Let's talk diners...
 

...and diner food.

What is Your favorite diner food? What is your favorite diner? What about things that most diner screw up, but some do beautifully? And, while we're at it, any generic diner conversation, stories, or history.

Oh...if you don't like meat, or fatty food, or fun, or grease, or breakfast, or spending money on food, or fun, then please...screw off instead of telling us how meat will kill us, or how you haven't eaten in a diner in 42 years because you're better than us.


As an example, I'll start.
I don't expect diners to have these two things on the menu, but if they do have the nerve to put them on, I expect top quality.
Eggs Benedict, and patty melts.

Both are simple in design but complex in execution. Control of heat, of timing, of seasoning, or color and smell and favor. Both require ingredients that are not part of the "every single diner needs this" list. Bad chefs will claim both and ruin both, moderate chefs will not bother, but top notch diner chefs will put them on a plate with pride. I love them when they're good, and hate them the rest of the time.



Second, we came across a surprise diner a few weeks ago and they deserve recognition. Driving out of Chicago, my wife and I were cranky and fighting, tired and sunburn and hungry. Out of hangry rage, I pulled over to the nearest coffee shop, which I saw on the corner while stopped at a red light.

As we walked up to it, we saw that it wasn't a tiny coffee shop, it was actually a tiny diner!
As we walked inside, we saw that it wasn't a tiny diner, it was a REALLY tiny diner, with only seats at the counter and 2 open seats.

Then, looking at the menu, we saw that it wasn't just a REALLY tiny diner, with only seats at the counter and 2 open seats, but a REALLY tiny diner, with only seats at the counter and 2 open seats AND a wicked little menu!

House made breakfast sausage! House made chorizo! Espresso machine! We ate like kings, and the trip was saved.

http://edgebrookcoffeeshop.com/
North suburbs, Devon and Central.

I haven't been in a diner in 39 years, the food will kill ya, and I'm not as good as you :). When you say diner, my brain pictures those that were actually rail road cars and converted decades ago.... I visited one just a few months ago that's older than I am and I remember going to in the mid-60s.... it's been enlarged and I'm not sure if any of it is still the same RR car, but the vibe is the same.

The open 24 hrs, "greasy spoons" were an after show ritual for many years .... sometimes a steak & cheese or burger & fries, sometimes a big azz breakfast ... the few we frequented were always packed at 3 am too!

If I still did that 3-4 nights per week, I'd be dead fo' sure .... but I love 'em.

No eggs benedict on the menu :D

The original Rosies Diner is just a few miles from me. They had to close it down a few years back.
Lack of business.
https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2...pjpg&auto=webp

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lbBtq1RXiqc" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

There is a diner in town that I go to once a year for my B-Day: the best biscuits and sausage gravy I have ever had.

In South Carolina, there is a place that I get grits and cheese. Incredible.

Chicken fried steak, hash browns, coffee. That’s a meal you can’t get anywhere but a ‘Murican diner. I think I’ll go find one!

In house made hash.

Chopped whatever you have slowly cooked in the griddle and then a flash caramelization so it gets crusty. Top it with runny fried eggs.

Extra napkins please and hot sauce (cholula around here)

Y'all are killin' me here :)...

Anyone familiar with the Mahwah Diner up in NJ? Been there so many times I lost count....

Breakfast every morning .... but at a reasonable hour :D

My wife's go/no go is a tuna melt. We've driven across town to a diner she's heard has a good one. Only to be disappointed.

I eat at the Boomerrang diner every couple of months.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1669123042.jpg

Some of my old frat brothers and I still meet around Christmas time at our favorite diner that we started going to in the late 80's in Toledo called Ideal HotDog. They are known for excellent chili mac and breakfast. Those two items are the same as they were back in the 80's. Surprisingly our favorite ageless waitress still works there (and basically still looks the same and we still have a fun banter with her once a year at our annual meetup).

Here is the menu, but we never need it. Always order the same things... Either bacon omelette with onions, home fried potatoes and white toast.... Or Chili mac with beans onions and cheese. Mmmmm

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1669124469.png

History.

My Grandfather was a VP for the Toddle House until he died in 1962. He worked for Fred Smith, whose son later founded FedEx. Another VP (3, one for each region), was Joe Rogers Sr., founder of the Waffle House. My Grandfather and his brother started the Pitt Grill in Louisiana, my uncle grew it to over 180 locations in the south.

Toddle House became Dobbs House in 1962.

My dad was a short order cook while in college. I've had my share of diner meals at home. I'll be making the pecan pie for TG, which was the recipe used at one, if not all of the aforementioned diners.

Maybe now the building is your favorite diner? https://dinerhunter.com/toddle-house-locations/

Breakfast is my fav at a diner. Either an omelet or my go to which is a short stack, two over easy and a side of bacon.

I rarely eat at diners. If I do eat at a diner, then I usually have breakfast. I like diners and breakfast is great any time of day.

If I had to pick a favorite that I can think of right now, I think this would be it. It's cash only and been in Houston for a long time. It was on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. I don't think that changed the place. It's a family run place and is on it's 3rd generation. The last time I was there, the second generation was still working there.
https://midtown.lankfordsburgers.com/houston-lankford-s-midtown-about-us

If it's breakfast, chicken fried steak, corned beef hash or biscuits and gravy. Those three are the "hit or miss" in my book. Ive had biscuits and gravy where it seemed like they just mixed flour with water for the gravy and added a dash of pepper.

I make my gravy with sausage, roux and sage/poultry seasoning. Only way to go. If they can compare, it passes the test.

Patty melt for lunch. Cooked medium, on rye with the onions caramelized. And sometimes they look at me cross eyed if I ask for mustard. I always thought that was normal on a PM but for some reason it's not used much here in Latino centric SoCal.

