Anything Despised by The NYT/NPR Set is Worthy of Re-Appraisal

Mainly because, as the 21st century unfolds, their values are being revealed as empty.  The antidote, of course, is "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives":

Most spots getting the DDD treatment have Mariana-Trench depth. They’ve been part of their communities’ fabrics for decades. Patrons revere them, and, with their children in tow, often tell stories of their own childhood experiences at these places. They are the culinary components of civil society. Somewhere, Alexis de Tocqueville is smilingly ordering a potpie.

I've probably horked half a dozen recipes from this show and, unlike the New York Times and National Public Radio, they never disappoint.