Amato's Omaha, NE

The first thing that hit me was that it smelled just like an Italian dinner which is exactly what this place is.

Omaha's Amato's Cafe is best known for breakfast.  In fact it is the breakfast ricotta pancakes that makes this place special.

I tried them myself and can testify that they are spectacular.  They don't taste "cheesy" but still like a pancake but richer and more filling.  

Peoples from all over the world somehow know about this place.  I can see why but, I don't know how they do it.  The evidence was a well worn world map with pins for visitors from all over the world.

The atmosphere is typical diner.  The coffees cups were all from Union Pacific railroad.  I'm guessing that they like this place.  It's a little divy.  The chairs were all mismatched chairs, for example.  I kind of like it.

Amato's Cafe
6405 Center St
Omaha, NE 68106

O'Rourkes Diner - Middletown, CT

O'Rourkes Diner in Middletown, Connecticut might just be my new favorite Triple-D restaurant.  I don't give out many 10's but, I have no problem giving this one an honest 10.

The first thing that you notice is that it is an honest to goodness diner starting with the stainless steel exterior and interior.  It is tiny and friendly.  It is also spic and span: clean as a whistle.  That is something that probably most Triple-D restaurants are not.

I started with the "Leprechaun bites" of poppyseed bread or muffin and some kind of blueberry muffin. It was a nice morning appetizer.

They served what seemed to me to be real fresh squeezed orange juice and a fresh fruit plate.  So, they try to be a bit healthy.  I had the Eggs Brian which might not be super healthy but it was very enjoyable.  It came with multigrain toast thick-cut and really flavorful. It must definitely have been bakery bread. Their coffee to wash it all down was also equally enjoyable.

Evidently, the first O'Rourkes Diner bunt down some years ago and the town decided to rebuild it.   I'm glad that they did.

Pee before you come here. The door doesn't lock.  That doesn't seem to be a problem here for some reason.  I guess we're all friends here.

Service was excellent.  No complaints there.

It only got 3.7 spoons on Urban Spoon.  Don't listen to these people.  Definitely go out of your way to visit O'Rourkes.

O'Rourkes Diner
728 Main St
Middletown, CT 06457
(860) 346-6101
http://www.orourkesmiddletown.com/

Jefferson Diner - Lake Hopatcong, NJ

I had an uneasy feeling when I started to see billboard signs for the Jefferson Diner 2 miles out complete with the Food Network logos.  I was afraid of all talk, no action.  They had obviously bought a replica red camaro like Guy's car and had it parked outside as if Guy might be inside.

Luckily despite the glitz outside, I was wrong.  The Jefferson Diner was a typical New Jersey diner on steroids.  It had the stainless steel cladding everywhere, circular vinyl stools, everything that makes up an old-time diner.

I got a soup and sandwich.  The seafood gumbo was more like a vegetable soup with seafood bits rather than what I think of as a gumbo. That is to say that I think of the spicy Cajun gumbo.  I don't know if maybe they eliminated the spice for the more plain northern preference.  The warm gumbo on a cold day went down well.  The chicken panini with dried tomato was also pretty good.  Redemption!

Service was very good. Waitress volunteered to take away my phone so that I could eat in peace.
ide.  I'll give her points for having a sense of humor.

Like most diners, they have a tempting desert case on your way in.  It truly looked incredible. I was however good so, I have only a visual report on the sweets to give.

I enjoyed it and would recommend it.  I rate Jefferson Diner an 8.6.

Jefferson Diner
5 Bowling Green Pkwy
Lake Hopatcong, NJ 07849
(973) 663-0233

http://www.jeffersondiner.com

Brints Diner - Wichita, KS (CLOSED)

Brint's diner has closed since I visited there in 2012.  I am not terribly surprised.  I did not see the DDD show on Brints but, my experience there was not great.

