Celebrating our 25th counter!!! And this one turned out to be the best we've visited. We learned about the Diner on 55th by accident, when we drove past St. Clair & 55th after breakfast at Slyman's earlier in the year. This place looks like a classic diner -- lots of chrome inside and out.
It was pretty crowded, being late morning on Saturday, but the counter was almost empty. Service was fast, attentive and very friendly from beginning to end. A guy who we presumed to be the owner walked around chatting with everyone and offered to take our picture. The counter was spacious and open to the kitchen where two cooks were working. All around a really nice, classic diner atmosphere.
The food was also outstanding. Cam did chicken and fries, which he felt were excellent. Ted had his usual breakfast and everything was cooked perfectly -- potatoes crisp, toast not overly buttered, eggs soft. Only drawback on the meal was that the coffee was just average at best -- definite room for improvement.
We highly recommend going here -- great counter, and service, food, atmosphere all excellent. Perfect counter for our 25th.
Cam says: "Delicious crispy chicken with fries to match. Service just as good as the food. Props for cleanliness too. I give this counter a perfect 10 frying pans."
With very limited time, we opted for an easy spot near home -- the Bob Evans in Beachwood. We have a list of other non-chain counters we need to visit, but this one was conveniently close and we knew it had a large counter.
We expected a long wait given it was Saturday late morning, but fortunately got seats at the counter after only a few minutes. Service was friendly enough, but not all that attentive or special.
From the large menu, Cam chose chicken and fries -- he proclaimed it to be excellent, and it certainly was a large portion. Ted has his usual -- eggs, potatoes, toast, bacon and coffee. Overall, the breakfast was pretty average -- just kind of plain, and a little bit on the greasy side.
The place is loud and busy, just not very relaxing. But for the price, it's OK. Not worthy of a recommendation -- more a mention as a "by the way, if you don't have time for anything better".
Cam says: "Delicious fries and tasty chicken. Service was fair but the atmosphere seemed to be astray. I give this one 5 frying pans."
Today we ventured downtown to the old Colonial Arcade to visit a little-known counter called PJ's Luncheonette. This place is tucked inside a small space in the middle of the arcade and is very old-school. A bunch of simple tables and a small counter directly facing the grill where you can see the short-order cook preparing the food.
Being a Saturday, there were some people around but it wasn't too crowded -- we got a couple seats at the counter right away. The menu is simple -- nothing elaborate here, just classic diner breakfast food. Cam chose French toast and bacon, and Ted had his standard (eggs, potatoes, bacon and toast). Everything was good -- not outstanding, but solid. The bacon was good enough that Cam had to add a second order. And you can't beat this place on price -- full breakfast for two for $12!
It was also fun walking around the arcade afterward -- a bunch of interesting stores in there for browsing. We'd recommend a visit to PJs if you need a simple place for breakfast downtown. Classic greasy-spoon diner in an interesting location.
[Note: With this blog entry, we are revising our rating system to allow a little more detail and differentiation among counters. It's now 1-10 frying pans!]
Cam says: "Cramped counter, but with great service, delicious bacon and tasty French toast. I give this counter 7 pans."
Sunday morning we visited a counter we found on the Web -- the Rise & Dine Cafe in Chesterland. We've driven by the intersection of 422 & 306 many times and never noticed this place, tucked away in a shopping plaza. But apparently it's very popular in the area -- very crowded when we got there mid-morning, clearly lots of folks who were regulars.
Fortunately we scored two seats at the counter right away. It was pretty jammed, not a lot of space to read the paper. But that's the nature of this place -- lots of tables jammed close together as well. Service was OK -- pretty prompt and fairly friendly.
As often happens, despite it being early in the day, Cam chose chicken and fries -- it looked excellent and he confirmed it was. Ted had his usual benchmark breakfast -- eggs, potatoes, toast & coffee. All was good and the potatoes were nicely crispy as requested, a solid meal all around.
If you are feeling REALLY hungry, try the Wolverine Challenge -- a 14-egg omelet with bacon, sausage, peppers and potatoes. If you finish it in 30 minutes or less, it's free and you get your photo on the wall of fame!
Cam says: "Great food and service, although the counter was a little cramped. Liked the atmosphere, I give this one 4 frying pans."
