This Week's Counter: The Shore Restaurant

We tried to go to the Shore back in August, and the day we drove out to Lakewood it was closed -- a sign on the door said the owners were away on vacation. This time, on  Friday morning when Cam didn't have school, we had better luck.  The Shore is just barely in Lakewood, on Detroit Ave a few blocks West of W. 117th. It's a small place in a row of stores, maybe 5 or 6 tables and 10 seats at the counter.

It was pretty quiet, in between peak breakfast and lunch times, and the entire counter was empty.  The young guy working the counter was really friendly -- welcoming us and quickly bringing drinks. They have a pretty diverse menu for breakfast and lunch, lots of choices.  Cam decided bacon grilled cheese and fries, while Ted went with the old standby of eggs, potatoes and toast. Service was very fast and quality of food was pretty good.

Afterward, we realized this was our 70th counter!  It was a decent one on which to hit that milestone -- not a standout, but solid in terms of food, service and value.  A great please to try if you're out on the West side.

Cam says: "Great service with a small and comfortable atmosphere and good food. I give it 7 frying pans."

Ted says: "Liked the atmosphere of this place -- friendly, comfortable and not too busy.  Food was OK, not great, but service was excellent.  6 pans for me."

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This Week's Counter: The Red Chimney

We saw a Facebook post from some friends who were eating at a place we had never heard of in Slavic Village -- The Red Chimney.  Fortunately, they included a picture that seemed to show it had a counter.  A little bit of further research validated this, and so we dropped in on Saturday.

This place is in a very old building in a very old part of town -- a little bit beat up and rough on the outside, but very comfortable and welcoming.  Their counter is pretty big -- maybe 15 or so seats -- and so we had not trouble finding a spot.  The waitresses were very friendly, calling everyone "Hon" and "Sweetie".

After getting drinks (coffee was good, but Cam's grape juice wasn't), we made some choices from the large menu.  Ted had his usual but with turkey sausage -- very good and this is one of the few places that can correctly make well-done potatoes.  Cam had chicken and fries -- a large plate that he easily finished.

We disagreed a bit on quality of the food and atmosphere, but was worth the trip. Maybe not the best place in terms of location, but not bad and pretty good value for the money.

 

Cam says: "Good food quality with a comfortable counter.  Both service and cleanliness were below average. I give this counter 5 frying pans."

Ted says: "Nice large counter, good menu selections and very good quality of food -- one of the few places that can do the potatoes right. I would go back -- it's worth a solid 7 frying pans."

This Week's Counter: Steve's Family Restaurant

Steve's is in Old Brooklyn, just South of downtown. We weren't sure what to expect as we drove up, as the neighborhood looked a little sketchy -- some boarded-up houses, run down storefronts, etc.  But the fact that we couldn't find a place to park on the street in front or anywhere around the block should have been a clearly positive sign -- the place was really busy with large groups and families.

Steve's seems to be in parts of an old house -- weird jumble of doors and stairs and multiple rooms give it a really interesting atmosphere. The tiny counter (only 3 seats) was empty, so we quickly grabbed a spot.  All the women working there were extremely welcoming and friendly -- we had menus and drinks quickly.  

Really extensive menu for breakfast (and lunch), with all different kinds of pancakes and waffles, omelets, skillets and combinations of all the above. Cam had a waffle and a side of bacon.  Ted varied from his usual a bit had a eggs, chopped steak (sort of a cross between a burger and a minute steak, for those who remember what that is!), potatoes and toast. The food took awhile to come out, but it was well worth the wait -- big portions and cooked really nicely.  The potatoes could have been a little more crisp, but overall great!

We'd for sure go back -- strongly recommend it.  Don't be put off by the location.  It's worth going, and try to get there early, as it's really popular!

    

Cam says: "Food was fair, service was great. Strange atmosphere but an overall good experience. I'll give it 7 frying pans."

Ted says: "Really good!  Great selections, interesting place, very friendly.  And the food was excellent!  One of my favorites so far -- 9 frying pans!"