SpeedEats Special Guest

MIKE TWIST

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Avoid the Chain and Eat at Agawam    by Mike Twist

Mike Twist Shows Us a Great New England Diner

(Editor's Note:  Mike Twist is the editor of Speed51.com, a popular Short Track racing website.  Twist, a resident of Maine, has worked in the motorsports industry as a media professional for several years.  Before 51 Sports, Twist did Public Relations for Joe Bessey's NASCAR Busch Series team as well as producing segments for TNN's "Raceday" program).

It doesn’t matter where you are traveling – an Applebee’s is an Applebee’s, a TGI Friday’s is a TGI Friday’s and an Outback is an Outback.  The food and the atmosphere is just as good or bad from one city to the next. 

If you are flying into Boston and on the way to New Hampshire Motor Speedway, or the short tracks of Lee USA Speedway (NH), Star Speedway (NH) or Beech Ridge Motor Speedway (ME), there is the perfect antidote to the chain restaurant experience north of the big city in the town of Rowley.  It’s called the Agawam Diner and stepping through the doors in just like stepping back into the 1950’s with plenty of old fashioned comfort food just an order away.

Although the diner has been in business since 1940, the current structure was erected in 1954 after being built by the Fodero Company in New Jersey.  Through the years, the location of the Agawam has changed too.  It has been located in Peabody and Ipswich before finding itself parked, seemingly for good now, on Route One in Rowley.  It still has the same Airsteam-esque silver exterior and old-school tile floors today.  You can find the diner on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.  It also still has the same family who owns it and likely some of the same items on the menu. 

A recent trip to the Agawam brought about an order of Chicken Pot Pie and Chicken Croquettes – both of which could taste just like your Grandmother made, assuming that your Grandmother could cook that well.  The mashed potatoes are homemade too, but an even better choice are the nice, thick French Fries as a side order.  Hamburgers are big and juicy and an excellent choice, as are the breakfast items that are served all day long.  Of course, no diner experience would be complete without some homemade pie and the Agawam doesn’t disappoint there either.  There are plenty of other choices are well – the daily specials do change daily, so every trip can be a little bit different.

I’m personally not much of a seafood person, but I am told that the Fried Clams at the Agawam could just be the best thing of all on the menu.  So if you are into those kind of things, it might be worth a trip.  I wonder if any members of the Truex family have ever been there during their days of chasing the NASCAR Busch North Series schedule through the New England States?  As one of the biggest clamming families on the East Coast, they would be a good judge of that menu item.

It’s possible that you might run into a racing personality or two at Agawam Diner.  The town that it is in is home to the hottest Supermodified driver out there right now, “The Rowley Rocket” Chris Perley along with two-time Oxford 250 winner and NASCAR K&N Pro Series East standout Eddie MacDonald.  Just down the road in the next town over, Ipswich, is the home of Bentley Warren Trucking – owned by, and named for, possibly the best Supermodified driver of all time.  The founder of Speedway Illustrated and personality of NASCAR on FOX, Dr. Dick Berggren, lives in the general area as well.  Former Busch North Series race winner Mike Johnson and former Supermodified pilot Paul Richardson are from towns nearby.

There are people who are notable outside of racing circles who frequent Agawam Dinner as well.  The late author Robert B. Parker referred to it as the best restaurant in the world and featured the diner in several of his Spenser and Jesse Stone books. 

The Agawam Diner is easy to find at the junction of Route One and Route 133 in Rowley, Massachusetts – just a short drive from I-95.  Cash is the only tender accepted there.

Agawam Diner

Oooooh. Chicken Croquettes.

Lee Speedway Oktoberfest Ad ... some racing flavor.

Lil' Sam enjoys his food at Agawam Diner.

Twist (center) w/ New England racing stars Andy Seuss (left and Mike Ordway, Jr.