There’s Something About Diners
Thursday, May 1st, 2008I really dig the Food Network show Diners, Drives-Ins and Dives. It’s a show you need to watch on a full stomach; otherwise you’ll find yourself in your car on a diner quest like Harold and Kumar searching for a White Castle. The appeal of the show is simple- diner food is darn good and fun to look at.
When you’re in college, diners are one of the few places where you can afford to eat. In your 20s they’re the perfect antidote to a late night out and a few too many drinks. Now that I’m in my 30s, I love their dependability- no muss, no fuss- just quick, hearty, comfort food. There’s also a certain kitschy charm: oversized menus that look like 10 Commandments tablets and list every dish known to man, spinning glass cases full of gooey pies and cakes, placemats with local ads and word jumbles, harsh fluorescent lighting and cheerfully tacky time-warp decor that resembles grandma’s house in Boca. Diners don’t seem to ever change, and we don’t want them to. The weird thing about them is they’re not really making anything you couldn’t cook at home, yet for some reason, food tastes TEN times better at a diner. Give me a choice between my eggs and hash browns or a diner’s eggs and hash browns, and I’ll go with the latter every time.
I have two criteria for a good diner- A) It must be open 24 hours, and B) It must make a good Reuben. The 24 hour rule isn’t quite as important to me now that I’m out of my 20s, but please don’t disappoint me on the Reuben. Which brings me to City Limits Diner in White Plains; people seem to rave about it, but I think it’s way overrated. Since it considers itself a bit more “upscale”, the prices are higher than at a regular diner. It also breaks the 24 hour rule- the last time I was there it was near closing time and the staff were cleaning the floor around our table, leaving us to enjoy the smell of ammonia with our meal. But the worst offense of all- a terrible Reuben. Gristly and flavorless, served with a bad pickle, watery cole slaw and flabby, pale french fries. Maybe the cooks were itching to get home or they’d run out of fresh ingredients, but I wasn’t impressed. I won’t be back. I’ve fared much better recently at some other local diners- Westchester Diner in Peekskill, El Dorado in Tarrytown and Nautilus in Larchmont. Nothing fancy, just good prices and consistent food. You can’t beat it.
What’s your favorite Westchester diner?