- Avoca Diner
- Off Rt. 17, West of Ithaca. At Bath get on 390N(going toward
Rochester) and it's right around the first exit or so.
Great Tile floor and good stainless. Grilled Rasberry toast is
great!(Though whether that last is a general statement or has specific
applicability, I cannot say, ed.) There is a caboose attached to the
diner at one end.
- Big M TruckStop
- Outside Albany, off exit 23 on the New York
Thruway. Charming little spot, across the street from the Miss
Glenmont Diner (yet to be reviewed), the matron let us take one of the
pages from the Chicks In Bikinis And Trucks calendar hanging on the
wall. This is a genuine truck stop, complete with a place to crash and
a video game room. Good for irony. Not so good for food. Good as a
high school senior. Under new management, thinks Josh.
- Brocton Diner (aka Green Arch Restaurant)
- 41 W. Main St., Brocton.
1/11/98: The Brocton Diner is located on US20 in Brocton, NY; thats
about 50 miles west of Buffalo. Locals have been frequenting this
establishment since 1931. The Diner through the years has gone
through some restoration, but the atmosphere is pure Diner, including
the original dining car, still visable, the curved ceiling, and the
front cooking area is still used to this day. The Name was changed to
the Green Arch Restaurant from the Brocton Diner in the early 70's,
most likely to improve business, but locals know it as the Brocton
Diner. The Diner seems to be very busy, it may be the homemade food
and desserts. In this part of NY Friday fish frys are served just
about everywhere and the Brocton Diner is known to have one of the
best, at dinner hour its standing room only, you get a huge peice of
deep fried fish choice of potato, cole slaw and bread, the price
$5.25. The owners today have been operating the diner for about 18
years, it truly is a family operation and the owners are a delight to
talk to. Cole Slaw: A-. -- Review by Brumagin's.
- Gran(d) Prix Diner
- Round Lake, NY Exit 11 off on the Northway (that's I-87). About
the name: everything inside (menus, waitress, etc.) says Gran Prix.
The sign out front says Grand Prix. The waitress I asked about it
said it was named for "some race", but when the new owners put up a
new outside sign they changed Gran to Grand since they didn't
understand French. Hmmm... The decor of this establishment of
indeterminate name' is reminiscent of a 70's den - complete with faux
wood panel walls and a smattering of bad horse racing memorabilia
(it's only about 15 minutes from Saratoga Race Track). There's a gift
shop overflowing with stuffed things and Christmas lights year-round
in the parking lot. The grilled cheese is great, but be sure to ask
for your burger done at least "medium-well" unless you want it to moo.
The Gran(d) Prix has often been described (at least by my friends) as
"cheap as shit", but if you're really pressed for cash, keep in mind
that there is always a lovely selection of jelly on the table, right
there for the taking. Stay away from the pickles ("those were ass")
and plan to wait a while if you order the strawberry shortcake - this
particular menu item tends to take about seven times as long to appear
as anything else. It's really deserted around 4 am and a terrific
place to stop after an evening of carousing in downtown Saratoga. If
you stop in, be sure to ask Betsy the waitress about her aunt with the
amputated leg (fascinating story) and keep in mind that, in the
immortal words of My Friend Doug, "This particular establishment wears
many hats."-Review by Jane
Calvin to whom I send my most heartfelt apologies for not printing
this sooner. My dog was deathly ill, and I had contracted gangrene,
and so on. The point is that the gang in Albany has done a fine job
here and all future submissions should only
aspire to be 1/2 this good. Love from Dave.
-
Highland Park Diner
- 960 Clinton Ave. S, Rochester.
One of only two remaining
Orleans diners. Roadsider explained this to me:"Orleans was a diner
builder in upstate New York who only built 4 diners. Of that 4, only the
HP exists in original condition, the
other extant Orleans was severely remodeled. The other two cannot be
accounted for." Apparently it is famous for its apple pie, though I can only
assume it is for positive reasons.
