Let me introduce you to what may be the best diner in Massachusetts. I had read about the Owl on a diner-enthusist blog, and they had given it very high marks. They were totally right. For this adventure Jack and I were accompanied by two of our favorite people: Nate and Philip Mittleman. Philip is my godfather, I am Nate's godfather, and Nate is Jack's godfather. Nate and Philip were up for Jack's Beepa's annual Super Bowl bash, and we decided that we needed a little god-family outing.

The energy of this place is fantastic. The Owl was jam-packed when we got there. Being the day of the supremely disappointing Super Bowl XLII, every patron was clad head-to-toe in Patriots gear. All of the waitresses had dyed their hair red, white and blue. As crowded as the original Worcester dining car was, we were quickly ushered into the side dining room, which was filled with families. Jack immediately noticed the little girl at the next table (she might have been two months old) and started waving to her. He also started babbling to our waitress.

We decided to ordered different things and share as much as possible. Philip got fried eggs, corned beef hash, and homefries. I had a veggie omelette, toast and homefries. Nate ordered pancakes. We also got a side order of the homemade spiral ham. We had read online that the ham was a main reason to visit the Owl, and we were not disapointed. Within minutes of ordering our waitress brought out a steaming plate of the thickest, juicest ham steaks. They were sweet and tangy, and soft as can be. Philip passed around his incredible hash, which was also homemade. It had just the right texture, and just the right amount of salt. Nate's pancakes were fluffy and sweet. The coffee was wonderful, and every 30 seconds someone was stopping by to refill our mugs. Everything we ordered was perfect, and in the right portions. Every time we realized that we needed something -- jelly, hot sauce, a new spoon for Jack -- our waitress was right there with a smile.

Jack had many firsts on this trip. He had his first corned beef hash, which he LOVED. He also put some of it in his ears. He had some ham steak, which he devoured and then grabbed a second piece from my plate when he thought I wasn't looking. Nate fed him some of his pancakes, which he shredded with his fingers and then gobbled up. Philip shared his whole wheat toast with Jack as well.

Philip remarked as we were just sitting down that it seemed like everyone around us was a regular, and that everyone behaved as if they knew each other. Babies were passed from one table to another. The little girl next to us saw her teacher, who joined her family for a cup of coffee. We, of course, spoke to everyone around us, and found them to be friendly and welcoming. We walked out of the Owl in total amazement, at both the food and the patrons.

This may become our new official god-family place to eat in the Boston area. Now if only we could get them to serve Taylor Ham...

The Four Sisters - Owl Diner
244 Appleton Street
Lowell, MA