Papa Pete's in Bennington

 After a morning of antiquing we were starving, so I pulled up my trusty Yelp app for brunch recommendation. Papa Pete's was the highest rated.

Cash only and on the outskirts of town, just how we like it!

 First of all, this. It is so rare for mimosas to be on the menu around here, this was a welcome treat!

 A simple breakfast burrito: egg, black beans, vermont white cheddar, and salsa. All totally fresh and delicious. The homefries were well seasoned ad made with onions. Both rare in Upstate NY. Usually our homefries are potatoes only with NO seasonings.

 M said this eggs benedict was the best. Fresh ham, good home fries, and paprika sprinkled on top. He ate this so fast it was gone before I had even made it 1/4 of the way through my breakfast burrito.

 Then this. M wanted to split pancakes and the waitress warned us that ordering ONE is more than enough for two people to share, and she wasn't kidding!

 Our blueberry pancake was served on a pizza platter WITH a pizza cutter and fresh Vermont Maple Syrup. 

For how large it was, I immediately thought it would be all show and no substance. But this was the most perfectly cooked pancake I have EVER had. Our waitress told us the chef makes these babies with ONE spatula. That is skill. If you're ever in Bennington Vermont, this is the place to check out!

Diner dates

 M and I like to go to the diner for breakfast, that is no secret.

 It's not just the retro vintage charm and consistant cheap food.

The diner is where we take the time to sit down across from one another in a booth and just spill our guts. We talk about whatever has been on our minds recently over cups of coffee and over-easy eggs. It's a place where we can spend some time and leave feeling full in more ways than one. I hope we never stop taking the time for our diner dates.

Triangle Diner

 M and I went to an antique show this weekend and found ourselves in need of brunch after our early morning browsing. We had already tried a few diners in the area and wanted to find some place new. I searched for 'breakfast' on my Yelp app, and the Triangle Diner came up with the highest ratings. It was a 10 minute drive from where we were, so we decided to give it a go.

 Walking in, it was BUSY but moving quickly. We waited about 5 minutes for a table. I really liked the black and white themed interior, especially the checkerboard floor. The seats at the counter did not have backs on them, so we definitely needed to wait for a table.

 Yelp reviewers did not disappoint. The menu had some great omelettes, pancakes, and french toast options along with regular breakfast staples. Their breakfast specials were irresistible and we both ended up ordering a special.

 I had a REALLY tough time deciding between two specials. They had a Chocolate Chip Honey french toast that sounded AMAZING. But I decided to go with the slightly more healthy California Benedict. It was eggs benedict, but instead of the usual meat it had tomato and avocado slices. It was amazing. The homefries were ok, but they were nothing to write home about.

 M's special was the Irish Benedict. Eggs benedict with corned beef hash instead of the usually bacon or ham. He said it was delicious. I had to take his word for it since his dish wasn't exactly vegetarian friendly.

One thing the Trinagle does that is rare around here is offering a single slice of french toast as a side. It wasn't quite as well seasoned as the side of french toast at Otto's, and it was a little eggy for my taste, but not bad! If we ever find ourselves needing breakfast in the Saratoga area, this may be our new go-to!

Otto's Breakfast Deli

 We were in the Berkshires this weekend for a friend's wedding and found ourselves in need of breakfast. I had looked on Yelp for diners in the area, and when we had trouble locating the highest rated one, we stumbled upon Otto's. I'm glad we did! We enjoyed it so much, we actually came back the next morning got breakfast again! M and I both ordered coffees and were greeted with this cheeky mug. Unfortunately, they were not selling them or I probably would have bought one, just 'cause.

 The walls were covered with old black and white photos, charmingly subtle.

 This place is small, 10 tables plus counter seats. We got a table, but one thing I noticed and liked about the counter seats is that the stools have backs on them. The backless stools are usually the reason I avoid counter seating at diners, so Otto's immediately got a plus one for that little touch.

The service was quick and friendly. If Otto's existed closer to home, I think they might take over as our number one diner pick. The food was much more fresh than your average diner fare. M ordered 'The Deli Plate' aka eggs over easy, bacon, sausage, homefries, toast, and corned beef hash. He also got a short stack of pancakes with.....REAL maple syrup. No complaints from him. 

I ordered 2 eggs over easy, pumpernickle (!!!!) toast, home fries, and something that instantly made me fall in love with Otto's: a side of french toast. AKA ONE PIECE of french toast. Brilliant! The eggs were perfectly done, the toast nice and crisp, the homefries had great seasoning on them (something homefries in our immediate area sorely lacks) and were perfectly cooked, but the french toast was the icing on top of an already perfect breakfast. One piece of french toast, cooked perfectly with seasoning! Also unheard of in our area. Some cinnamon, maybe a little nutmeg baked right in. And with the real maple syrup, there was no way it could have been any better.

Capital District Diners, you are on notice: step up your game, cause Lee Massachusetts isn't that far away...

Goodbye Miss Albany

Our beloved Miss Albany Diner closed for business on Friday February 10, ans we didn't get a chance to make it back one last time. The owners sold the building because they wanted to retire from running the diner, but they kept the rights to the name and the recipes, so unless they decide to open up somewhere else, it's gone for good. And even if they did open somewhere else, it wouldn't be the same if it wasn't in that old diner car on Broadway.  We hadn't had a chance to go back in a while, I guess we kind of figured it would always be there. We were wrong. Congratulations, Jack's. You're now number one in our books.

(read our post reviewing the Miss Albany diner here)

(read the New York Times article about the closing of Miss Albany here)

Blue Benn

 On the recommendation of one of M's co-workers, we took a day trip to Bennington, Vermont on one of the coldest days of the year. Our destination: Blue Benn Diner.

