Phantom Gourmet: The Ugly Mug Diner In Salem, Mass.

SALEM - Beautiful plates, and ugly mugs - at the brand new Ugly Mug Diner in Salem, Mass., they're putting a fresh face on diner fare.

"I would say that it's diner for foodies, people who really like food but want the comfort of diner food," described owner Diane Wolf. "We just take diner things and kind of turn them on their head, just kind of get a little weird with it."

They get weird with a lot of things, like lamps fashioned from old coffee pots, a cowbell in the kitchen, and an impressive assortment of some of the ugliest mugs around, collected over the years by Wolf herself.

"People have their favorites. People request their mug when they come in in the morning. We have some that are a little a little blue, and some that are cute, and some that are terrifying."

There are mugs with noses, mugs with faces, even a mug with a portrait of Chihuahua Michael Jackson, which Diane finds especially unsettling. "I'm terrified of it to be honest. Look at it," she said with a scowl on her face.

While the ugly mugs in the dining room are always filled with hot coffee, back in the kitchen, Chef Bill Wareham fills his plates with big portions of breakfast – which is available all day long.

"I didn't want to not be able to serve breakfast at night cause there's nothing better than an omelet at like 10pm," Diane declared.

Except maybe, the Elvis Waffle. It's a fluffy made to order waffle, baked with peanut butter and chocolate chips, then topped with banana, bacon, and whipped cream.

"It's based off of a sandwich that Elvis used to absolutely love. I'm not a big Elvis fan or anything but it's just kind of ridiculous, bacon, bananas, whipped cream, chocolate," said Chef Bill.

"It's crunchy. It's salty. It's sweet. It's savory," described Diane. "You know, I think that afterwards you might regret it a little bit, but you're happy," she laughed.

Other indulgent options include Huevos Rancheros, served like a seven layer dip, with tortilla chips for scooping up all the good stuff. There's an upscale twist on Chicken and Waffles, with duck confit, candied pecans, and bourbon maple syrup, and a hearty pair of Scotch Eggs, with toast and home fries.

"A scotch egg is a soft boiled egg wrapped in sausage, and we actually make our own sausage, and then it's breaded and deep fried. So it's crunchy on the outside and then salty, and then you've got the nice rich egg on the inside," Diane explained. "It's a hearty little snack."

For something a little more refined, the Smoked Salmon Benedict is one pretty dish that everyone at the Ugly Mug is quite proud of.

"It's smoked lox on top of the English muffin, two nicely poached eggs, our housemade hollandaise and then on top of it we do a few capers and then we do some pickled onions," said Bill. "It's just a really nice looking plate. I absolutely love it."

Beyond breakfast, the rest of the day at the Ugly Mug is pretty tasty too. There are diner classics like burgers and mac and cheese, and then there's the Mug's take on the BLT, which they've named the PELT, which stands for 'Pork Explosion, Lettuce, and Tomato'. This double decker is super stacked with six slices of bacon, pork belly, and spicy sriracha aioli.

"It's huge. It's gonna be like the size of your head," said the chef. "You're gonna see it and you're going to be intimidated by it and that's kind of why I wanted it. I wanted something just epic."

Some other epic eats include Poutine with Red Eye Gravy, a platter of pork and potatoes known as the Little Pig, and Beer Battered Corn Dogs that are made to order, always fresh, never ever frozen.

Bill is a chef who doesn't take himself too seriously, and he's not above using some pretty pedestrian ingredients when necessary - like his Spam Fritters. They are a trio of golden balls of Spam and garlic mashed potatoes that are deep fried and served with Chipotle Crème Fraîche.

"I wanted to use Spam cause, like in the Midwest and in Hawaii every diner has Spam on the menu. I wanted to do a play on it and see if I could get people to eat Spam and actually go, 'oh there's Spam in that?' It's not exactly very good for you, but it's tasty," he laughed.

The Ugly Mug Diner is open every day, and it's always packed with hungry locals filling the tables and the long counter. Behind that counter is where you'll often find Diane mixing up some of her favorite drinks, like a spicy Mochaccino blended with cinnamon and cayenne, or a Salted Caramel Mocha. If you've got a real case of the blues (brother), nothing will cheer you up like the creamy, dreamy Orange Whip.

"I love the orange whip. I especially love selling them in threes: orange whip, orange whip, orange whip, three orange whips," she said, referencing the famous John Candy scene.

Fun drinks and good food, made by people who take pride in what they do and love every minute of it. It's a recipe that will put a smile on anyone's mug.

You can find the Ugly Mug Diner at 122 Washington Street in Salem, or online at uglymugdiner.com.

Watch Phantom Gourmet on Saturdays and Sundays at 10:30 and 11 a.m. on myTV38.

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