Diner

Rating:

Location: 85 Broadway Brooklyn, NY 11211

Price: $6-$20

The problem with enjoying food too much and talking about the great places to eat all the time is that it can come back to bite you sometimes.  I’ve had a few situations where people were bitter that what I recommended was not that great or that I suggest a restaurant that I cherish and they come back to tell me that it was sub-par.   So, I’ve come to love nights when a friend suggests a spot to eat that’s on my “places to eat” list and I have no pressure but, to show up and enjoy my personal meal.  In the case of Diner in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, that was exactly the case.  My roommate, the last person I would think to suggest such a place invited me out to dinner with couple of other friends to this classic restaurant  Under the Williamsburg bridge.

To preface, I’ve been keeping track of the best meals I’ve had each year I’ve been in NYC and it goes as follows:

2008- Momofuku Ko

2009- Blue Hill at Stone Barns

I have to say as of now for 2010, my best meal is at Diner.  Don’t worry this is not some crappy diner you find in NJ or Queens but, the name only comes from the fact that they’ve converted an old Diner car into a restaurant which alone made the dining experience unique.  Other interesting things about the restaurant is that they have a rotating menu depending on what the in season ingredients are and the staff will come over to scribble the menu items and specials directly on the table.  The website has a full list of the specials for those guilty of needing to know exactly what they want to order before they go to the restaurant.

Our meal started off with some microbrews and cocktails and we didn’t feel any pressure to order quickly even though the restaurant was starting to fill up.   Our appetizer of spinach salad tasted fresh and some unique flavors to the dressing.  For the main courses we ordered a grilled salmon, the house burger, and my favorite the curry mussels.  Everything was great and flavorful but, SERIOUSLY my curry mussels were out of this world.  I never really associated curry with seafood but, the fact that they made this seafood concoction with these ingredients made my taste buds rejoice with joy that it was there that day eating that dish.

I didn’t leave a single drop in that bowl and I could’ve eaten so much more but, I was in a good place.  We ended with a magnificent strawberry rhubarb cobbler w/ vanilla whipped cream a great topping to one of the best dishes/meals I’ve had in a while.

It sounds almost too simple to be the best meal of 2010 but, I think the music playing in the background helped and of course the good conversation at the table makes any meal a little bit better.  Let me see if my hungry stomach leads me to a better meal than this for this year.

.:cL