Regulars—

On Friday, These Romeos Know Wherefore They Art

By Nancy K. Crevier

“O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou?” If it is Friday at 11:30 am, Romeo is at Steve’s Diner on South Main Street; ROMEO, that is: Retired Old Men Eating Out.

That is the name they call themselves, and the seven men, all of whom live in the Walnut Tree Village condominium complex in Sandy Hook, enjoy their weekly get-together there.

“The food is good, they have good service, and they tolerate us,” laughs Jerry Meany. The other men, Michael Alberico, Michael Asselta, Cosmo Alberico, Paul Adinolfi, Carmine Tiso, and Ron Rinner, agree that those are some of the top traits that have kept them coming back to the diner each week for the past eight months.

“We tried a couple of other place and just kind of gravitated back here,” says Mr Tiso.

“We’re here because of Carmine,” says Cosmo Alberico. “He was feeling down in the dumps one day, so my wife suggested I take him out. Then my brother, Michael, joined us, then we invited Paul.”

The momentum built and before too long, the whole gang was meeting at the diner. “Now, I think everyone looks forward to our Friday mornings,” says Mr Meany.

The Friday brunch date, joke the men, keeps them on top of which day is which. “Every day is Sunday when you’re retired,” Mr Meany says.

The men like that there is plenty of room to spread out in the dining room. It makes Steve’s an enjoyable place to gather, they say. Talk about topics as diverse as politics and the aches and pains of growing old dominate the conversation, chuckles Mr Tiso, and Mr Adinolfi adds that jokes and riddles are a big part of each get-together. “What do you call tiny, young bees?” he asks, for example. Stumped? “Bee-bees,” he exclaims.

Mr Rinner points out that other places they met were too noisy for a good conversation to take hold. “Here, that’s not a problem,” he says.

The waitresses haven’t quite reached the point where they call them if the ROMEOs don’t show up, but with more than half of the group ordering their own special — “The Cosi” — it won’t be long before the cook starts up the scrambled eggs, potatoes chopped and well-done with white toast on the side as soon as the guys walk through the door. “The Cosi” is the name the men have come up with for the combination their friend, Cosmo, first ordered and which has become a hit with several of them.

“I know their regular order,” admits Joanna Tzakas. Like the other members of the family that run the restaurant, her parents Spiro and Maria Rountos and of course, Steve Rountos, she pitches in to do whatever needs doing, including waitressing. “People are creatures of habit. Sometimes I even remind people what they usually order,” she says.

The Rountoses and staff are tuned in to their regular customers and vice versa. Says Ms Tzakas, “If people are missing for a few days, we ask them where they’ve been, is everyone okay. When I had my baby recently, everyone was asking how I was, how the baby is doing. People are like family here. Even the short order cooks will question an order if they know what someone usually orders and it is different.”

“People who come in here are very friendly,” says Mrs Rountos. “Our regulars are really good people.”

The ROMEOs are a great group of guys, says Ms Tzakas. “They never complain. I think it’s great that [they come in here every week],” she says. “Their wives should get together, too. We’ll put the guy’s group on one side and the wives in our greenhouse,” she laughs.

As a place for camaraderie and good food, Steve’s Diner is wherefore they will be, say the ROMEOs.