South Side Yanni's

Name: South Side Yanni's
Location: 1200 Vestal Ave., Binghamton, NY 13903
Phone: (607) 723-1403
Cuisine: Pub food/American/Greek
Price: Inexpensive. Less than $20 for two.

Review:
South Side Yanni's is an institution on Binghamton's (you guessed it) South Side, serving its role as a neighborhood bar & grill for many years. I'm always skeptical about places like these since I'm always worried the emphasis will be more on the "bar" than the "grill," and I'm notoriously picky when it comes to bars. Plus, it's the South Side, not an area of town I get to very often. Additionally, the place looks a little sketchy from the exterior. All of these factors contributed to my being a little less than enthusiastic about giving Yanni's a shot.

A friend of ours who lives on the South Side has been championing the Yanni's cause for a couple of years now and when we were trying to coordinate an outing this past weekend, he suggested Yanni's. I hoped that the place would help to brighten our mood on a dismal, rainy Saturday, but had doubts as to whether they could deliver the goods.

I was astonished by what we found upon entering the place. First, I was surprised at how spacious it was. The bar takes up the right side of the place when you enter, but there's a relatively large dining room off to the left. Wooden tables and chairs and wood-paneled walls give the restaurant an old-fashioned, homey vibe. On looks alone, I immediately liked Yanni's and found it to be a comfortable place to hang out.

The menu features standard bar fare (fried appetizers, wings, burgers, sandwiches) with some Greek options as well (gyro, souvlaki, Greek salad, and a Greek Burger covered with tzatziki sauce and feta cheese). Our friend encouraged us to try the wings, which he claimed were the area's best, and so I started with a dozen hot garlic wings, and ordered the aforementioned Greek Burger for my entree with a side of fries. Megan went with the old pub food standby, a cheeseburger with fries.


The wings were first to arrive, and sure enough, they were the best I've had in the area, narrowly surpassing those of Kelly's in Endicott. They were a little smaller than those you find at Kelly's, but were less fatty and had much more flavor.


My Greek Burger was perfectly cooked to order (medium-rare) and had a great charbroiled taste. I'd never really considered tzatziki sauce as a possible burger condiment, but I thought it worked very well. With diced tomato and onion on top, this was an excellent burger and I'd order it again in a heartbeat. Megan was equally pleased with her burger, and both of us enjoyed the fries. Overall, this was a winner of a meal.

A couple minor drawbacks to Yanni's: they are sticklers when it comes to splitting checks (they don't do it), so be cognizant of that if you're going with a large party. Also, the beer selection features the usual standard macro (Bud/Miller/Coors/Yuengling) options, so if you like something snootier, this is not the place to find it.

I'm told that Yanni's offers specials each night of the week (ranging from meatloaf to chicken & biscuits to prime rib) that are quite good, so I'll be sure to check them out and will report back if I find anything particularly tasty.

Where I grew up in the Harrisburg, PA area, there's a bar & grill a little off the beaten path called the Eagle Hotel. It was a little rundown shack of a restaurant, positively nothing to look at from the exterior, but there was a line out the door to get a seat just about every night of the week because the food was excellent (especially the wings--to date, the best I've ever had by a mile). South Side Yanni's reminds me of the Eagle Hotel in a number of ways. It's a comfortable place that serves good food at completely reasonable prices. It's no surprise to me that Yanni's has become an area institution: of the local bar & grill places I've tried, Yanni's is the best of the lot.

Grade: A-

Acropolis Restaurant

Name: Acropolis Restaurant
Location: 27 Washington Ave., Endicott, NY 13760
Phone: (607) 754-7766
Cuisine: Greek Diner
Price: Very inexpensive. Around $10 for two for breakfast.

Review:
Another day, another stop on our diner tour. Monday, we ventured to the Red Robin Diner in Johnson City for some old school ambiance. Yesterday, we decided to try out Chris' in downtown Binghamton. Today, it was a trip to Washington Ave. in Endicott to the Acropolis.

The restaurant is much bigger on the inside than it appears from the outside. There's a coffee counter along most of the right side of the restaurant, where the grill is also located. To the left, there is a long, narrow dining room full of spacious booths. The ambiance of the place is nothing to get excited about (the decor looks like it hasn't changed much since the 1960's), but it's pleasant enough. Nevermind the blinking icicle lights strung throughout the dining room. In the end, we found the environment to be comfortable and inviting.