-
Moriches Bay Diner & Restaurant
- 62 Montauk Highway. Moriches. (516) 878-6827. Well folks, all there
is to say about the MBDR is that it made a believer out
of this Yankee. The food is plentiful, well done, and
CHEAP! I would recommend THE LUMBERJACK, if you are in
the mood for breakfast: 2 eggs, 4 pancakes (the best
anywhere), 3 pieces of bacon, a big piece of ham, and a
sausage for about $6. (Plus open heart surgery at no
extra cost., ed) Good deal. The service was very
helpful, while not crossing that oh-so-fine line to
annoying. I would highly recommend it. -- Review by Scott "coyote" Meninger
, a damn fine human being, and one of the most voracious carnivores
this side of the Rockies.
-
Pleasantville Colonial Diner
- Pleasantville, 10 Memorial Plaza. (Next to the Post Office).
Completely generic. Good for fries and gravy, or so I am told.
However, like many a good diner, the bastards put a minimum on to
discourage the youngins. Service is pretty good. Kind of Smokey (the
diner, I imagine, not the service). Oh, and it is decorated in the
non-cheesy motif.
-
Ramapo Forum Diner
- Exit 14B of 287, Suffern on 210 Route 59. Pink and white are two
colors which immediately jump to mind, though for Heitz, the more
sensitive of the two of us, the description "soft pastels" seemed more
appropriate. There is a bar, as well as a wide assortment of really
yummy looking pastries and cakes. The corn muffins are good, though
the cole slaw is excellent (A). There is extensive menu filled with
truly unremarkable items. The food, overall, was pretty good, but a
little on the pricy side for a diner, which prompted the question of
what a diner is exactly. I'll endeavor to answer that at some point,
but not now. It called itself a diner, and is open from 6-2 (24 hours
on weekends), so that suffices. One final note: The pickles are
terrible.
-
Round Tuit Restaurant
- Rt 22., Amenia. Four weeks on the road had grown thistles on my
tongue, but the Round Tuit plucked them out and rubbed the weariness
and tire treads off of my back as well. The eggs were fluffy, the
bacon greaseless, the milkshakes unimaginable and incommensurable. We
asked the owner-waiter-cook, a relaxed, funny, and pleasant man, why
the funny name. "I'd always wanted to own a restaurant," he
said. Confused, we prodded. "I thought it was about time I got round
to it," he said. Go in the late morning and sit in the back where the
sun comes in. (Amenia is near Poughkeepsie.) (First person references
refer to Josh Kamensky.)
- Skyliner Diner
- One Manhatten Square (Strong Museum), Rochester.
4/20/98: My family and I visited this diner (almost 2 hours from
home) for two reasons. I love diners and, the main reason, because
this diner was originally called the Mountain Top Diner and was
located a few minutes north of Williamsport, Pennsylvania (where I
currently live).
I must first say that I was impressed with the restoration of this
1956 Fodero Diner. You see, in 1992, due to the new construction of
Route 15 in Pennsylvania, the owners auctioned this wonderful place
off. In November of 1997, the Strong Museum of Rochester, NY opened
the diner under the new name. However, with all my sentimentality
aside, like trying to "go home again" I was let down. Don't get me
wrong, the food was great. The service is what left a lot to be
desired.
When we arrived, we were seated promptly, our orders taken and then
sat for almost an hour before being served, with little if any
explaination from our server. She told us that they were very busy.
We sat and watched while three other groups came (after us), were
served and left and our food still hadn't arrived. When she finally
served our food, we never saw her again. At the end of our meal
(finally) the manager explained that it was our server's first day
alone and he apologized. I bit my tongue and moved onto the gift
shop, where I was shot down again. Apparently, the museum was
remodeling their gift shop and had moved some of the contents into
the lobby area and the rest was put into storage until the remodeling
was complete. So, other than a few t-shirts, none of the diner
memorabilia was on display for sale. Not even a coffee mug! I must
say that although I did get some great pictures of the diner, the
trip itself wa s a big let down. In retrospect, I should have looked
up the Highland Park Diner!
