A Taste of The Past

Many New Yorkers are nostalgic for the art deco diners that once thrived in the city's neighborhoods. Others yearn for the specialties that used to be prepared for the Horn & Hardart Automat cafeterias. A new spot on Manhattan's East Side aims to satisfy both groups. Dine-O-Mat, a '50s-style chrome and neon diner, features many of the old Horn & Hardart dishes. And why not? H&H owns the budget-priced eatery and plans to open three more around New York this year.

Elvis Presley throbs from the jukebox as bobby-soxed waiters and waitresses improvise dance steps between servings. A young business crowd samples such unautomated Automat classics as fish cakes, macaroni and cheese, and chicken pot pie, all of which, alas, pale beside memories of the originals. The menu also includes diet-destroying desserts like the $12.95 "Kitchen Sink" sundae. Dine-O-Mat's gravy has the consistency of fudge sauce, but the mashed potatoes are good, and the trip back in time is sustaining.