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Best Diners

BY JOAN REMINICK | joan.reminick@newsday.com

March 14, 2007

At times, it may seem that there is but one diner on Long Island - one that was somehow cloned and distributed throughout Nassau and Suffolk. How else to explain all the glitzy exteriors, 10-page menus and glass showcases of gorgeous but ghastly desserts?

Diners didn't start out that way. Originally, they were roadside eateries modeled after railroad cars. Once assembled in factories, they were transported to more permanent sites. At a diner, people of modest means could get a quick homestyle meal in pleasant surroundings.

Each of the following five diners, in its own way, offers something that most, these days, don't: a sense of individuality, of style, and, in some cases, of history.

Mitchell's. 2756 Long Beach Road, Oceanside, 516-255-9544 and 191 Rockaway Ave., Valley Stream, 516-825-9708. The shiny new Oceanside branch of this twosome might not look like an offshoot of the Valley Stream original, but both spots have a bit of old time America at heart. In Oceanside, the menu runs the gamut from thick, juicy burgers to bright salads to grilled wild salmon, washed down by freshly squeezed orangeade. For dessert, there's superior house-made ice cream served with first-rate syrups and real whipped cream. The banana split can make you feel like a kid again.

Premier Diner. 690 Commack Rd., Commack, 631-462-1432. In many ways, this sleek new diner looks like most others of its ilk. What distinguishes it is co-owner Helen Georgatos' roster of breakfast specials, the kind one would expect to find at a country inn in Vermont. Baked oatmeal, made with pears, dried cranberries, and nuts, comes with a pitcher of warm milk. Whole wheat pancakes with almonds and walnuts are as hearty as Swedish pancakes (made with sourdough) are light.

Thomas's Ham & Eggery Diner. 325 Old Country Rd., Carle Place, 516-333-3060. At this popular spot, lunch may be fine and dinner okay, but it's breakfast that rules. Eggs somehow taste better when they're served in big shiny skillets, perhaps alongside house-made chicken maple sausage. Tom Koukoulas excels at oatmeal, Belgian waffles and moist muffins and coffee cakes. There's good reason for the line out the door most weekends.

Tim's Shipwreck Diner. 46 Main St., Northport, 631-754-1797. This vintage railroad car model, brought to Northport from Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1924, has had several incarnations. In the early 70s, under owner Otto Hess, it was called Otto's Shipwreck Diner; more recently, Hess's son Tim took over. The diner was used in scenes of the 1997 movie "In and Out" and is a magnet for local power brokers at breakfast. Waffles, pancakes (plain, fruit and whole-grain) and omelets excel. At lunch, burgers (beef or buffalo) are simple and fine, as are sandwiches. (Breakfast and lunch only).