We ordered coffee and I decided to go with pancakes and bacon today, while Megan once again went with eggs, bacon, home fries, and toast. All of this amounted to a mere $9.50, making the Acropolis one of the premier value breakfast spots in the area. For those curious, the menu is fairly standard. The usual egg/pancake fare, in addition to about 6-8 different omelet choices.

Both of us thought our breakfasts were merely decent. My pancakes were not the best I've had--there was something a little weird in the flavor, while the syrup was a far cry from real maple. The bacon was OK, if perhaps a little thin and flabby. Megan enjoyed hers but shared my opinion that it was merely average. But for $9.50 total for the two of us, I'm not expecting a gourmet meal.

For a cheap breakfast in comfortable surroundings with friendly service, you could do a lot worse than the Acropolis. I look forward to going back to try their lunch menu in the near future; I am a sucker for gyros, souvlaki, and the like. For now, I give the Acropolis a mild recommendation. If you are predisposed to liking diners, you'll probably find this one to have some admirable qualities, but if you aren't a diner fan, this will not be the one to convert you.

Grade: B-

Turkish Restaurant

Name: Turkish Restaurant
Location: 258 Main St., Johnson City, NY 13790
Phone: (607) 644-9030
Cuisine: Turkish
Price: Around $20 per person

Review:
I was driving through Johnson City yesterday on the way to pick up some Thai take-out from Sabaidee and noticed a new sign in the location of the former Green Owl Diner. The sign simply read "Turkish Restaurant," and I recalled quickly that Megan had seen the place a few weeks back and was looking forward to trying it out. Today, we decided to do exactly that.

I must admit that I am relatively inexperienced when it comes to the world of Turkish cuisine, and Middle Eastern food in general. I've had my share of hummus, had a delicious falafel wrap while I was in Paris, and am pretty well versed in Greek food (a staple throughout this area), but I'm not sure I'd ever eaten food specifically designated as Turkish until today. Let's just say that my first Turkish meal certainly will not be my last.

The Turkish Restaurant is located right in the heart of downtown Johnson City across the block from the Red Robin Diner. It's a good location with ample parking on the adjacent side streets and in a larger lot one block behind. The restaurant itself retains many of the diner-like qualities that the Green Owl likely had (can't say I ever made it there while they were open). It's a long, narrow restaurant with a coffee counter in the front which widens to a larger dining room space toward the back with booths on both sides. The old, wooden booths are not exactly the most comfortable in the world, but they get the job done.

We were seated quickly and took a long look at the menu. Admittedly, many of the dishes were not all that familiar to us, and Megan was disappointed that they didn't have falafel, one of her personal favorites. No big deal though. We ordered the hummus appetizer, and I went with the Doner Kebab entree while Megan elected to try out the Doner Wrap. For those unfamiliar, doner is sliced meat cooked on a vertical spit and is one of the signature staples of Turkish cuisine. I also decided to try out a Turkish coffee, as I've always been kind of interested in what those tiny cups would taste like.


The hummus, served with freshly-baked pita bread, came out first. And it was by far the best hummus I have ever had--rich, creamy, garlicky, and flat-out awesome. I am not usually too crazy about hummus, but this stuff won me over in one bite. The pita bread was warm, soft, and flavorful and was the perfect complement to the hummus. Had the meal ended with this appetizer, I would have been more than pleased.


But soon enough, the main course would arrive, and I admired the presentation of my kebab entree. Served with rice and a salad of lettuce, tomato, and sliced onion on the side, the doner was a fine choice of entree which I enjoyed immensely. The beef was well-seasoned and tender. The side salad and rice didn't do much for me, but this is certainly a dish I would order again. The Turkish coffee was tasty and served in the usual miniature cup. Not something I would order regularly, but for my inaugural visit to a Turkish restaurant, it was something I couldn't resist.


Megan's doner wrap was quite similar in appearance and taste to the Greek gyro and in my opinion was superior to any gyro/souvlaki sandwiches I've had in the area. The yogurt/tzatziki sauce was light and refreshing and not overpowering like it sometimes can be, and the doner meat was, again, of a very high quality. Thumbs up from me on the wrap.


