Starling Diner’s Joan Samson keeps the city alive

PHOTO by SUSAN SABO
Even in between service, Starling Diner hums with energy. There’s music echoing across the dining room and laughter pouring out from behind the counter—it feels alive. And for owner Joan Samson, that’s exactly how she wants it.
Samson, after all, doesn’t view restaurants as just places [...]

You’ll Welcome the Quaint Charm of the Starling Diner

PHOTO by ROSHEILA ROBLES
For most people, I’d imagine, heading to one’s “happy place” involves multiple, spliced images of the tropical variety: piña coladas served inside coconut shells, a hammock tied between two palm trees, tanning without fear of UV rays and/or visible stretch marks. My happy place [...]