Bites Nearby: Trivet Diner

In a quest for the quintessential diner, the Trivet can tick all the boxes. Open 24 hours. Big, clean, bright. A stone’s throw from several highway exits. Decent food at reasonable prices. Add the gleaming exterior of curvy chrome, neon and glass block, and you’ve got not just a diner, but a 21st century version of a classic 1950s American diner. Clip art on the menu does what it can to reinforce the theme: jukeboxes, car hops and pink Cadillacs.

The spiral-bound menu deserves some attention. Twelve big laminated pages list options in all the usual diner food groups and then some. It would be easier to mention what the Trivet doesn’t serve. No sushi, no pizza. Otherwise, expect that all of the no-nonsense diner food will be there. There’s breakfast around the clock, always several soups of the day, and a dessert case filled with layer cakes, cream pies and crumb pies. French fries (loaded with various toppings, if desired) and nostalgic milk shakes and root beer floats.

In the sandwich realm there are more than 20 different burgers, steak sandwiches, chicken sandwiches, melts, wraps, double decker clubs and a large variety of panini specials. Entrées and platters include daily specials, dinner combos, Italian dishes, seafood, steaks, chopped steak, liver, chicken and a few Greek specialties. It’s easy to turn anything into a full course meal with choice of soup, salad and diner-worthy sides that change daily, but often feature beets, potato salad, applesauce, mashed potatoes, corn and homemade Dutch bacon dressing.

The Trivet caters to “light eating seniors” with a selection of full-course meals served every day from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Including coffee or tea and ice cream or pudding, most meals are $7.50-$9.75. The kiddie corner of the menu makes normal food sound just a bit more fun with names like Batman, Hannah Montana, Barbie and Spongebob.

4549 W. Tilghman St., South Whitehall, PA  18104.  610-398-3886.

Another Lehigh Valley location is 4102 Chestnut St., Emmaus, PA 18049. 610-965-2838.