When it came time for dessert, it's impossible for Megan and me to say no to baklava, so that's what we ordered. We were presented with three healthy-sized squares of the delectable pastry and were instructed by the waiter not to eat it with a fork, but to eat it with our hands and to turn it upside-down before taking a bite so that we could really get a good taste of the sweet honey. Better advice has never been given. I love a great piece of baklava, and this was some of the best I've ever had. Sweet but not syrupy, and not too brittle and flaky like some baklava can be, this dessert was right on the money.

Service at the Turkish Restaurant was phenomenal, and I was left with the impression that they really care about making great quality food and sharing their love for their cuisine with those who might not have experienced it before. A hostess took the time to explain all the various dishes to us before we placed our order, and our waiter, a well-dressed and well-mannered younger gentleman, was absolutely superb, helpful and attentive from start to finish.

I'd have to say that Johnson City's new Turkish Restaurant is a huge hit. Do not expect to be blown away by the ambiance, but the food is excellent and the friendly service is second-to-none. With its easy accessibility by bus, I could see this restaurant being a popular place among Binghamton University students, particularly the Turkish students who come to study at BU as part of the Dual Diploma exchange program. Frankly, I am surprised it has taken so long for a Turkish restaurant to make it to Binghamton given the large Turkish population on campus. But now is as good a time as any, and I am hopeful that this restaurant will make a go of it for a long time, because based on today's experience, I have no doubt that Megan and I will be regular patrons until our Binghamton days come to an end. I eagerly anticipate trying out all of their other offerings.

Grade: A

Crossroads Diner

Name: Crossroads Diner
Location: 3000 E Main St., Endicott, NY 13760
Phone: (607) 748-3076
Cuisine: American Diner
Price: Less than $10 per person

Review:
Crossroads Diner is a large restaurant located near the corner of Main St. and North St. in Endwell. We decided to check it out on a Sunday afternoon after arriving back in the Triple Cities after a weekend out of town.

The first thing that struck me about Crossroads Diner is its size. I think it's probably among the largest diners in the area, as there is seating to the left, to the right, and straight ahead when you enter the restaurant. It's a bright space with large, comfortable booths. It reminded me of places like Bob's Big Boy that I'd been to when I was younger.

Megan was hungry for a cheeseburger and fries ($7), while I decided to try out the Chicken Souvlaki Platter ($8), which came with a complimentary Greek Salad, slaw, and fries. Our meals came pretty quickly and we found the portion sizes to be enormous, particularly my souvlaki platter. I'll say that the souvlaki platter was not exactly what I was expecting it to be. Normally the souvlaki you get at diners in this area are essentially pita sandwiches, but that was not the case here. Crossroads serves their souvlaki the old-fashioned Greek way, with triangles of pita and tzatziki on the side. This was an attempt to make up for the fact that this really wasn't souvlaki at all, but more like regular grilled chicken strips, since I did not see any evidence of the meat having come from a skewer at all.

All things considered, I liked everything on my plate. The Greek Salad was loaded with feta cheese and olives (my favorite parts), the french fries were good by diner standards, and the "souvlaki" and the tzatziki were tasty, if not exactly traditionally prepared. I may have preferred the salad to come on a separate plate since the dressing made the pita slices kind of soggy. Megan was very satisfied with her burger and had nothing negative to say about the meal at all.

Service at Crossroads Diner was a little mixed. We were seated quickly and served drinks and our meal very promptly, but when it came time to pay the check, it took us forever to get it. The waitress came to the table three separate times asking if we wanted any dessert; each time, we replied that we did not and wanted our check. I don't know if she was drunk or senile or what, but it was probably the oddest behavior I've seen by a waitress at any restaurant. By the third time, both of us were pretty miffed by the whole situation but we did eventually get the check. Otherwise, the waitress was friendly and generally quick. Strange, to say the least.

Overall, Crossroads was pretty much average across the board. It's a nice space with typical diner ambiance, while the food was tasty if not entirely authentic. Prices are reasonable and in line with those at similar diners like Spot Diner and the Read Oak. I'd definitely go back, and would be interested in trying out their breakfast menu. As far as diners in Endwell go, I think Crossroads definitely takes a backseat to the Broadway Diner on Watson Blvd., but it's serviceable and worth a shot if you're in the area.

