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Review: Miss Adams Diner Reopens Under New Management

By Melanie RancourtSpecial to iBerkshires
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ADAMS, Mass. — Miss Adams Diner brings back the atmosphere of a true 1950s eatery.

Established in 1949, the historic Worcester dining car at 53 Park St. has an extensive menu, delicious food and a friendly waitstaff.

The night we dined there a couple of weeks ago, "The Beverly Hillbillies" and the movie "Grease" were playing on televisions located at each end of the car, pictures of James Dean, Elvis and Marilyn Monroe were hanging behind the counter and the sounds of '50s music could be heard the second you walked in.

After a short stint as a seafood restaurant last summer, the diner reclaimed the Miss Adams name and reopened on Nov. 9 with manager Annmarie Belmonte, who has been in the restaurant business for 24 years.

"I had been looking into opening the diner before it opened as the Captain's Tavern," said Belmonte, who ran Corky's Deli for a short period. "When the opportunity arose again, I wanted to bring back the Miss Adams Diner name and redecorate the inside."

Belmonte says she is thankful that business has been very good so far.

"Usually restaurants are slow over the holiday season, but we were still quite busy," she said. "Business was a lot better than I thought it would be."

On this particular Saturday afternoon, business was certainly steady. My husband, David, and I had planned on a midday snack before returning home from the Berkshire Mall but instead enjoyed an appetizer and early dinner.

Miss Adams Diner
53 Park St.
413-743-5300

Features old-fashioned diner food: hamburgers, hot dogs, floats, meatloaf and fish dinners.

Hours
Serves breakfast, lunch & dinner
Monday & Wednesday: 6:30-7
Thursday-Saturday: 6:30-9
Sunday: 7:30 to 1
Tuesday: Closed

Our buffalo wings were not too spicy, which was perfect, and were served with plenty of crisp celery on the side. Our dinners came out in a timely fashion, despite the continuous flow of customers and our server, Leanne Beckwith, was attentive and friendly.

We both chose the clam strip dinners with french fries and coleslaw. Our meals were hot, quite delicious and the portions were generous — large enough to bring home a doggie bag as a late-night snack.

Knowing that we would bring our children the next time to dine, I was pleased to see child-friendly food on the menu. It also offers a traditional breakfast menu.

Customers can start their dining experience off with one of many favorite appetizers including onion rings, chili cheese fries, jalapeno poppers, mozzarella sticks or chicken wings. For the soup lover, try clam chowder, chili or the soup of the day served in cups or bowls.

My boys love burgers and the menu has a wide variety from which to choose. There are nine different types of burgers ranging from the classic served with lettuce and tomato to mushroom Swiss, chili cheeseburger, the Western burger, the Mexican burger and the Greek god (served with sliced ham, cheese and black olives). If a hot dog is more your liking, those are on the menu, too. All burgers and dogs are served with french fries and coleslaw.

Additional menu items include a turkey dinner wrap, grilled Reuben, BLT, Monte Cristo, chicken parmesan and turkey club. All sandwiches are served with potato chips and a pickle. They come with a choice of white, wheat or rye bread.
 
The blue-plate specials and pasta dinners include meatloaf, turkey dinner, shepherd's pie, fish and chips, jumbo clam strips, spaghetti and meatballs, eggplant parmesan over pasta and pork roast and gravy. Prices range from $5.50 to $7.50.

Before you leave make sure you try one of the delicious deserts, such as carrot cake or chocolate cake with mocha frosting. At least they looked delicious. I really wanted to try one but was already stuffed from our meal.

One thing you won't get is a beer with your burger. Miss Adams Diner will not be pursuing a liquor license.

"When you think of a diner, you don't think beer and wine," Belmonte said. "People should think coffee, tea, soda and ice cream floats."

Customers who are in a hurry are encouraged to call ahead and take advantage of the diner's takeout service. The diner is open Monday and Wednesday from 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Thursday through Saturday from 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Sunday from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. It is closed on Tuesday. The phone number is 413-743-5300.
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Housing Secretary Makes Adams Housing Authority No. 40 on List of Visits

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff

Executive Director William Schrade invited Secretary Edward Augustus to the rededication of the Housing Authority's Community Room, providing a chance for the secretary to hear about the authority's successes and challenges. 
ADAMS, Mass. — The state's new secretary of housing got a bit of a rock-star welcome on Wednesday morning as Adams Housing Authority residents, board members and staff lined up to get their picture taken with him. 
 
Edward Augustus Jr. was invited to join the Adams Housing Authority in the rededication of its renovated community room, named for James P. McAndrews, the authority's first executive director. 
 
Executive Director William Schrade said he was surprised that the secretary had taken up the invitation but Augustus said he's on a mission — to visit every housing authority in the state. 
 
"The next logical question is how many housing authorities are there in Massachusetts? There's 242 of them so I get a lot of driving left to do," he laughed. "This is number 40. You're in the first tier I've been able to visit but to me, it's one way for me to understand what's actually going on."
 
The former state senator and Worcester city manager was appointed secretary of housing and livable communities — the first cabinet level housing chief in 30 years — by Gov. Maura Healey last year as part of her answer to the state's housing crisis. 
 
He's been leading the charge for the governor's $4 billion Affordable Homes Act that looks to invest $1.6 billion in repairing and modernizing the state's 43,000 public housing units that house some 70,000 low-income, disabled and senior residents, as well as families. 
 
Massachusetts has the most public housing units and is one of only a few states that support public housing. Numbers range from Boston's tens of thousands of units to Sutton's 40. Adams has 64 one-bedroom units in the Columbia Valley facility and 24 single and multiple-bedroom units scattered through the community.
 
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