The milkshakes are sweet at the New Canaan Diner, and so are the hugs.
For the first time in a long time, New Canaan has a truly old-fashioned family style eating establishment. To top off the almost overly generous Greek omelet's, hamburgers, and eggplant Parmesan delivered to our table on opening night, Olga Giapoutzis—who owns the diner with her husband Teddy—exchanged a friendly squeeze and posed for pictures with my 86-year-old grandmother.
The diner sits amidst Forest Street's classy stalwarts like Gates Restaurant and Bonne Nuit, in what was previously the Christian Science Reading Room and Lou's Kitchen—the latter a treasure of a breakfast joint that served locals for decades. The Giapoutzis have transformed the space into a 1950s replica, with waitresses in pink uniforms, black and white tiled floors, and classic Coca-Cola bottles perched around bright teal booths.
"This is definitely a diner from the old days," my grandmother said. "I feel like I'm in the 1950s."
The Giapoutzises, who also own the Darien Diner and the Post Road Diner in Norwalk, had been working tirelessly all day after officially opening the New Canaan Diner for business at 6 a.m. on Tuesday morning.
Olga, who admitted that she had been anxious about opening day, was thrilled with the diner's successful New Canaan debut.
"I only got two hours of sleep [last night], I was so nervous" she said in her thick Greek accent. "But I feel better. Before you open you feel a little blindfolded. Now we know how to prepare for tomorrow. This business, I love it."
The diner—which can seat up to 50—was packed all day.
When we rolled in booths and tables were flooded with families, couples, and teens sucking down milkshakes, which, might I add, are what I imagine heaven would taste like. As children drew pictures with crayons placed at each table, Christmas played faintly in the background.
The diner will be open from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday. On Friday and Saturday, it will open at 6 a.m. and close 2 a.m.—making it the only spot in New Canaan where patrons can stroll in for a bite into the wee hours of the morning.
Shortly after our dinners were served, both Olga and Teddy, who had been making the rounds, stopped by our booth to introduce themselves. Not knowing I was a New Canaan Patch reporter, Teddy brought a complimentary plate of buffalo chicken fingers and pasta while Olga placed a plate of bread and Tsatsiki sauce (made with her mother-in-law's recipe) before us after insisting that my grandmother try it.
Once we had sufficiently stuffed ourselves, Olga hurried back to our table and slumped down in the booth next to us, which was empty for the first time since we sat down.
She told us about her family in Greece, raising her two young children Anna, 8, and Petro, 11 (who were both helping set and clear tables), and how she bakes at least 60 pies per week to be served at all three of her diners.
It was as though we had all been friends for years.
"I will bring you a few things to try," she said as we held our expanding stomachs.
Moments later, she was back with a bowl of peppermint ice cream and slices of her famous apple and pecan pie. She sat down with us again and my grandmother started talking about our family.
Olga turned to me with tears in her eyes and said, "my grandmother was very special—you know your grandmother is very special, right?"
And without skipping a beat she added, "today proved it to me that it's going to be worth it."
Bring your family to the New Canaan Diner. And be sure to order a milkshake.
