Aunt Lucy's Diner
237 W. Armitage Street
Aunt Lucy's is patronized predominantly by working-class people for breakfast and lunch, and single young professional types for the early dinner. The customers are loyal, perhaps to a fault, as while many have noticed a gradual decline in the quality of the cooking the past few years, customers still flock to the diner. The first diner in Arkham to attempt to attract female customers, Aunt Lucy's advertises the fact by setting a baby carriage by the main door during business hours.
Aunt Lucy's is also the diner frequented by the staff of the Arkham Advertiser, especially reporter Roberta Henry. The table furthest from the door is the de facto second office of the Advertiser. Confidential sources might be met elsewhere, but having a public chat with Roberta at a table at Aunt Lucy's is a quick way to get people talking in Arkham.
Lucille Carney, for whom the restaurant is named, operated a night lunch wagon at the corner of West Armitage and Brown Streets for many years. Based on that success, the family invested in a small Worchester Lunch Car Company diner in 1912, featuring her name and recipes. That initial success led to the purchase of a larger diner in 1924, which operates under the same name.
proprietorLucilleLucille'sTable cloths, floral curtains, and flowers at every table lend the place a certain air of propriety, despite the lack of table service and general clamor during busy hours. A large, albeit inexpertly painted, portrait of the late Lucille Carney hangs at one end of the diner, by the restroom doors. Customers who comment upon it in any manner other than complimentary will raise the ire of the staff, particularly the members of the Carney family, as the portrait was painted by the deceased woman's great-niece (and Brian Carney's daughter), Margaret Carney.
The menu is a tour of traditional New England cuisine; despite all the apparent turmoil behind the counter the beef stew remains tender and delicious, and Lucy's original recipie for mashed potatoes (the secret is chicken stock simmered with mushrooms) is often copied by not surpassed.
Aunt Lucy's used to have an exclusive deal with Taranowski's Bakery Merchant District to provide rolls, buns, and sandwich bread to the diner, but a recent dispute over prices has ended that relationship, regrettably.
A few months ago the diner installed a soda fountain - a first outside of Marsh's Confectionery or Woolworth's 5 & 10 - but they only serve Clicquot sodas thanks to a 2 year contract Brian ill-advisedly agreed to. A stand-up Cliquot Eskimo in he front window makes sure that passerby know what is on tap, so to speak. (Huth, Chris, et al. "The Arkham Gazette, Issue 1." Edited by Ian Maclean et al., Sentinel Hill Press, Nov. 2013.)
Aunt Lucy's is also the diner frequented by the staff of the Arkham Advertiser, especially reporter Roberta Henry. The table furthest from the door is the de facto second office of the Advertiser. Confidential sources might be met elsewhere, but having a public chat with Roberta at a table at Aunt Lucy's is a quick way to get people talking in Arkham.
Lucille Carney, for whom the restaurant is named, operated a night lunch wagon at the corner of West Armitage and Brown Streets for many years. Based on that success, the family invested in a small Worchester Lunch Car Company diner in 1912, featuring her name and recipes. That initial success led to the purchase of a larger diner in 1924, which operates under the same name.
proprietorLucilleLucille'sTable cloths, floral curtains, and flowers at every table lend the place a certain air of propriety, despite the lack of table service and general clamor during busy hours. A large, albeit inexpertly painted, portrait of the late Lucille Carney hangs at one end of the diner, by the restroom doors. Customers who comment upon it in any manner other than complimentary will raise the ire of the staff, particularly the members of the Carney family, as the portrait was painted by the deceased woman's great-niece (and Brian Carney's daughter), Margaret Carney.
The menu is a tour of traditional New England cuisine; despite all the apparent turmoil behind the counter the beef stew remains tender and delicious, and Lucy's original recipie for mashed potatoes (the secret is chicken stock simmered with mushrooms) is often copied by not surpassed.
Aunt Lucy's used to have an exclusive deal with Taranowski's Bakery Merchant District to provide rolls, buns, and sandwich bread to the diner, but a recent dispute over prices has ended that relationship, regrettably.
A few months ago the diner installed a soda fountain - a first outside of Marsh's Confectionery or Woolworth's 5 & 10 - but they only serve Clicquot sodas thanks to a 2 year contract Brian ill-advisedly agreed to. A stand-up Cliquot Eskimo in he front window makes sure that passerby know what is on tap, so to speak. (Huth, Chris, et al. "The Arkham Gazette, Issue 1." Edited by Ian Maclean et al., Sentinel Hill Press, Nov. 2013.)
Open weekdays 5 A.M. to 6 P.M.
Aunt Lucy's Menu:
| Fresh off the Grill | Desserts | ||
| Steak | 40c | Pie; Blueberry, Apple, Strawberry Rhubarb | 10c |
| Aunt Lucy's Famous Beef Stew | 20c | Boston Cream Pie | 20c |
| Lamb Chops | 35c | Baked Apples | 10c |
| Sides and Fixings | Specialties | ||
| Aunt Lucy's Famous Mashed Potatoes | 10c | Fiddleheads (Spring Specialty) | 15c |
| String Beans, Green Peas, Stewed Corn | 10c | Boiled Dinner; corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, carrots, mustard or Horseraddish | 25c |
| Sweet Chow Chow | 10c | American Chop Suey | 18c |
| Breakfast | Fruits | ||
| 2 Eggs with Ham or Bacon and Toast | 25c | Fruit Salad, Grapefruit, Peaches, Pineapple, Prunes, Orange Slices | |
| Cheese, Ham, or Plain Omelete | 22c | Coffee, Tea, Etc. | |
| Cereal; Corn Flakes, Kellogg's Post Bran | 15c | Coffee, Tea, Milk, Postum, Cocoa, Clicquot Soda | 5c |
Type
Pub / Tavern / Restaurant
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