Guy Fieri Diners Drive-Ins & Dives: Leavenworth’s 59er Diner

It was the classic New Jersey-style mirrored diner siding of the 59er Diner along Highway 2 that caught Guy Fieri’s attention.

I know this because I, like Guy Fieri, used to visit these well-loved diners. Diners where you can order breakfast, lunch, or dinner menu items well into the late night hours - 24 hours a day.

When The 59er Diner burned down in June of 2016, owner Joe Cannata immediately made t-shirts for his staff that read “Make Lemonade.”

For the 59er Diner's big comeback, Joe’s envisioned the classic mirror-sided, East Coast diner. “They built this diner in Georgia, in 6 pieces and drove it cross country.”

What was the one thing that caught Guy Fieri’s eye and taste buds?

The 59 Diner’s Mozzarella Sticks.

Food Network via YouTube

How do they prepare it?

The diner puts spices - sugar, garlic powder, oregano, paprika, dried mustard, lemon pepper, and black pepper - into the egg wash, along with a touch of milk. Each stick of mozzarella is cut precisely to 5/8th of an inch square, then dunked in flour, egg wash, and panko with a slight roll to keep the sticks round in shape.

The sticks are then left to set up for a couple of hours, before frying at 350 degrees. They're served with fresh marinara sauce.

Food Network via YouTube

Guy Fieri's reaction?

The fact that you can contain all the cheese - inside of this, without having the blowouts - is outstanding, cause that's one of the biggest challenges. You fry it just the right amount it - where the cheese is melted, not too oily and still have nice crunch. THATS A LEGIT CHEESE STICK.

High praise indeed.

Mozzarella sticks aren't all the diner has

A look at the 59er Diner menu will tell you there's a lot of delicious food to order, including two-napkin burgers, homemade meatloaf, blackberry cobbler, and an extensive selection of milkshakes.