It took us a few minutes to find Curt’s, tucked away at the corner of Hawley Road right near where the construction work begins on Route 5. But when we pulled into the parking lot, we found that the building is decorated with large drawings of Curt’s food—a package of curly fries with big eyes and a smile, a dancing burger, a happy hot dog, a frosty mug of soda.

The vestibule of the place has kind of an “under construction,” beachy look. Ruth, Dan, John and I stepped inside into a long, narrow room with a counter and, off to the side, a dining area. The floors are black-and-white checked, the six tables a mix of booths and picnic tables with attached benches. The painted white cinderblock walls are decorated with 45-rpm records and vintage posters, and the curtains are crisp gingham.

When the birch beer (!) arrived in frosty mugs (!!) we had smiles as big as those painted on the food items on the front wall. They were $1.65, served in small “bottomless” mugs that our attentive server kept filled.

All the classic grilled selections are here, from a regular charbroiled dog ($2.09) to a footlong ($3.19). Curt’s “famous” curly fries are available as a regular order ($2.75), a half-order ($2.25) or the over-the-top deluxe, in which the fries are separated into two parts, one side drenched with Texas sauce and the other side with cheese. Nobody at our table was in the mood for that, but I bet it’s really good!

We tried four sandwiches. A fried bologna ($3.99), which was a thick-cut piece, was cooked to perfection and served with soft fried onions on top. A bacon cheeseburger ($2.99) was medium-size (there are many ways to upsize the burger, and a hungry person might want to) and very tasty. The Texas dog ($2.29) was topped with a sweet, deeply flavored meaty Texas sauce. The Italian sausage ($4.25)—described on the menu as “just like the fair, but cheaper!” —was flavorful, and served as requested, without peppers.

Our “sides” covered the rest of the table. The onion rings ($2.65) were good, but not great—we’ve had rings with thicker cuts of onion and lighter batter. The sweet potato fries ($2.60), served with a petite cup of honey, were delicious, and the curly fries ($2.75) were indeed something Curt’s can be proud of. Like all the sides, they were steaming hot, and the curly fries were crisp without being greasy.

Curt’s is open from 10:30 a. m. to 8 p. m. Monday through Thursday; from 10:30 a. m. to 9 p. m. on Friday and Saturday; and from 11 a. m. to 8 p. m. Sunday. It is handicapped-accessible.