'Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives' To Feature Popular Stamford Diner In New Episode

STAMFORD, CT — The Stamford Diner is now officially a part of Flavortown, USA, as the popular eatery will soon be featured on an episode of Food Network's "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" with Guy Fieri.

Crews filmed over three days at the diner, which is located at 135 Harvard Ave., near the border with Old Greenwich, back in May. Fieri was also spotted filming in nearby Port Chester, N.Y.

Titled "Tasty Time Travel," the episode will premiere on Aug. 25 at 9 p.m. ET on Food Network.

"This trip, Guy Fieri's headed on some tasty trips back in time. There's an old schoolhouse in Camp Dennison, Ohio, with a comfort food curriculum like fried chicken and peanut butter pie. Then in Redmond, Ore., a church-turned-restaurant is putting out heavenly pizza and angelic wings, and in Stamford, Conn., a retro joint is dishing out diner classics like matzo ball soup and a taste of Thanksgiving," a description of the episode on the Food Network website says.

Ari Thanos, owner of The Stamford Diner, told Patch the whole experience was "really surreal."

The show contacted Thanos and said the diner was in contention with about 100 other restaurants they were scouting and considering for filming.

"Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" first aired on Food Network in 2007, and quickly gained popularity. Fieri, a longtime restaurateur, takes viewers on road trips across the country to find hidden gems, local eateries and unique restaurants that are offering up good food.

"We made every cut. It was pretty exciting to even be considered in the first 100 to begin with," Thanos said. "Being in the business 21 years and getting chosen, you feel like you got a gold medal. You feel like it's the Olympics of restaurants. It was definitely an honor."

Fieri wanted to showcase establishments that make a lot of their menu items from scratch.

The Stamford Diner fit the bill.

"The majority of our stuff we make in-house," Thanos added. As an example, Thanos explained how the diner will actually purchase fresh tuna and poach it for their tuna fish sandwich, rather than use canned fish. "A lot of restaurants cut corners. We bring back the basics of giving a home-cooked meal all the time."

For about four hours, Fieri was at the diner and in the kitchen with Thanos. Fieri's signature red Camaro was parked out front.

Fieri sampled the diner's chicken matzoh ball soup - a tasty chicken noodle soup with housemade matzoh balls. He also tried the hot open turkey sandwich, which features freshly cooked turkey with natural gravy, layered on thick country white bread, with a choice of potato and a chef's vegetable.

"We were going back and forth. He was helping make the matzoh balls by hand," Thanos said of the filming in the kitchen. "They were very organized and he was just a great guy, too. He joked around and seemed very down to earth."

A 20-plus year veteran in the restaurant industry, Thanos acquired what was then City Limits Diner in 2017. At a whopping 12,000 square feet, the diner can fit about 400 patrons inside.

After starting off slowly, Thanos said business picked up and the diner caught on in popularity.

Old school diners are a staple in the tri-state area — a throwback in time. For Thanos, the variety of a diner menu is what makes these establishments unique.

"It's the fact you can go there with a party of four or a party of 10, and one can order breakfast, one can order dinner, one can order lunch, one can order desserts any time of the day," Thanos said, noting the support from the community since 2017 has meant a lot.

"When people come here, they know they're getting a meal that's almost like a guarantee that they're going to have a great time," Thanos said.

Under Thanos Restaurant Group, Thanos also owns The Stillery Restaurant & Bar and The Royal Green at Sterling Farms in Stamford. In New Rochelle, N.Y., Thanos owns The Mirage Restaurant & Café, and he has plans to take over the Pleasantville Diner in Pleasantville, N.Y., in September.

For more on The Stamford Diner, check out their website.