MODERN DINER,

There's virtually only one thing you can't get in Pawtucket's Modern Diner that you could get in all those traditional diners that once dotted the byways of America -- second-hand smoke. Here no blue curl will drift over from the stool next to you. Signs declare the Modern to be "a smoke-free establishment." In spite of such a departure, this remains a place where you can dig into just about any kind of retro grub that has ever clogged an artery. Diners remain the only places where guilt-plagued Boomers know they can get liver and onions, that staple of cruel 1950s mothers. Inside the original section, there are ceramic tile walls, a curved tin ceiling, and Art Deco-esque touches, such as a teardrop jukebox speaker high at one end. Formica rules. The menu doesn't trifle with us. We're talking meat and potatoes here. Homemade beef stew ($4.25). Corned beef and cabbage ($6.20) on Thursdays. Burgers and hot dogs anytime. The biggest ticket is $7.95 for a-10-ounce Delmonico steak. The Modern has a full liquor license, not just for wine and beer, so if you want to wash down your chili dog ($2.85) with a shot of Old Red Eye, feel free. The lunch menu is selective rather than expansive -- mostly sandwiches and burgers, with up to 11 platters, depending on the day. The latter ranges from the obligatory meat loaf ($6.20) to the venturesome, for a diner, chicken almondine ($7.10) Breakfast is served all day.

Full review.