Because I hail from Rhode Island, my drives from Hartford to Providence and back the past 14 years have yielded a string of landmarks to judge the distance. The aptly named Midway Restaurant, with its Greek flag and sign reading Truckers Welcome, is, in fact, about midway on the route. So when I need to meet my sister for family business, Midway is the perfect place.
The main dining area has the same basic feel to it as any number of Greek diners throughout the Northeast, and a menu to match: staples from souvlaki to grinders to ziti with veal and everything in between, plus a selection of pizzas.
“They make their own dough here,” our friendly, down-to-earth waitress says. “Actually if you need anything and can’t find me, try the bar in the back. I have to cover that, too, while the owner’s in the kitchen working on the dough.”
The restaurant is more sprawling than expected, with several additional dining rooms, a bar filled with UConn memorabilia and customer photos, as well as a back porch for outdoor dining and drinking.
Midway’s menu dedicates a whole page to the restaurant’s history. It started in 1937, switching hands in 1951 and finally to the current owners in 1987. Aside from being central to two state capitals, Midway’s claim to fame is being a regular jaunt for the late Paul Newman’s Hole in the Wall Gang Camp. The camp for kids battling cancer is right up the road, making Midway a popular spot for its employees, the campers, and even Newman himself. The menu’s story even includes the actor’s usual order, which I took as a sign.
“I’ll have the Paul Newman Special,” I say. “A Greek salad, Midway Special Pizza, and a bottle of Michelob Ultra.”
“OK, sure, now what will you really have?” the server asks, laughing.
“I want what Paul Newman had, even the beer,” I say, feeling every ounce of craft-beer street cred slip away. But, hey, if 65 calories were fine for Newman, they’re fine for me.
Our waitress had never met Newman (she had only worked at Midway for four years, compared to some who had been there for more than a decade), but points out photos of him, Bruce Willis, Alec Baldwin and Danny Glover above the cash register.
First out are our buffalo wings ($9.65). Rather than being drenched in Red Hot, these are dredged in spicy sauce before being breaded and fried, something all too rare in our buffalo-centric times. They are delicious.
The Greek salad is filled with big blocks of feta cheese, along with plenty of red onion and olives. A small ($7.45) was already a pretty big plate. There were leftovers.
My sister orders a gyro ($8.95 for the pita, $11.95 with fries and cole slaw), a Greek diner necessity. “Add a little salt to the tzatziki, it’ll make the dill pop,” the server says. Truth! Nothing hits the spot like a good gyro.
Turns out the Midway Special is one of the more loaded pizzas on the menu. Sausage, hamburger, pepperoni, onion, green pepper and mushrooms. The pie is thicker and softer than New Haven style, with high edges to hold all the toppings. Two slices are enough, but I had three before calling it quits. Leftovers again.
Midway Restaurant & Pizza, 174 Ashford Center Road, Ashford, is open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Information: 860-429-1932 and eatatmidway.com
