Who could pass up an invite to go witness the filming of the show "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" with Guy Fieri and even get a chance to meet him and be on TV? My fun and talented neighbor Marc (he's also an artist/musician) is part owner and operator of the popular Boulevard Diner in Dundalk. It's a super cool retro diner built on the location of Marc's grandfathers' original restaurant, The House of Neptune (sounds like it could be on Sponge Bob, Square Pants). It's the most upscale diner I have ever been in with shiny stainless steel everywhere, upholstered booth seats, and a large

Betty Boop statue that greets you at the door. Breakfast is served all day (of course) and the prolific menu features some scrumptious Greek specialties. One of Marc's customers emailed a photo of the "Big Ass" Sandwich (I thought it was "Bad Ass" until Marc corrected me!) to the show and they were intrigued. This past Tuesday, Guy and crew showed up around 1:30 pm to film in the kitchen with Marc to see how he prepares the house specialties. Marc admitted he did not sleep a wink the night before and arrived at the diner super early to start preparing the food. He was asked to prepare each of the four dishes in various stages of being cooked. He chose the Crab Cake, Sour Beef (kind of like a stew), his amazing Greek Dolmades (his Grandmother's recipe, but tweaked by Marc),

The "Meatloaf Tower" and the infamous "Big Ass" Roast Beef Sandwich which is literally as large as my head! Writing this is making me hungry and I think I need to go get a snack.....OK, I'm back. Meanwhile we patiently waited outside with 30 other eager invitees. Parked in front of the diner was Guy's red Corvette and a bunch of other gorgeous cars from the 50s. Finally one of the crew members came out to prime us. No felons, no cell phones, speak quietly and no

matter what, DO NOT LOOK AT THE CAMERA! Such pressure, it automatically made me want to look at the camera. Inside we packed ourselves into one area and waited for the action. The director chose two tables to interview. I'm glad he didn't chose us because I'm not a regular of the diner - and neither were the ones he interviewed by the way. Unfortunately he didn't interview this family next to me who were die-hard fans and according to them their son was practically born in a booth! They raved about the crab cake sandwhich and the amazing desserts - all home made. Guy and Marc (now nick named "Marky Marc") emerged

from the kitchen to do the "Owner" interview. Guy held up the "Big Ass" Sandwhich next to his head and asked if it was supposed to look like his fat face! The sweet waitresses started coming around serving us drinks and randomly putting food down in front of us. Not everyone was lucky enough to get a plate. I received the yummy Sour Beef, which I shared with Tom. During the actual filming, I was so paranoid about looking at the camera, I leaned over my plate and literally

shoveled the food into my mouth the whole entire time. After that, and 3 cups of coffee, I was so stuffed. Guy interviewed two tables using a lot of teasing and humor to get some good answers and then quickly left much to the disappointment of many who wanted photos and cook books signed. By the way, they made us promise none of us were wanted by the police and we each had to sign a scary legal release. So if you happen to see me stuffing my face on national TV you'll know why! The show is due

to be out in 3-6 months. In the meantime, give The Boulevard Diner a try and let Marc know "Hon Fun" sent you......

The Boulevard Diner
1660 Merritt Boulevard
Dundalk, MD 21222
410-285-8660
Sunday - Thursday 6 am - 12 am
Friday and Saturday Open 24 hrs!