Tag: diner

Nicki’s Omelette & Grill

~ thecookiefilesblog ~ Leave a comment

Here we are, with another diner review!

This time, we went to Nicki’s Omelette and Grill, located in Tampa.

Turkey Melt:
The melt was good, but since we are cheese lovers, we think it could have had a bit more cheese in it.
It came with hash browns on the side because the diner was out of fries. The hash browns were a bit too soft for our taste—almost like mashed potatoes in the middle—but they were buttery and tasted good.

Classic Benedict (with home fries)
It was really good. The sauce tasted like it was made from scratch, and the eggs were poached perfectly. The home fries were also good. Pan-fried style.

Pancake:
We also ordered a pancake, but our stomachs couldn’t wait for the picture.
It was nice and fluffy.

Welcoming/cozy environment, very reasonably priced, and great service. 9/10

Mom’s Place

~ thecookiefilesblog ~ Leave a comment

Our quest for original diners took us this time to Mom’s Place, located in Tampa. A very highly rated, popular place on Google Reviews.

French toast: This was below average. There wasn’t anything unique about it, and it could have been made at home fairly easily. For the price, we would have expected at least two triangles.

Home fries: Kinda smashed and didn’t look like home fries at all. They tasted alright, but it wasn’t what we wanted.

Chopped sirloin: We were expecting something more in the line of tips or very small pieces, but not a hamburger steak. We might have been in the wrong for this one. It tasted okay, but again, it was not what we were expecting, especially for the price.

Hashbrown: It wasn’t terrible, but there was something off about it.

We would have told you guys about the pancakes that should have come with it… But they never came.
And yes, we only realized that way too late.

The total was too much for what we got, the service was rushed, and on top of that, they didn’t give us enough napkins.
That being said, all the hype about this place is nonsense.

4/10 – Mom would be disappointed

Starlite Diner

~ thecookiefilesblog ~ Leave a comment

Continuing our quest to find the few remaining American diners, we went to Starlite Diner in Daytona Beach. 

The place looks exactly like those ‘lunch cars’ from the 50s. Well, at least we think it does — we were not born yet back then. The point is: it looks good from the inside and outside, and it does have the right vibe. 

We ordered a Reuben, Nearly Famous O’Rings (their onion rings), and a Country Fried Steak.

Mr. Reuben: Pretty good. Not the best we’ve ever had, but good nonetheless. The sauerkraut was okay, and the corned beef was fresh. The fries that came with it were average.
Nearly Famous O’Rings: Good, battered.
(There’s only so much we can say about this one, right?)
Country Fried Steak: Didn’t expect to receive a schnitzel instead of a steak. Considering that yours truly does not like pork, that was bad.
We can’t judge the breakfast gravy on top of it because neither of us likes it, doesn’t matter where it’s from. Eggs and toast were fine, and the home fries were pretty decent.

We usually don’t bother to mention drinks (as in, just soda), but this one deserves to be mentioned. The Coke Zero had a terrible taste, so we asked for Diet Coke instead, and it was still bad. We don’t know what was going on there.  
Unfortunately, besides the decor, we wouldn’t say that it was an amazing experience.

Debary Diner

~ thecookiefilesblog ~ Leave a comment

Do you feel like American diners will eventually disappear altogether? Forget about the chain ones. We’re talking about the truly original diners – the ones with a “soul.”

They’re not that easy to find anymore, right? At least in Florida, they’re becoming rare.

As we were having this conversation in the car the other day, we decided to go on a hunt for real diners. We do love our breakfast food, after all.

With that in mind, we went to the Debary Diner. Let’s talk about it.

First of all, we love that they have a diner counter. We sat at a table, though.

We ordered the Turkey Melt, which was delicious. The only thing that we would change about it is the amount of cheese – we’ll definitely ask for some extra next time. However, keep in mind that we are cheese fiends here.
9/10

We also ordered the Diner Monster Burger, which was messy. The bun could have been a little thicker to hold together better. Fortunately, we ordered the eggs over hard, because if we had ordered them over-easy, it would have been even messier.
There could have been a bit more of the house sauce in it, but on the other hand, they were very generous with the bacon, which was nice. The flavors were really good, and despite all these minor (and messy) details, it still deserves a 9.5/10.

We highly recommend this place, and we’ll definitely be back later for their breakfast food.

Address: 20 N Charles Richard Beall Blvd