When we pulled up to the front, I realized that I had eaten here with friends about 6 years ago, and remembered it being pretty good.

 The two stained glass panels in the front were awesome.

It was a shame we had to enjoy them while waiting for a table on their enclosed front entryway. That wasn't heated. On the coldest day of the year.

Luckily, the wait for a booth ended up being less than 10 minutes, and soon enough we were seated. Though it was still pretty cold inside because of the drafty nature of vintage diner cars.

Each booth has an authentic jukebox, which we loved.

 I ordered the huevos rancheros. It was pretty decent, but had a bit too many jalepenos on it for my taste.

M ordered his go-to: eggs benedict. His homefries were undercooked, to the point where he said a few bites had the texture of biting into an apple. And they were bland and unseasoned. He also thought something was off with the hollandaise sauce, that it was a bit too eggy. 

We ordered "cinnamon swirl" french toast, and were a bit disappointed when this showed up. It looked like they had taken some Pepperidge Farm cinnamon raisin bread, egged it, and threw it on the grill. I guess we were expecting something more. However, they did offer us REAL Vermont maple syrup, a little cream pitcher full for the small up charge of $1, which we thought was much more reasonable than most local diners charge for the real thing.

The interior reminded us a lot of our beloved Miss Albany Diner, which I guess is why we expected more of this place. We were expecting the same caliber of a more gourmet breakfast, and were presented with just "diner diner" food.

After our disappointing breakfast, we decided to drive around a little bit. We went up to a giant Revolutionary War monument, but because it was so cold outside, we didn't really take much time to enjoy the town like we could have. We'll be back Bennington, but maybe not until June or July!

Poughkeepsie Palace

M and I took a day trip to Poughkeepsie, and of course we had to hit up a local diner while we were there.

We did a little internet research, and found a top rated place to check out.

The Palace Diner sure hit the bill on exterior decor!

The menu was extensive and hit the mark for both "diner-diner" food AND upscale diner food.

We were seated at a booth with a jukebox, and our awesome waitress had us sipping on coffees in no time. Truth be told, the coffee was a little bitter, but everything else more than made up for it.

M ordered his short stack with REAL maple syrup, and this little gem was delivered at his request.

 I had my staple: two eggs over easy, ham, home fries, and rye toast. It was delicious.

 M's short stack had a pat of butter and a sprinkle of powdered sugar.

M's eggs benedict. He said this was good, but no where NEAR as good as the eggs benedict that he gets at Jack's in Albany.

I ordered a short stack of sweet potato pancakes. I can not tell you how delicious these are! It was like eating sweet potato pie in pancake form.

Eating at the Palace made me wish that it was close than 2 hours away. If you ever find yourself in the Hudson Valley, this is definitely a place worth checking out.

Duncan's

 After hearing much fanfare over how great Duncan's is, we decided it was finally time to try it out. As we pulled up to the unassuming building surrounded by dozens of cars, we had a feeling that this place would live up to the hype.

 There are two different schools of diners: diner diners, and diners who are trying to go gourmet.  Duncan's in definitely a diner diner. The waitress was quick and brought us our drinks within minutes. The coffee was good. And by good, I mean typical diner coffee, my favorite!

 Most of the seating at Duncan's is around a huge counter that surrounds the kitchen area. We were lucky enough to snag a table in the small dining room around back.

The food came out really quickly, and was spot on diner diner food. The eggs were perfectly overeasy, the toast perfectly buttered, the sausage was delicious and fresh, M loved his bacon. The only thing we weren't crazy about were the home fries. They were big and cooked well, but really bland. They could use some seasoning or onions or something. We also split a short stack of the pancakes and they were spot on. M was also psyched that instead of the usual diner "table syrup," we were served individual packets of Aunt Jemima. 

We were impressed, and we will be back for sure!

Bob's Diner

 Recently, on a crisp, cold autumn morning we decided to try a diner we've been driving past a lot since moving into our new house. We walked into Bob's Diner, and after waiting a bit for a booth we were finally seated. At a booth right under the air conditioner. Which was on full blast. Did I mention "crisp, cold autumn morning?"

 So we sat under the AC, shivering, and waited for the bus girl to take our drink order. An waited some more, then waited a little longer. Finally after about 15 minutes she wandered over.

 The waitress came over soon after and took our food order. The food came out fairly quickly, and she topped off our coffee. Then we literally NEVER saw her again. No, seriously: LITERALLY.

 I will give them this, there was a lot of food on those plates. But for the price they are charging, the quality should definitely be kicked up a notch. The coffee was bitter and burnt, the bacon was paper thin and flavorless, the home fries were bland and buttery, the eggs were ok...I mean how hard is it to screw up over easy eggs?

Then there was the french toast. White bread, egg wash, griddle, done. No seasoning at all. This was seriously made with WONDER BREAD. Who does this at a restaurant any more? This was more like "I'm at home, I'm lazy, but I want some French Toast" kinda French Toast. Not what a diner should be serving.

So we ate our breakfast in shocked, freezing amazement. Then waited for the check. And waited and waited. The waitress was NOWHERE to be found. Finally after 15 minutes the bus girl came and cleared our dishes. But the waitress was MIA. 20 minutes after our dishes had been cleared we were finally sick of waiting, and went to the register where we stood for a few more minutes before a different waitress came over to help us. We could have literally walked out. She asked us where our check was, and we told her that we were wondering the same thing. Then we rattled off what we had ordered, whipped out the debit card, and finally escaped. 

The clientele at Bob's was mostly elderly or older folks. I'm convinced that it's because they are all still sitting their waiting on their checks from 20 years ago.

Never again. Bob's you are officially at the bottom of the list.