The Edgebrook coffee shop is a very nice diner.

IMO, breakfast is the best bargain in the USA. There are several in the Chicagoland area. Mike stumbled on a good one.

My all time favorite is Plaza Cafe in Santa Fe NM

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1669132224.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1669132224.jpg

Great topic! I love old-school diners. I am always seeking those out on any road trip. Not those kitch type places either, but real ones, like the Woolworth diner in Bakersfield, CA, or Momma K's Cafe on a real dairy farm in Visalia, Country Kitchen in Big Pine (now shut, boo), the Cracked Egg in Kernville, or Soups & Such Cafe in Julian, CA.

One of my measures for a great diner is a real bone-in hamsteak served with breakfast, and hash browns that aren't squares.

Properly made huevos rancheros is another standard measure, at least in southern California.

House of waffles guy myself - though I've never been stoned/weeded, I promise... ;)

Hashbrowns and a coffee and I've more than once been on my day out of ABQ.

Damn, now after 25y in the SF metroplex (!?) I've never been there. I guess it's on the list now!

I'm more of an El Parasol kind of guy, doing burritos and such on the "not rich and famous" part of town...

Hash browns are cubed, shredded potatoes are just shredded potatoes. ;)

In college, we had Merry Ann's, which is still around.
Merry-Ann's Diner – Open 24 Hours!

Problem was that it was a mile off campus, so it took some great effort to drag your hungover self out in the morning for breakfast, walking 15-20 minutes in whatever cold snowy weather we had.

Going there after drinking always seemed easier, the cold snowy walk never bothered us at 1am while lit up...

Later I lived on the East side of campus and we would wander over to the Elite Diner, which was one of those classic stainless steel art deco diners and made the best ever fluffy pancakes. I mean, they literally melted in yo mouth.

Miri's Dad: Whatever happened to...the Elite Diner?

There used to be this place in Charlottesville VA called The Tavern. Total breakfast only place that was only open until early afternoon. You could literally scrape the tar, nicotine, and grease off the walls. Unfortunately it closed a few years ago. Loss of a great institution.

A jersey classic

https://www.ticktockdiner.com/

my local which used to be small and cozy but has since gotten bigger and brighter and more expensive:(

https://www.betsyrossdiner.com/

Potato cubes are country potatoes.... And cola is pop, and pop is soda... And tomato is tomato :-)

then I prefer shredded potatos. cubed are good, but...

LOL! Good call!

The worst are 'dinner or steak fries'
Thick and mealy.

"shoestring" when well done are the best, but I've had some good big fries and even "wedges".

Whenever I order a hamburger in a B&G...if it comes with fries, I ask for the fries 'well fried'

Sometimes it works and they arrive great. Other times, the cook ignores the request.:)

And we're off!!!

:cool:

Two places I used to go to that still stand out. I lived in Coronado and we'd head down the strand to IP to Jalisco's Cafe for breakfast on Sunday's then surf (I kayaked) back up to Coronado. I checked and it is a little more upscale than in 1985:)

There was a waitress there in the day that was probably mid to late 30's, blond and a complete hammer; a brick house - and as acerbic and funny as could be. We all loved her. She tolerated us.

The other place was, I think the named has changed, My Jewish Mother in Virginia Beach.

I was stashed at an A-6 Squadron at Oceana and it was kayak the surf and then eat...1983. Wow.

I will say once more for the record, grits prepared the right way with sharp cheddar cheese sprinkled on top will make a grown man cry...fry then up together just a little bit and it is a food sermon.

Here are the rulez:

Hash browns are shredded .... you can get 'em nekkid or "smothered & covered" but cubed ain't happening. Don't believe me.... go to a Waffle House and argue with Flo ;).

Grits - Only a CA boy, corrupted "South of the Border" would put cheese on 'em .... and if ya do they'd better have shrimp in there too :).

Diner grits come swimmin' in butter, and then you cover 'em with black pepper and and equal amount of salt. And I'm not a big salter, but it belongs on grits and watermelon ... Or you "ain't from around here"!

There is no such thing as soda or pop .... they are all Coke .... even Pepsi!

Iced tea does contain sugar and not one bit of alcohol....

I may be back wif more rulez later, but that's a start :)....

In diners I always have what we call all day breakfast. And that's bacon and eggs with hash browns, sausage tomatoe, and more and more. You know, all those things that are good for you.

Bless your heart:D

Love this thread.

I had a talk with my dad this morning about the subject. Here's the skinny on shredded potatoes and hash browns.

Joe Rogers Sr., a former VP of the Toddle House, and founder of the Waffle House, brought over many of the Toddle House menu items, but hash browns was not one of them. WH decided to brown shredded potatoes. There you go.;)

Interestingly enough, through my conversation this morning, I now know how to make real hash browns from scratch.

If you go to youtube, there are dozens of 'the best hash browns'
Almost all of them involve too many steps for me.
I like these....
http://images.salsify.com/image/uplo...rk09hreu8y.png

That’s my favorite breakfast! We’ve got a great diner about 20 miles away that has the best chicken fried steak and pancakes as big as pizzas. Wifey and I always share because it’s just too much food.

If you can get chips and/or fries that have started to turn a darker brown (maillard) you get more flavor (and often more crunch).

I remember years ago, someone tried to come out with chips that were darker. Somehow it just wasn't the same as when you get a darker brown chip in a regular bag of fries.

^^^ lightly fried, limp fries are terrible. imo
I like them crunchy and brown....which are impossible to get in steak fries.

And also, ketchup doesn't work...must be mayo.

crunchy is the preferred. soggy/limp is bad (that's what she said).

ketchup, ranch, chipotle-mayo, miracle whip, mustard - all good.

Plain mayo, not my thing (ever, on anything).