Grade: B-

Greek House Restaurant

Name: Greek House Restaurant
Location: 623 Main St., Johnson City, NY 13790
Phone: (607) 798-7899
Cuisine: Greek/American
Price: Around $10 per person

Review:
The Greek House is yet another place Megan and I have driven by on hundreds of occasions, but until today, we had never bothered to stop in. Strange, considering we live in the area and are fond of Greek cuisine in general. It's located on Main St. in Johnson City in the Westover Plaza across from BAE Systems.

From the outside the restaurant looks very small; inside it is much larger, with a long coffee counter surrounding the kitchen area and probably 20 small tables and booths comprising the seating area. It's a classic Greek diner that serves a mix of Greek and American cuisines, and they are open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Upon entering we followed the sign's instruction to seat ourselves and found a small booth about halfway into the restaurant. Shortly thereafter, we were handed menus by the waitress. The lunch menu, I would have to admit, was not all that extensive, particularly in Greek options. They had gyros, souvlaki, and spinach pie (spanakopita), but that was about it as far as the Greek choices went. The rest of the menu was comprised of standard American diner fare like club sandwiches, burgers, and fries. By diner standards, I found the Greek House to have a pretty small menu, at least for lunch.

I ordered the spanakopita and a cup of coffee, while Megan went with the souvlaki. Less than ten minutes later, our meals were in front of us.

I thought the spanakopita was pretty good. For those unfamiliar, spanakopita is a spinach pie made with spinach, feta cheese, onions, and various spices enfolded by phyllo dough. It's not something I order very often, but given the limited menu and the fact that it was marked as a "specialty," I decided to give it a go. It was tasty and filling--maybe a little burnt on one of the edges--but I would definitely consider ordering it again. Megan was happy with her souvlaki and thought it was one of the better souvlaki sandwiches she's had of late.

We split a piece of baklava for dessert which was also very good and was a definite highlight of the meal.

Service was a bit of a problem at the Greek House. The waitress was an older lady who might have spoken ten words to us the entire time and was just generally grumpy. I will say that the service was quick, but on the standoffish side. Moreover, she overcharged me on coffee. I drank two cups and the menu stated very clearly that coffee came with one free refill, yet I was charged for two coffees. Not cool, but I'm not about to sit there and haggle over $1.35. So I took it out of her tip, which she frankly did little to deserve anyway. The gentleman who served as cashier was much friendlier and thanked us for coming, so perhaps we just got unlucky with the waitress.

Overall, I was generally pleased with the Greek House and would go again. The ambiance is pleasantly old-fashioned while the food was uniformly solid, albeit unmemorable. Negatives included the cold fish of a waitress we had, and a lunch menu that could use a few additional Greek options. Perhaps the dinner menu is more extensive. I wouldn't call the Greek House among the area's better diners, but it's not bad, and its location is good in the sense that there are few other dining options in the immediate area. I give the Greek House a slight recommendation, with the caveat that Mediterranean Gyro in Vestal is far superior as a Greek dining option for lunch.

Grade: B-

Pantheon Restaurant

Name: Pantheon Restaurant
Location: 1203 Monroe St. Ste. 1, Endicott, NY 13760
Phone: (607) 757-0275
Cuisine: American/Greek diner
Price: Around $10 per person

Review:
As part of the new "Diner Thursday" tradition that Megan and I have formed, we decided to head out to Endicott this morning and hit up the Acropolis on Washington Avenue. We got there only to find that the restaurant was closed due to vacation this week, but I had remembered another diner, the Pantheon, was just around the corner on Monroe St. So we headed across the street and had our lunch there instead.

We got to the Pantheon around noon. It's not much to look at from the outside but is pretty reasonable on the inside with a standard diner setup, including the rotating dessert case and the coffee counter. Upon entering, we were instructed to sit anywhere we wanted. Seeing as the restaurant was fairly busy at the time and all of the booths were occupied, we found a table not far from the door.

We were quickly given menus and got drinks, a Sprite for Megan and a coffee for myself. In perusing the menu I noticed that breakfast food was not an option for lunch, unlike some diners in the area. Luckily, we were both in the mood for lunch, so all was well.

I ordered a cup of the Yankee Bean soup to start out (as a Yankee hater, I wanted the Oriole Bean, but that was sadly not an option) and went with the Ham & Swiss Club for the main course. I tried for the Roast Beef club, but there were out of roast beef. No biggie. Megan opted for one of her diner faves, the Chicken Souvlaki. She ordered it "Deluxe," Pantheon-code-language for "with fries."

