America's Best Restaurants Visits Adams, Dalton Eateries
M&J's Taste of Home's choices for the Roadshow crew to try.
The national media and marketing company spotlights independent eateries around the country and was back in the Berkshires to try two more local favorites: M&J's Taste of Home Diner and the Shire Tavern.
M&J's owners Mark and Jeanne Lapier reopened the classic Park Street dining car almost two years ago and said they couldn't have done it without their customers.
"I say all the time, we can have the best food, but without customers, it's not going to get us anywhere. So, obviously there's a bunch of different components that make us successful, but customers are a huge part of that. So it's just, I don't know, it's very humbling," Mark Lapier said.
The Lapiers turned to America's Best, which features restaurants on its YouTube channel, to boost their promotion. The video crew's been in the Berkshires before, highlighting other restaurants
"They reached out to us in like September, we had actually, ironically enough, two separate customers nominate us," Mark Lapier said. "So they reached out and kind of told us what the program was about. And so we decided to start working with them, and this is a portion of what they offer with their promotions."
The diner asked customers on Facebook what should be cooked up for the day and got lots of suggestions — from lobster rolls to peanut butter cookies.
When the Roadshow crew rolled up on Tuesday, show host J Russell was served Texas hash, brisket cheesesteak and The Big Freddie — a dozen eggs with ham, bacon, onions, peppers and tomatoes, with a side of home fries and toast.
Russell said the diner was very community oriented.
"Every town needs a diner, and they need a diner with owners like that, especially like thinking about the history of that place, and then they wanted to take on that challenge of saying, like, we want to keep this place open in the community," he said. "And then everything that they had put into it, their own twist."
Jeanne Lapier sent the Roadshow off with cookies boasting the show's logo on an outline of America. The next stop: Shire Tavern.
Owner Matt Mottor transformed the former Shire Breu-Haus in the lower level of the Stationery Factory into the welcoming Shire Tavern.
Mottor said not many people know the eatery has arcade games, shuffle board and pool tables, live entertainment, and that the bar is open late on Fridays and Saturdays.
He spoke with "America's Best Restaurants" to get the tavern some marketing and promotion.
"I want to feature Shire Tavern, because we've rebranded since it was opened up as a brewery, and now the brewery is gone, and now we're trying to be more that community feel," he said.
He had Russell try the Swedish meatloaf, a candied-bacon burger with gouda cheese and caramelized onions, calamari pomodoro, and the pork and guac tacos.
"Coming to the Shire Tavern, walking down those steps, such a cool entrance to a restaurant," said Russell. "And I think it kind of is a place that every like small town should have, like a nice place that people could gather, very comforting food, and then just one of the best owners that I've run into. He just seems like a real down-to-earth person, a family man, and [the tavern] somewhere that you'd be proud to bring somebody from out of town."
Both restaurants will be featured on America's Best Restaurants page and on its Roadshow YouTube channel.
Tags: food show, restaurants, social media,
