By David Jones

A recent Friday evening saw our family group of 5 stopping at Clair’s Family Restaurant in Morgantown for dinner. We had just visited the Daniel Boone Homestead in Birdsboro and we were on our way home, looking for a quick and convenient place to eat and Clair’s fit the bill perfectly.

The spot is easy to pass at the main traffic light in Morgantown. It’s also a little tricky to get in and out of, but it’s worth trying.

When you walk in the door you are immediately taken back to another time by the interior. While it is not a traditional diner, it is certainly reminiscent of those earlier soda fountain days of our youth.

Tables and booths are available and who can resist when walking past one of those old pie showcases? It is also notable that the staff are very friendly and seem like old friends, the way many diners used to be.

As I said, there were five of us and we were hungry! I went for the special. This was fried haddock with mac and cheese and stewed tomatoes ($7). The fish was obviously a freezer version, but it was nicely done and for $7 you can’t go wrong.

Lin had Beef ribel soup. This was very good and possibly the best dish of all five.

Steve had pork chops with mashed potatoes and gravy. This was 2 generous chops and Steve reported they were good.

Andrea had the fried seafood combo. She said it was okay, but nothing to write home about. In Andrea’s case, home is Berlin Germany.

Bruce went for the Philadelphia style cheese steak. He liked it a lot. They don’t have anything comparable to the cheese steak in Germany, so Bruce had more than a few during his 2 week visit with us.

Anytime I go to an old school style diner I’m always checking out the desserts before I even order. Claire’s had quite a few options.

Steve got the Boston crème pie, which was more of a cake than the usual style of this dessert. Not as good as his mom’s, but a worthy entry was his report. Lin had her favorite Lemon Meringue pie, which she enjoy immensely.

Bruce had chocolate cream pie and so did I. We both liked it a lot. Since I had done a lot of walking at the Boone Homestead I had room for a second dessert and I chose the chocolate cake with peanut butter icing. It was the best of all the desserts.

Clair’s Family Restaurant is a casual, no frills type of place. All of the desserts are made in house and delicious. The food is more than adequate, but the whole experience is what makes Claire’s special.

At $72 for dinner for 5 with 5 desserts, tax and a 20% tip, this is a good place to stop if you’re ever in the area.

We settled on a 2 ½ star rating as a group.

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A native of Chester County and a 1968 graduate of Octorara Area High School, David Jones earned a Masters Degree in Medical Ethics from from Villanova University. Mr. Jones served as CEO of both Mayview and Wernersville State Hospitals and later worked directly with then Governor Rendell to modernize and right-size Pennsylvania’s entire state hospital system. Jones and his wife Lynn make their home in Parkesburg and dine out frequently across Chester County and the Delaware Valley.