I tried the soup first and thought it to be pretty delicious. This was a nice ham and bean soup with a generous portion of tender ham. I would order it again.

As for the Club, it was pretty good, if perhaps a little pedestrian. The bacon was crispy and the lettuce and tomato were fresh, so I was pretty satisfied. The fries that accompanied the meal were quite good, done up in the classic diner fashion, crispy, golden, and tasty.

Megan's souvlaki (not pictured) was a definite home run and a highlight of the meal. I tried a few bites as Megan surrendered to fullness and was rather impressed. The waitress appeared to be of Greek descent, and go figure, in a place called the Pantheon, it makes sense that the Greek food would be pretty solid. On a future visit for lunch, I will definitely go with a gyro, souvlaki, or one of their other Greek specialty items.

Overall, we were pleased with our experience at the Pantheon. Service was friendly and quick and the food was uniformly good. This place is nothing amazing or out of the ordinary, but for a small neighborhood restaurant, it was quite satisfying. This is a restaurant I'd definitely visit again and would certainly recommend to others in search of a good diner lunch in Endicott.

Grade: B

Park Diner

Name: Park Diner

Location: 119 Conklin Ave., Binghamton, NY 13903
Phone: (607) 722-9840
Cuisine: Diner

Price: $20 for two

Since we did not get to sample another area diner on Thursday, Dan and I decided to venture today to the Park Diner - one that I was excited about given its location. Although Binghamton has riverfront areas, it seems that few businesses make use of it. The Park Diner, located on the South Side, uses the Susquehanna to its distinct advantage allowing for really beautiful views of both the river and downtown Bingo. Thus, I was looking forward to the ambiance of the diner at the very least.

We made our way to the Park Diner around 11am this morning and were lucky to find a parking spot in the small lot adjacent to the diner. We were greeted immediately by the hostess and were able to choose between table or booth seating. We went with booth as we normally do. Although we were not sitting right by the floor to ceiling windows and although it was raining, I was still very pleased with the views that the diner offered. There is a dam located right near the diner, so you get to see a little waterfall effect along with scenic views of downtown.

The menu is not very big for a diner and only had one page of breakfast options. The usual egg and pancake fare was accounted for along with a steak and eggs special. I was disappointed that there were not more options or specials and also that the prices seemed a bit higher than most of the area diners - two eggs with home fries and toast for $5.95. I think the inflation of price has to do with the slightly higher class atmosphere that the Park Diner is trying to offer. For instance, the wait staff is dressed in button down white shirts, slacks, and pink ties. All the plates and cups were very nice looking (no chips) and matched. So in that respect, it is a more upscale diner experience.

Dan and I both went with cheese omelets - his was feta, mine was american - with wheat toast and home fries and of course our requisite coffees. All of our food came out fast - like five minutes from the time we ordered.

The presentation was very nice - the omelet was neat and well cooked. My toast was done the way I like it and the home fries were fine, but rather basic - I liked the ones at Danny's better. Nothing outstanding - nothing I could not have done myself at home. The coffee was good - I did like that it was more neatly presented than at some of the other diners where it had spilled into the saucer. All told, breakfast was good - but at a cost of $20 dollars with tax and tip, I felt that it was a bit pricey for the simple meals we got. Especially given that at Danny's, we got the same things and bacon and sausage for $10.

In sum, the Park Diner had the ambiance and the atmosphere that I hoped for. It was a pleasant dining experience, the service was swift and the food was good. However, I would have liked to see a more extensive breakfast menu, especially for a diner, and I do think it is a bit pricey for breakfast. I would probably go again for lunch - they had a larger selection and I am willing to pay a bit more for a nice lunch plate.

Grade: B-

Despina's Mediterranean Taste

Hi all - Megan here to take the lead review today. While I am co-contributor to this blog, I have not been pulling my weight as I've been busy teaching. Since my class is now done, I hope to post more reviews (though probably never as many as Dan).

