Arundel Diner Adds Special Flavor of Love

Business Profile

At Mike’s American Diner, Each Meal Comes with a Side of Love

By Lisa Linehan

Mike D’Amico is well known for being the long-time chef and former proprietor of Square Toes restaurant in Kennebunk. After selling that restaurant and taking a short reprieve, Mike and his staff are back once again in full force and by popular demand, at Mike’s American Diner on Route 1 in Arundel.

Housed in the former Blue Moon diner building, Mike’s American Diner has been completely renovated and now boasts bright, airy, open rooms with dining tables, a private room for special events, and seating

at an old-fashioned lunch counter where on any given day patrons gather to relax and socialize while enjoying classic American diner cuisine at its finest.

“We pride ourselves in serving expertly prepared, old fashioned and traditional American comfort food and meals in a cozy, friendly and welcoming atmosphere,” D’Amico said. “All food served here is homemade from scratch and cooked to order.”

“Great food at a great price” is the mantra at Mike’s and Head Chef Brian Kirwin brings his experience working in some of the finest kitchens in the country including the Meridian in the Boston Hilton to the Arundel eatery. His goal is to try to guarantee that no one leaves the counter unfulfilled. All it takes is one look at the menu or the food being served around you and you will know why customers love Mike’s.

“Our breakfast features home-made breads, muffins, scones and cinnamon rolls, a variety of pancakes, artisan sausages such as local chicken sausage and maple sausage, eggs cooked your way, waffles and powdered sugar-dusted French toast,” Kirwin said.

The lunch menu includes favorites such as burgers - both plain and specialty - stacked sandwiches on freshly baked toasted bread and french-fries, Monte Cristo, pot roast,

hot roasted turkey, fish and chips, Reuben’s, a variety of salads and more.

The extensive dinner menu boasts baked meatloaf, sirloin steak, chicken parmesan, Yankee pot roast, butter milk ranch chicken, haddock, scallops and shrimp -either fried, baked or pan seared, haddock chowder, clam cakes, specialty salads and more. Dinner at Mike’s is BYOB, which has been very popular with guests as well. “We provide the glasses, ice and mixers. You bring the booze. It is an easy and great way to save money while dining,” said Operation Director David Kotz.

He added, “We make not only the food special, but the experience here special as well. We make sure each and every one of our customers feels welcome, whether it is by greeting them by name, or remembering their favorite foods and how they like it served. We genuinely care about all of our patrons -

especially the locals - they are our bread and butter all year long and we appreciate that. We even have some of our dishes named after our repeat customers such as the Scott Cummings burger, which consists of a burger with extra cheese, extra bacon, extra pickles, no lettuce and no tomatoes.”

Perhaps one of the secret ingredients to the restaurant’s success is that the recipes at Mike’s American Diner are the same recipes that have been popular for decades. “Mike respects the diner tradition, but puts a much friendlier spin on comfort and camaraderie. Attention to detail and quality ingredients are the hallmarks here at Mike’s,” Kirwin said.

D’Amico, Kirwin and Kotz agree that it is the customers that make Mike’s American Diner the success that it is today and what makes them all so proud as a team.

“The positive feedback fuels us and inspires us. We listen to what our customers want and we deliver. We want each and every one of our customers to feel special. We get to know them and they get to know us.

We become friends, and that makes all the difference,” Kotz commented.

D’Amico envisions his restaurant’s mission “to return to the simple basics of American Diner culture, focusing on nostalgia and dining the way it used to be. I wanted a casual and comfortable place where truckers and bankers are equally comfortable, and where the food is exceptional and everyone is welcome and I think we have all done a good job at accomplishing that here.”

Mike’s American Diner opens at 7am and serves breakfast and lunch all day, seven days a week until 3pm. Dinner is currently served from 4:30-8pm, four evenings a week, Thursday through Saturday with a special senior citizen menu available from 4:30 to 6 pm.

FMI on Mike’s American Diner please call: 207- 502-7739nd be sure to stop and smell the roses.

Lisa Linehan is the Associate Director of Kennebunkport Conservation Trust

COMFORT FOOD AT IT’S BEST

AMERICAN DINER

BREAKFAST - LUNCH - DINNER Open 7 days a week - BYOB Sun to Wed: 7 am to 3 pm, Thurs. to Sat.: 7 am to 8 pm 1132 Portland Road, Arundel | (207) 502-7739

12 NEIGHBORS OF THE KENNEBUNKS SEPTEMBER 2017 13