The service was exceptionally slow despite the fact that there was only one more table of people in the restaurant.  My waitress was not the most professional person.  She didn't know me but still felt comfortable complaining about her employer. The owner approached me later and tried to explain her behavior away.  It was all very strange.

Evidently from the menu, Guy liked the Cincinnati style chili spaghetti here.  I couldn't handle that kind of calorie count. So, I ordered the Ruben sandwich which was probably no better.

The Ruben was very average.  I pretty much had to inhale my lunch because I was almost out of lunchtime by the time it arrived.  I was underwhelmed.

I ranked Brint's 3.0 which was probably being generous.

Brint's Diner
4834 E Lincoln St
Wichita, KS 67216

Voulas offshore cafe - Seattle, Washington

Voulas was definitely a diner. It had stainless steel paneled walls and the sounds of sizzling food cooking and the clatter of spatulas on metal grills that is heard at diners all over the country.

The waitress was really friendly. Everyone in fact seemed to be in a good mood.

Voulas is located about 100 feet from the Portage Way in Seattle near the University of Washington in Seattle or "U 'dub" as the locals call it.

I got the little squealer sandwich which was pork, bacon, a coupe of different cheeses, tomatoes with a chipotle hollandaise sauce all on a toasted French roll.

Oh, this was savory decadence!  Just the comfort food needed to take the edge off of the cold north Pacific wind.

I would rate Voulas a 9.5.  It is well worth returning to again.



Voula's Offshore Cafe
658 Northeast Northlake Way
Seattle, WA 98105
(206) 634-0183
voulasoffshore.com

Gatsbys Diner - Sacramento, CA

Gatsby's Diner was kind of a fusion of American diner meets Japanese cooking.  There were old Japanese hibachis inside which makes me think that it might have been a Japanese steak house in a previous life.

So, The chefs cook out in open which is kind of cool.  You can chat with them as they go about their work.  Instead of cooking Asian food, it could be anything the diner serves but they still do that spatula slap on the griddle thing..  My chef ask me as I passed by when I was leaving how I liked my buger.

They serve cold beer in frozen mugs which struck me as a thing of beauty for some reason.

I ordered the fire burger.  It had thick cut bacon and avocado on a really good quality bun.  They describe their own food as American comfort food with a twist and I would have to agree.  As the hamburger juices are dripping down one hand while your fingers are frozen by the frozen beer mug in the other, it definitely seems decadent and comfortable.  Luckily, they give you a wad of paper towels to clean yourself.

This was not a dive at all.  I was impressed that everything they did, they tried to do with a flair. Even the way they arranged the buns on griddle in a nice ring.  They make their own deserts.  I didn't try them but one in particular that looked interesting was a strawberry rhubarb tort cooked and served in a Ball jar.  People obviously care.

The atmosphere was pretty good.   I appreciated that all the people who work there really seemed to care about my experience.

I would rate Gatsb's a 9.1.  They had good food and good pizzaz.  Definitely worth a trip back.

Gatsby's Diner 2598 Alta Arden Expy Sacramento, CA 95825 (916) 977-0102 gatsbysdiner.com

Parthenon Diner - Brandord, CT

The Parthenon Diner wasn't a Triple-D restaruant but it was very much a typical diner.  Enough so to make me want to review it.

Like any good diner, they had a glass cool case with lots of nice pastries front and center when you first walk in to get you thinking about desert while you are still hungry.

There was also a little model of the actual Parthenon on a shelf which was kind of comical.

I had the chicken soup to start out with because it was very cold outside on a chilly spring day.  I found it to be not too salty.  I half expected them to warm up some Campbell's soup.  So, I was pleasantly surprised when it wasn't.

I ordered the pastrami and cheese sandwich as part of the soup and sandwich special.  The quality of pastrami wad really good. It came with onion and tomato on rye bread.  The quality of the bread was also very good.

Service was okay.  Because it wasn't a triple-D restaurant, my expectation level was pretty low.  So, they get a bit of a pass.