On a whim, Dan and I headed downtown for lunch today to Despina's Mediterranean Taste located on Court Street just a few steps away from sake tumi. I'm told that this is a new location for Despina's and it seems to serve mostly as a lunch spot as it is only opened until 6pm or so. Upon arrival, there was a sign out front that listed the specials for today, which included a soup and salad deal that seemed to be popular amongst many of the patrons who were there when we were. The place is not much to look at - sparse in decor with only a few posters of Greek landmarks and filled with either high-top tables or regular ones with silver tops. We were given menus fairly quickly by the only person who seemed to be manning the place, although it is not big and therefore probably does not need a large staff to function.


The menu is your basic greek fare - gyros, souvlaki, salads, etc. However, I was pleased to find that they offered falafels - deep fried chick peas usually served in a pita with veggies and tzatziki sauce for those not in the know. I have been a major fan of falafels since experiencing them when I lived in Paris and had the good fortune of eating some of the best falafels in the world at the famous L'as du falafels, located in the Marais just blocks from the Archives Nationales. If you are ever in Paris - please seek this spot out and get yourself a delicious and huge falafel - you will not regret it. Anyway, since I have been back stateside, I have searched high and low to find a place that offered a falafel that could even come close to meeting my high expectations. I have found a few decent ones - Aladdin's Natural Eatery in Ithaca is winning so far - but had hoped to find a good falafel closer to home. Dan chose to go with the gyro and we each got a bottle of water as they did not seem to have any drink menu at all, just a selection of cans of soda and bottles of water and maybe even powerade (I did not go up to the fridge to take a closer look, so I am only guessing from what I saw).


My falafel came out with a side that I think was some sort of cous-cous in an italian or vinagrette dressing - which was good, but a little garlicky. The falafel itself was okay - I liked the warmed pita, the cucumbers and tomatoes and tzatziki sauce (though there could have been more), but the falafel itself, while full of flavor, was too mushy for my liking and also a bit on the small side. I like my falafel with a bit of crispness on the outside. Again, you have to remember that I have had some of the best falafel ever, so I recognize that I am a tougher judge than others might be.

Dan's gyro came with a side of potato salad, which I sampled and was good. He seemed to like his gyro well enough, but like me, was not blown away by anything.

All in all, it was a good lunch experience. Most of the menu was around the six dollar mark and everything came with a side. Much more could be done with the decor to make the place feel less empty and they should consider adding a list of drink options to their menu. At the end of the day, my quest for the best falafel continues.

Grade: B-

Pete's Diner

Name: Pete's Legacy Diner
Location: 2305 Vestal Road, Vestal, NY 13850
Phone: (607) 239-6021
Cuisine: Diner
Attire: Casual
Price: Less than $20 for two

Review:
Our diner tour officially got underway with our Saturday morning visit to Pete's Diner in Vestal. To date, we've also reviewed the Plaza Diner and the Spot Diner (and the Apple Dumpling Cafe, which food-wise belongs in the diner category), but we are now making a more conscious effort to visit all the area diners in order to find The Best of the Bunch.

So I guess I should talk a little bit about what my expectations are. Diners are not typically known for great food, though there are exceptions. They are known more for a comfortable atmosphere with equally comfortable, homestyle victuals, snappy waitresses who provide quick and efficient service, and low prices that are perhaps about as low as it would take you to make similar food at home.

What am I looking for? First and foremost, I want good food. It doesn't have to be amazing, but it's gotta be good enough to want to come back. I really like diners that have signature or special items in particular. For some places that may consist of Greek dishes, with others it might be certain breakfast items like corned beef hash, or even desserts. Plus they have to have a reasonable cup of coffee. Again, I do not expect gourmet coffee. As long as it's not undrinkable and watery and has some flavor, I'm OK with it.

Almost as important as the food is the atmosphere. As far as I'm concerned, the more old-timey, the better. I like the diners that make you feel like you're stepping back in time into a bygone era. I do not like diners that try to achieve that vibe in a kitschy way.

Good, quick, friendly service is also important. And the more dirt-cheap the price, the more apt I'll be to return if the food is good, so price will definitely some role in my overall assessment. But these are more secondary concerns. As always, good food is of paramount importance, and since I don't demand great food, atmosphere will take on an added significance in my diner reviews.

Anyway, enough about me and more about Pete's.

