Baseball season has begun, which means every weekend between now and (optimistically) October, fans will be driving up to Boston to watch the Red Sox. For those of us who love to eat, Fenway Franks and the sausages for sale outside the park are part of the pleasure of catching a game on a sunny weekend afternoon. If you'd like to add an amazing breakfast to your itinerary, let me suggest a pit stop about halfway up I-95.

The Modern Diner in Pawtucket, R.I., is an easy-off, easy-on from Exit 27. If you time it right, you can treat yourself to an unforgettable, mouthwatering breakfast that's remarkably cheap and so ridiculously filling that you won't have to eat again until long after Papelbon closes in the top of the ninth.

Look this Thursday in the Day & Night section of The Day, or in the online edition, for my full review of the diner. The place is famous for its giant portions and dozens of legendary weekend specials, including M&M pancakes, chorizo omelets, and lobster Benedict. If you get there before 8:30, you'll beat the church crowd and be on the road again with plenty of time to make batting practice.

A national historic landmark, the Modern Diner operates inside a 70-year-old Sterling Streamliner at 364 East Avenue, just past the sign that welcomes visitors to Pawtucket's Oak Hill, down the road from Providence's East Side. It's the same neighborhood where you'll find McCoy Stadium, so it would make a good stop before a Paw Sox game too. My only complaint about the diner is that I often leave there with an overwhelming desire to sleep because of the gargantuan portions I've eaten, so use moderation to avoid slipping into a food coma before the bottom of the third. If you eat there, come back and post a comment to tell us what you ordered.

They welcome Yankees fans too, judging by the obnoxious pink Yankees T-shirt one waitress was wearing. She must pour a mean cup of coffee to get away with that.

* * *

Has anyone tried Kentucky Fried Chicken's new Double Down sandwich? Instead of a bun, it uses two boneless pieces of Original Recipe fried chicken with strips of bacon, Monterrey and pepperjack cheese, and a special sauce in between. It sounds excellent—worth the 540 calories and 32 grams of fat, at least once. I admire KFC for thumbing its nose at the PC food police with this Atkins-friendly behemoth.

* * *

The New London Rotary will host its annual Springfest & Chili Cook-off on Friday, May 21, at Ocean Beach Park. Restaurants and other companies can still sign up to compete for cash prizes. The event runs from 6 to 9 p.m.

Entrants must provide at least 15 gallons of chili. They may serve their own chili that night or Rotary volunteers will serve it for them. The event has drawn nearly 1,000 people before. The Rotary also hosts a chowder cook-off in October.

After tasting, the crowds will vote for their favorite chili. This year's chili champions will win $500 from the Rotary, McCue Mortgage, and Siegel, O'Connor, O'Donnell & Beck, P.C. Awards are $300 for second place and $200 for third.

Anyone interested in entering should contact Meredith Diette at mdiette@siegeloconnor.com">mdiette@siegeloconnor.com as soon as possible for more information.

* * *

Congratulations to the winners of The Farmer's Cow ice-cream-naming contest. The eastern Connecticut dairy co-op has chosen 10 winners of a free summer's supply of ice cream for naming the flavors of the ice cream line that it will begin selling around Memorial Day.

The Farmer's Cow did not choose any of the names I entered, which means the names are still available, Ben & Jerry's, if you're interested (for a small fee).

The winning entries are "Hay! Hay! Hay! Vanilla" from Tracy Shortell of Wallingford; "Cow Barn Chocolate" from Sebastian Tonewo of Franklin; "Farm Stand Cherry Vanilla" from Karen Provoncha of Storrs; "Summer Meadow Strawberry" from Kip Kolesinskas of Manchester; "Up Early Coffee" from Jim Orffitelli of Manchester; "Heifer Nutter Peanut Butter Cup" from Sam Hinckley of Windsor; "Fields of Mint Chocolate Chip" from Jennifer Gaskins of Newtown; "Milking Time Cookies & Cream" from Marc Sanchez of Manchester; "Black Raspberry Moo Chocolate Chip" from Barbara Hambach of Broad Brook; and "Muddy Boots Chocolate Chocolate Chip" from Zak Nadeau of Moosup.

Congratulations. Let me know if you need help finishing any of your free ice cream.