Stop And Go Diner

Originally we reported on the old Cain's Diner, which stood on Water Street in Richmond for decades before morphing into The Silver Diner.

Now, the place has changed hands again, and is called Stop And Go Diner. From a recent article in the Lexington Herald-Leader:

Stop and Go owners Russell Cantrell, 50, and Robert Miller, 56, have been cooking longer than the two have been friends.

Cantrell and Miller were a few years apart when they both attended Madison High School, but became friends when they were in the band SPAN (Soul Pleasing All Night), from 1976-1978. Miller played the drums and Cantrell was the sound technician for the group that was formerly known as the Techniques.

It was during Miller's sophomore year in high school that he had one of his first experiences with the restaurant he would later co-own. Miller descended the hill from his school down to the restaurant on Water Street, then known as Cain's Diner.

According to Miller, the owner, James Cain, still kept a sign on the wall that seemed to yell at blacks: "We have the right to refuse patrons." Miller walked in and sat down at the counter. He says Cain called Miller and his friends the N-word and promptly told him to leave.

Miller's mother, Mary B. Turner, 83, remembers how disappointed her son was that day. "I guess he was kind of shocked and surprised that he couldn't come and eat here," she said.

Stories like Miller's left a sour impression for many blacks in Richmond for many years.

I haven't sampled the food at Stop And Go yet, but from all reports, it's fantastic. Not just good, but great, and blows all previous incarnations of the diner out of the water. I'll be dropping in to Stop And Go soon and will give a full report.

The Silver Diner

The older you get and the more things change, the more stuff gets complicated. I find I'm gradually turning into one of those old codgers who, when asked directions, tell you "we-e-llll, you go down what used to be called Walnut Street, then take a right at what used to be Grimplemeyer's Florist, and then you'll see the vacant lot where the old Fonebone Building used to be."

Back in the day, there was Cain's Diner in downtown Richmond, across from where the old post office used to be on Water Street, see.

Meanwhile, in Laurel County, we had the fine, fine, super-fine establishment known as the Silver Diner in London, KY (see first photo). The Silver Diner was always a favorite retro-eatery of ours, and was featured on our old site for years. Sadly, I hear tell that The Silver Diner of London has closed its doors.

But this morning it was brought to my attention that Cain's Diner is under new management yet again (for like the third time - Cain himself passed on years ago) and has now changed its name to, yes, you guessed it, the Silver Diner (see second photo). As if all of this isn't confusing enough, the MySpace page for this new incarnation of Cain's/Silver Diner is called Mama Carol's Diner. It's baffling, it's mystifying, it's more than one man can stomach.

Just prior to starting this blog entry, I made a phone call out to this diner car once called Cain's and now called Silver and maybe also called Mama Carol's, to try to sort out the tangled strands of factoids like spaghetti in the chili. Unfortunately, I was told by whoever answered the phone that they were too busy to talk. And that's fair enough. If I was a businessman in a hurry at their lunch counter, I'd be sayin' "get off the raprod and bring me my damn pancakes, lady" myself.

I look forward to trying the grub at this new improved version of the diner and if you've eaten there lately yourself, send us a report!

Cain's Diner

This tiny little micro-car of a 1930s diner has always been one of my favorite eateries in Madison County, even though it barely seats eight patrons. This photo was taken in 2004; does anyone know for sure that it still exists? In these modern space-age times we live in, all the good places are disappearing faster than you can say "blueberry pie".