Friday Food: Stand-Alone Diners Parts 1 + 2

After reading this Scouting New York post  about the last five stand-alone diners left in Manhattan, I immediately added them to my Google map of New York to-dos. It was only a few days after they went on my list that I checked the first one off. Jim and I had a movie to see a few weeks ago on a weeknight, and were looking for a relatively quick meal. I suggested that he pick from one of the diners, and he chose the Empire Diner on 10th Avenue.

I'm pretty sure we started with the best, because you can't get more iconic than the gleaming Art Moderne dining car, which opened in 1946. It has been a few different restaurants through the years and the latest one just opened a few months ago. You may recognize the Empire from various movies or TV shows, and while I watching Home Alone 2: Lost in New York this Christmas for the ??th time I made a mental note to check it out. Unfortunately the metal Empire State Building replica is no longer on its roof (where did it go??), but all of the signage and exterior still looks remarkably the same.

The structure and decor are really the only things that say diner — the food is more upscale, a little pricey and actually really delicious. We had the french onion soup and shared the ouzo mac n' cheese, and each was above-average (decent portion sizes too).

Their branding is also completely on-point, down to the striped napkins that I seriously considered "dropping" in my purse (I didn't, but that doesn't mean I didn't want to). I would love to go back during the day when it's light so I can really bask in the kitschy interior and I wouldn't mind basking in a stack of buttermilk pancakes, either.

A few days later, before we caught the Staten Island Ferry for a day of adventures, we checked another diner off the list when we ate breakfast at the Pearl Diner in the Financial District. The Pearl Diner isn't as beautiful or iconic on the outside (or inside) as the Empire, but it does have another crucial diner characteristic: a fantastic neon sign.

There aren't many (affordable) restaurant options in the area, especially on the weekends, which makes the Pearl Diner that much more of an anomaly. In a neighborhood of towering office buildings that basically drip money, a good, old fashioned diner seems completely out of place. I got a waffle that was about half the price you would expect to pay in New York, and every bit as good as any I've had. Their diner coffee was delicious and the refills came frequently, which is always appreciated.

In addition to being the second stand-alone diner to be crossed off my list, the Pearl Diner also holds the distinction of having one of the teeny tiniest bathrooms that I've ever been in. We're no stranger to tight spaces in New York, but their restroom was as minuscule as they come. Upon returning to the table, I remarked that I had been in Port-a-Potties that were roomier and that is no exaggeration.

I adore old-school diners and I'm so glad that I'm making an effort to check out more of them. Although it may seem as if they're everywhere, they're a dying breed in a city that is all about the glitz, glamour and whatever happens to be trendy at the moment. Sometimes the best things in life really are simple, like a cup of diner coffee (no triple-mocha-venti- bullshit allowed) and a plain stack of pancakes. Until they figure out that whole time machine thing, visiting businesses that haven't changed in 60+ years is one of the closest ways to feel as if I've actually travelled back in time. Two stand-alone diners down, three more to go...