Driving in unfamiliar territory at lunchtime, I was famished and cruising for a place to grab a bite. Despite being on the alert for food, I would have missed a tiny gem of a take-out eatery if not for the sign. It wasn’t a brightly colored internally lit piece of plastic or beckoning twists of colored neon that caught my eye, but a rather large, rough cut wooden hot dog with a streak of mustard across the top and a phone number emblazoned on the bun. I made a hard, sudden turn into the next driveway without even having seen the restaurant.
Tammy’s is a tiny plywood shack painted a startling red and yellow and set back from State Route 32 in rural North Franklin, Connecticut. Without the giant hot dog it would be almost
Tammy is a buxom blonde with an easy, welcoming manner and a smile to brighten the cloudiest day. Behind her at the order window was a tiny kitchen that with its stainless steel vent hood and other gleaming appliances was vaguely reminiscent of a diner. After gazing at a menu board offering classic roadside food ranging from steak bombs to chili dogs and sweet potato fries to onion rings, I ordered the kielbasa with kraut, a savory choice I didn’t regret.
Following some small talk about the weather and local politics I asked about the sign. She came upon it
When my sandwich arrived I grabbed a seat at one of several picnic tables, though I could have avoided the chill breeze in a dining shack with crossbuck doors that stood at a right angle to the kitchen. A couple other customers engaged in low conversation as they waited for their meals were seated nearby.
On each table was a clear, two liter soda bottle turned upside down and filled with water. They weren’t there to slake thirsts brought on by clam
In my hunger, I wolfed down my meal in just a few minutes. I didn’t linger long, but I left not only with a comforting bellyful, but with the tasty memory of having stumbled on a special place, however humble. I’d gotten not just a delicious lunch, but some local flavor that couldn’t be found on the menu of a chain burger joint or chicken outlet.