Pete's Legacy Diner, to my understanding, pays homage to a certain gentleman named Pete who at one time owned and operated several different diners in the Triple Cities. They serve breakfast and lunch and are not open past 3:00 PM, so if you're going to go, you need to go early. The fare is standard diner food: eggs/bacon/sausage/toast/home fries/pancakes/waffles/omelets for breakfast and sandwiches/burgers/soups for lunch. I looked over the menu fairly extensively and didn't really notice anything too out of the ordinary.

The place is reasonably sized with a dining room partitioned into (I think) 3 sections of about 6-8 tables apiece. The place was quite busy when we went but we got a table right away. I believe that each of the 3 sections was assigned its own waitress. A very smart setup, if I may say so, with an emphasis on efficiency. Our waitress was indeed very snappy and took good care of us. I ordered the 3 egg breakfast which came with home fries and toast. I also ordered a side of bacon and a cup of coffee.


This was a decent plate of food but nothing special. Good wheat toast and the eggs were done appropriately. I did not care for the home fries. They were lacking seasoning or something. The bacon was not good. The pieces were shriveled, greasy, and flabby. I would not order it again.

Megan got the Belgian Waffle per usual. I had a bite. Pretty good. Not the caliber of the waffles she had at Apple Dumpling Cafe last weekend, but still good.

The coffee was pretty good and met my basic expectations. Not too watered down and had some flavor.

The atmosphere was nice and quaint. It's the kind of neighborly place where a lot of the people seem to know each other. Megan said it reminded her somewhat of the Port Jervis Diner in the town where she grew up. It reminded me of some places I had eaten in my younger days as well. In my mind though, it doesn't stand up to the overall atmosphere of the Spot Diner. But it's not bad in that department.

At $13, I thought Pete's was about on par with most diner prices, but I'm looking for something cheaper and better than what they had to offer.

Overall, my experience at Pete's was a nice little Saturday morning outing. Nothing more, nothing less. It met my most basic expectations but did not exceed them in any way. I would definitely go back, but there are similar places I prefer. When the smoke clears, Pete's legacy will be but a footnote in my diner adventures.

Grade: B-

Mediterranean Gyro

Name: Mediterranean Gyro
Location: 4700 Vestal Parkway East, Vestal, NY 13850
Phone: (607) 729-2001
Cuisine: Greek
Attire: Casual
Price: $20 for two

Review:
Mediterranean Gyro is a new restaurant located in University Plaza on the Vestal Parkway, in the same plaza with Mario's Pizza, Tully's, and Moghul. Megan and I went there a few months ago, right after they opened. We liked the food but were appalled by the AWFUL service. It took us about 20 minutes just to get our bill and the waitress was terrible. Megan swore the place off, saying she'd never go back. Well, today I went on a solo mission to see if matters had improved any. Not only had the place improved, it is a restaurant I will be regularly frequenting for lunch in the future. Maybe I can convince my wife to give it another try...

The place looks like an old-school Greek diner on the inside, with an open-air kitchen, a few seats available at the counter, and booths and tables comprising the rest of the place. It reminds me of the classic sorts of places like these you might find in Brooklyn or Queens. As soon as I walked in, I was seated promptly and within two minutes had a drink on my table and had placed my order. The waitress was very friendly and eager to explain the menu if I had any questions. I didn't, but she explained to me what avgolemono was anyway. In case you're wondering, it's the Greek lemon and rice soup that comes complimentary with all platters. The pork souvlaki platter I ordered came with the aforementioned avgolemono, a Greek salad--feta cheese and kalamata olives and all, and your choice of french fries or lemon potato wedges....in addition to, of course, the souvlaki with a few pita slices and tzatziki. If you don't want a platter, you can get just the souvlaki sandwich if you prefer, in addition to many other traditional Greek foods like gyros.

Out came the soup first. Tasty stuff, this was, although nothing really separates it from any other chicken & rice soup aside from a hint of lemon and a little more thickness to the broth. Still, it was a good start to the meal and compared favorably to other avgolemono I've had in the past.

Onto the salad. This featured the usual greens, tomato, cucumber, onions, olives, peppers, and feta cheese. They give you olive oil and vinegar on the side to doctor it up as you wish.



There it is. I don't know, how much can one really say about a salad. I guess I can say the veggies were fresh and that I would've liked more than just the one olive and one chunk of feta cheese in there, but whatever. I didn't come to eat salad. So onward to the main course....