As a final note, I would like to say that I am planning (never say
die!) yet another trip north to the Skyliner sometime later this year to give
them a second c hance. I'll let you know...-- Review by Rosie
- State Street Diner
- West State Street. Ithaca. Pretty good food. Open 24-7, and all
that, and according to Ryu, has extraordinary coffee. No jukebox,
however, which in my mind, is a big minus. They do have perhaps the
coolest seats that I have ever seen.
- Blue Bird Diner
- 4914 Glenwood Road, Brooklyn
11/24/98: Back to the old neighborhood. This Diner has been
here since 1950 an old stainless steel goodie. Still open 24
hours. Home made French Fries and home made Hambergers plus the full
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner menu. At the triangle of Utica Avenue,
Kings Highway and Glenwood Road. A Great Survivor over the
years. -- Review by Anthony and Shelly
Psaris
- Cafe Viand
- 86th and 2nd. Open 24 hours (of course). Many a drunken evening
has ended here for young Upper East Side residents. The menu is large
and complete. The service can be hurried during heavy hours, such as
Sunday lunch, but is quite friendly and cordial at more reasonable
hours such as 3:30 Saturday morning. All waitstaff appear in dapper
black vests. Southerners should beware not to talk too slowly,
because the waiters literally cannot understand slow speech. Every
dish is good and plentiful, and the water is definitely cold (for
drinkers out there). Coffee is standard fare, though specialty
coffees, such as Cafe Ole, draw "yummy"'s from recipients. The onion
rings are sure to please, but can cause bleeding from the palette if
not eaten carefully (according to Tina). The Italian dishes are nice,
if monumental in helping, with nice garlic bread on the side. The
omelettes suffer an occasional switch from American cheese to
Velveeta, so wary customers might inquire; although doing so would
probably cause ejection. The grilled cheese is worth a try, also.
Most sandwiches qualify as tasty, but the burger is a sure winner.
The decor is plainish, but it works, because two whole walls are
picture-windows, which open a view onto the colorful New York street
corner. With some experience on the part of the customer, it's an A-
place, but always B+. The most memorable feature may be the way-cool
pink and green neon sign.- Review by Wesley Colley (with helpful
comments from Tina, Greer and Stevie)
- Cosmic Coffee Shop
- 58th and Broadway My friend Ashley and I were en route between a taping of
Good Morning America and her hotel. She is Travis Tritt's publicist, and
Travis had just played on the show, so we were hanging around, looking
important. Anyway, despite having some of Julia Childs' 85th birthday cake, we
were hungry, so we stopped at the Cosmic Coffee Shop, which is very visible at
the corner of 58th and Broadway, just off Columbus Circle. The decor is
pleasant and inviting, with red and yellow neon highlights inside, and your
basic diner feel otherwise. There is a host of autographed pictures of film
stars on the walls, and some plants. We were seated quickly by a huffing
waiter, who was nice, but his huffing and general running around all the time
made us feel rushed, even though he was very patient when standing still.
When I arrived at the table, I noted that my vinyl seat had a patch, with
electrical tape, notable mainly because I was wearing shorts. When the panting
man with the mustache returned, we both ordered the number three, but I got
bacon, not sausage, like Ashley, and was I ever glad, because the bacon was
exquisite, and bacon doesn't often become exquisite. It was lean, salty with
just a hint of black pepper, very yummy. My scrambled eggs were not quite
done, but became so within a couple of minutes. The eggs were unremarkable,
but eggs is eggs, if ya know what I mean. The hash browns were the chunky
kind, not the shredded kind, which I prefer, but were passable. They were
probably the weakest part of the meal. The orange juice was very good, as was
the tea (I elected tea over coffee). The tea was actually surprisingly good,
but the bag had no brand, so I couldn't tell what kind it was. Ashley reported
that the Coke was cold and refreshing, and went as far to say that the sausage
links were pretty good (not exquisite, like my bacon). We both had plain white
toast, which was perhaps lighter than normal, but that's the way I like it. I
was unable to ascertain the diner's "Cosmic" nature, but had a nice diner
experience, which could be improved most directly having the help run some
conditioning drills. -- Review by Wes
"Iron Man" Colley
Ashley responds: I don't recall the Coke
being "cold and refreshing." And the sausage was less than satisfactory, it
had cooked way too long.
