, or a brunch-style plate without having to agree on one narrow idea of a meal.

Prime rib is the signature order, and the cuts are notably substantial. Diners have compared the portions to a roast, with tender, moist, flavorful meat and enough left after dinner to make tomorrow's sandwich situation look very promising.

This is not a place to assume the largest plate is merely decorative. Leftovers are a regular feature of the meal, particularly with prime rib, pork chops and their accompanying sides. The restaurant's cooking has the familiar, unfussy character that suits a dinner built around gravy, potatoes and a serious piece of beef.

Prime rib can sell out during busy periods, so it is best thought of as a sought-after menu choice rather than a guaranteed arrival. That little uncertainty only underscores how central it is to the restaurant's reputation.

Seafood shares the spotlight with steak. The fried fisherman's platter is one of the broadest ways to explore it, with scrod, whole-belly clams, scallops, shrimp and fries appearing together on the plate.

Even the petite version has been described as a real meal, with a crisp coating that stays on the lighter side rather than turning greasy. The scallops, in particular, have been noted for their generous size. It is a classic New England-style assortment, built for the diner who does not want to choose just one fried favorite.

Baked stuffed shrimp is another recurring favorite and shows up often on tables set for shared occasions. A baked seafood platter with rice pilaf offers a different direction: less fry basket, more old-school dinner plate, with a sizable assortment of seafood gathered in one order.

The rest of the menu keeps one foot firmly in diner territory. Meatloaf comes with gravy and mashed potatoes, while pork chops are paired with potatoes au gratin. These are the sorts of dishes that make sense when someone at the table wants a traditional supper while someone else is working through a mound of fried clams.

There are lighter-looking choices, too, without losing the restaurant's generous spirit. A Cajun chicken salad has crisp greens and moist, nicely spiced chicken, and the sliced steak salad gives diners the option of steak cooked to their preference without ordering a full meat-and-potatoes plate.

Dessert can easily become tomorrow's dessert. Bread pudding is on the list of sweet finishes, and carrot cake has been a popular take-home choice, noted for staying moist and flavorful after the main event.

The train-car setting is not reserved for evening meals. Breakfast and brunch bring a different rhythm to the room, with eggs, sirloin burgers, marble rye toast and Bloody Marys among the choices.

An order of eggs and a sirloin burger makes a nicely idiosyncratic breakfast-lunch crossover, and the marble rye has been singled out as staying pleasingly moist through the meal. It is the sort of detail that sounds small until you have been served dry toast often enough to appreciate it.

The restaurant has the relaxed, accommodating character that works well for family gatherings and birthday dinners. Friendly, attentive service helps with the broad menu, especially when a table includes the committed prime-rib person, the seafood loyalist and the guest who just wants meatloaf with gravy.

There is a private dining area for larger groups, and reservations are offered for parties. The room has also hosted celebrations, making it a useful option when the occasion calls for something more distinctive than a standard restaurant dining room but not especially formal.

A large parking lot makes arrival relatively simple. At peak meal periods, the restaurant can get busy and a wait is possible.

The compact train-car layout is a big piece of the charm, but it also means close-set seating. When the restaurant is full, the room can get lively and noisy, especially around a large celebration or a busy family table.

That is a fair trade for a meal in an actual rail car, particularly when the plates arriving around the room are loaded with prime rib, seafood and sides. Just leave room for the leftovers before you head back to the parking lot.