'Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives' is going back to the Skylark Diner in Edison

Fourteen years ago, a budding Food Network show called “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” hosted by Guy Fieri did a tour of Garden State diners in its second season and headed to the Skylark Diner in Edison.

It was a star-struck moment for the then-new restaurant, which opened just a year prior.

But now, the Skylark Diner is an Edison staple, continuing to give the iconic New Jersey diner concept new life with its retro ambiance, full bar and scratch kitchen led by an executive chef.

So, “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” is coming back. The show will film at the restaurant on Thursday and will be aired on a to-be-announced date. The Skylark Diner will be closed that day until 4 p.m.

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“For me personally, it’s very humbling,” said Skylark Diner managing partner Chris Kakos. “Whenever you can reach an audience like that and someone is willing to come and look at your operation and feature you, it’s very exciting for us, the staff and the chefs.”

“Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” is returning to the Skylark Diner because it is circling back to some of the first restaurants it featured to see how they changed in the past decade-plus, the production staff told Kakos. Due to COVID-19 precautions, Fieri will not be there Thursday.

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During filming, the diner plans to showcase its pancetta, egg and cheese breakfast sandwich, as well as its bacon-onion jam turkey burger.

The turkey burgers are made fresh at the diner using house-brined turkey. They’re combinations of sweet and savory flavors, Kakos said. They also include bacon-onion jam, lettuce, mozzarella and Dijon mustard, and are served on a brioche buns delivered to the restaurant each day.

The pancetta, egg and cheese is “just a great breakfast sandwich,” Kakos said. “It warms you up on a cold day. The pancetta is brined and smoked, so you get that smoky taste when you bite into it.”

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Other popular items at the Skylark Diner include pancakes; “fluffy” omelets, which are made using a milkshake whipper; the Skylark salad, which is similar to a Waldorf salad; triple-blend burgers made with chuck, brisket and Angus beef; and wings marinated and served in a Buffalo-dill sauce.

“It’s a fun, eclectic combination of a lot of different comfort foods that we do at a high level,” Kakos said. “The way we source our food is different from an average diner. We are very culinary-forward with the way we think about food and how we want it to be presented and served to our guests.”

Jenna Intersimone has been a staff member at the USA Today Network New Jersey since 2014, after becoming a blogger-turned-reporter following the creation of her award-winning travel blog. To get unlimited access to her stories about food, drink and fun, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. Contact: JIntersimone@Gannett.com or @JIntersimone.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: 'Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives' at Skylark Diner in Edison NJ