Ah yes, the souvlaki plate. The meat was really tasty and the tzatziki sauce was just about perfect. Waaaaaay better than the runny stuff that tastes like paint thinner that you get at Whole in the Wall. I would've like the pita slices to be a little bigger, maybe, but that's a minor criticism. One slightly more major criticism was that I found a wood splinter from the skewer in my food whilst taking a bite. That probably shouldn't have happened, but it didn't detract much from my enjoyment of the meal. Maybe the best part of the plate was the lemon potato wedges, which were very well-seasoned and totally better than any french fries would've been.

Oh wait, but it gets better...FREE BAKLAVA FOR DESSERT!!! Was it Tolkien who said "cellar door" was the best two-word phrase in the English language? I contend "free baklava" has to be high up there on the list!



Man, I didn't even order this and suddenly it was sitting in front of me. Must be my lucky day! VERY sweet/syrupy baklava so if you like it that way, I highly recommend getting it. Or they may just bring it to you to try free of charge. Winner winner souvlaki dinner!

Overall, Mediterranean Gyro redeemed itself pretty much completely after the debacle of our first visit. The service was quite excellent this time and I got all that food for a mere $10. The food was very good, nothing extraordinary, but solid nonetheless. So, Megan, willing to give it another go?

Grade: B+

The Spot Diner/Restaurant

Name: The Spot
Location: 1062 Upper Front St, Binghamton, NY 13905
Phone: (607) 723-8149
Cuisine: American/Greek/etc.
Attire: Casual
Price: Less than $20 for two (most of the time)
Review:
The Spot Diner is a default breakfast stop for Megan and me. The food is good, the service is quick, and the menu is vast. Plus, most things on the menu are pretty inexpensive. All of these factors add up to a winning combination.

The Spot is located on Upper Front St., a good distance from downtown Binghamton. It's not far from the Northgate Plaza where Grande's is located. The place is gigantic. There are 3 distinct dining areas making it easily the largest diner I have ever seen. There are probably 100 tables in the place, all told. The booths are large and pretty comfortable. The waitresses are very quick and come around with fresh coffee to fill your cup every few minutes. The place has a nostalgic sort of charm for me that I can't quite put my finger on. It reminds me of places I used to go when I was a kid, when I used to go out for breakfast with my grandfather every Saturday morning. There's a gumball machine and old-timey arcade games in the lobby. I guess it just reminds me of a much simpler time in my life.

The menu is extraordinarily humongous, with a ton of options of various prices. Usually I order off the breakfast menu, where you can get virtually any usual breakfast food you want, but their lunch/dinner menu is even bigger, with sandwiches/burgers, pasta, steaks, seafood, and a whole slew of Greek specialty items like gyros, souvlaki, spanakopeta, and moussaka. Megan and I like the souvlaki; she orders it often. They also have a huge dessert case that I've been meaning to sample at some point. This review will focus on breakfast, however.

We went yesterday, 10:00 Sunday morning. For many places this would mean a packed house but it's nearly impossible for The Spot to be completely packed since the place is so huge. We got in right away and were seated promptly in a booth toward the back. One thing we really like about the place is that even though it's busy, it never really *feels* busy. We both ordered coffee and it came out in about a minute. Typical diner coffee, these are no gourmet beans or anything but it's drinkable and they keep filling it up regularly. Plus, I believe they don't charge you for coffee with breakfast. Win. Megan ordered the Belgian Waffle (watch out, you can only order this item before 11:00 AM, but can order any other breakfast item at any time), while I went with the buttermilk pancakes with two eggs.



The food came out promptly. Megan enjoyed her waffle immensely. It looked quite good to me. As for my pancakes, they were a little more "done" than I would've liked. I like them a little more golden than brown, and most of the time they are. Yesterday's were a little subpar, but still tasty. The eggs were normal scrambled eggs. Nothing to get excited about, but nothing to complain about either. For an $11 breakfast, both of us left quite satisfied and weren't hungry again until dinner.

There are a TON of diners in the Binghamton area and I hope to visit and review many of them. To any readers who stumble across this post: which of the area diners do you like best? Which would you recommend we visit? For now, I like The Spot. The atmosphere is suitably old-timey (hello, operator?), the service is great (amazing for a place so big that's often crowded), and the food isn't flashy but it hits...the spot. See what I did there?

Grade: B