Overall, I would rate Parthenon an 8.0.  It was a good diner.


Parthenon Diner
374 East Main Street
Branford, CT 06405
(203) 481-0333
www.parthenondiner.com

Standard Diner - Albuquerque, NM

The Standard Diner is absolutely not standard.  It is kind of an upscale diner which means that it is absolutely not a dive either.

The food was creatively put together like you would expect from a triple-d restaurant.  The first clue was the chipotle butter with really good sourdough bread that they serve to you automatically when you sit down.

This was not a finger food joint like you would find in Santa Fe. This is hearty comfort food.  Whereas the people in Santa Fe were dressed in expensive trim-cut designer clothes and sipped white wine, n ABQ the people were wearing jeans and sweaters and drank original formula Coke.

I ordered the monte vista with sweet potato fries.  A monte vista was basically a hot french toast sandwich with a fried egg on top.  Not a good day to skip taking your lipator.

The hot syrup had some kind of spicy kick to it. I don't think that they put jalepeno in it but, there was definitely something spicy added.  The sandwich had ham, turkey and cheese in the middle.

I orderd a cup of their Covina coffee which is grown by some Colombian ABQ residents who went back to Columbia to grow the beans and sell them in Santa Fe.   It was really rich and smooth.  Very nice.

I was there right after new year's eve.  There was a sign advertising "break your resolutions with us."  This would probably do it.

Desert menu looked really good but there was just no way. I'm sure that there are some people that can do it.

I liked it I would give it a 9.5 on the DDD scale. Worth checking out.


Standard Diner
320 Central Avenue S.E.
Albuquerque, NM 87102
(505) 243-1440
www.standarddiner.com

Tecolote Cafe - Santa Fe, NM

Tecolote Cafe had a really interesting menu. It is primarily a breakfast and lunch place.  It is without a doubt a New Mexico joint with heavy influence from the typical New Mexican cuisine and it is definitely a Santa Fe joint because of the artistic flair that the locals really appreciate.

The menu itself was really interesting and you just want to try out all of the exotic sounding things. I was there for breakfast and went for the ginger pancakes.  My exotic selection was the jalapeno bacon and some coffee to wash it down. 

When the food arrived I was surprised by the smell.  The ginger pancakes were predictable because they smelled more or less like a gingerbread cookie but, the jalapeno bacon was really something.  I should have asked how they really do it but, it smelled like the thick-cut bacon was smoked with maybe cedar and jalapeno.  The bacon was spicy so, they must have grilled the bacon with jalapeno peppers though they didn’t serve any peppers with it.

The pancakes were definitely good.  It was a clever idea that I never would have thought of it but, it was really tasty.   I ordered two pancakes but, one would have been plenty.  It came with some thinly sliced pear slices on top and a wedge of lemon on the side.   I didn't quite understand the lemon but, whatever.  I'm sure that I'm missing a point here somehow. 

I have not had a bad cup of coffee in Santa Fe and this time was no exception.  I don't think that you could get away with serving the junk a regular diner could elsewhere... and they kept it coming like a good diner should.

Tecolote was a diner but, definitely not a dive.  The decor is like someone's home. It looks like mom decorated with bright cheery white walls with lemon yellow trim and frilly window treatments. There was a whole wall covered with eight framed needlepoint unicorns.  Another one had rainbow needlepoint, I think.

Like so many triple-d places, it is really for the locals and is very family friendly.  Most of the people that came in seemed to know most of the people that worked there.

Service was good.  No real complaints but, I wasn’t blown away with great service either.

Overall, I would give it a 9.0.  They get points for a really creative menu and a really pretty good meal execution.  The atmosphere didn’t have quite the flair that you would expect from a triple-D restaurant.

I was interesting that there was almost no mention of their appearance on the Food Network except for the little logo on the menu posted outside.  

Tecoloto Cafe

1203 Cerrillos Road

Santa Fe, NM 

(505) 988-1362
tecolotocafe.com