- Sage Diner
- 80-30 Queens Blvd, Queens.
1/3/98: I happened to swing by this place with Rebecca Bernstein
(not to be confused with Rebecca Firestone, our fun-loving Thai
correspondent) one late Sunday evening after hanging out at Vanessa's
place in Queens and subsequently proceeding to get lost. Though we
only sampled a few of the items, I think I can say with perfect
honesty that we got a feel for the place.
Whether it was the intimidating fellow stroking his violin-case at
the counter, the large, packed pastry case full of goodies, or the
jukeboxes at the table, the Sage has a genuine diner feel. The menu
was spacious (about 4 doubles sided pages written in diner font), and
the prices, while not outstanding, were perfectly fine by New York
standards. It was open 24 hours, and in the wee hours of the morning
(well, not that wee, but I'm not as young as I used to be),
the place is packed with the typical diner-going types.
Rebecca stuck with the fries, which she seemed to enjoy, but for some
reason, she was somewhat nervous about her use of ketchup. I assured
her that everyone did it, but that seemed to do little to assuage her
fears. I got an iced tea (rank, but I wasn't charged for it), a
grilled cheese sandwich (tasty, but with no tomato soup option on the
menu, somehow lonely), and rice pudding -- grainlicious! The service
was non-intrusive, if slow, and the atmosphere was relaxed. Not a
must-visit, but a pleasant diner-rompage all around.
- Tick Tock Diner
- 34th St and 8th Ave
1/23/98: Scott and I stopped by this place on one miserably rainy
Friday, and it turned out to be the best decision that we made all
day, if only by default. Basically, this place is not so much a
diner as a diner-themed restaurant. Sure, there is chrome
throughout, and it is open 24 hours, but there are no jukeboxes at
the tables, the rotating pastry case is virtually barren, and the
prices are far above what one would hope for in a true diner.
I ordered the Chicken Mexicana, which was good, but apparently,
whoever is in charge of putting jalapeno peppers in things is a bit
out of control. The fries were good, and the cole slaw was tasty, if
a bit on the wet side, and moreover, was decidedly lacking in carrots
(I gave it a B). Scott got the pork chops. He was disappointed in
that they weren't breaded or anything, and was concerned that they
actually had to ask him if he wanted applesauce.
All in all, not exactly a reason for heading into the big apple.
- Tom's Diner
- 112th St and Broadway. This is the place which was immortalized
first by the song by Suzanne Vega and later by its use on "Seinfeld"
(just the outside, however). Maggie had eschewed going to Tom's for
some time, citing ornery service, non 24 hour status (24 hours
Thurs-Sat, open 'till 1:30 the rest of the week), preferring instead
to go to the college inn, which was open 24 hours, and which,
moreover, was far friendlier. It was less crowded, and had better
coffee. It was closed down by Columbia because they're building a
bank on that site.
The decor in Tom's is everything you could hope for in a diner. There
are speckled tiles as far as the eye can see, a counter, a giant
mirror on the opposing wall. Looking through the menu, the prices
weren't bad, especially by New York standards. One might hope that
the menu (which was fairly lengthy) would be loaded up with pastries
and desserts of all stripe. Instead, there were a couple of pies, a
cake or two, and that was about it. So, I opted for a corn muffin
(good, if pre-packaged), and some iced tea (tasty, and not the least
bit spoilt). The service was okay, though I think it was the owner
who waited on us; they're Greek, by the way, for those of you who keep
track of these things. I also ordered some cole slaw, and while the
portions were enormous, it seems a waste of raw material, as I think
I'm being generous in giving it a 'C'.
All in all, it's a beautiful piece of diner architecture, but it's not
filled with the tasty sort of things that one might hope for. I would
recommend going there exactly once, though perhaps I was unlucky.