Cellar Scribblings

[CellarDweller]

Was it one of those old-fashioned kind of diners like the characters on Seinfeld hang out at? (One year, I ate Thanksgiving dinner in that very diner.) Or more of a nouveau version? In my city, there are old-fashioned diners left over from their original era, but anything new would be either more foodie-friendly with creative twists on classic things (e.g., a place that specializes in hot dogs with unusual toppings) or sort of flashily retro.

Oh, it's not an old-fashioned diner.  In fact, it was just remodeled and renamed.  The original diner (named Versailles) was very slow and was showing its age.  I'm guessing new owners bought it and are making it a success.

It was packed the night we were there!

I'll have to say, peanut butter and bacon pancakes don't automatically sound delicious. Were they?

Everything's better with bacon. ... 

 

They were very tasty!  They were regular pancakes, with pieces of bacon and peanut butter chips mixed into them.  I would order them again.

I've never been there, but I've been to a Top Golf, and I'll bet it's similar. Do you stand in an elevated open room with a regular golf club and ball, and try to hit the ball into one of the large holes scattered about the grounds, some trickier than others and therefore worth more points?

I think it's different.  Monster Golf is like an indoor miniature golf course, but it's darkened and decorated with 'monsters' and such as you go through the course, and a lot of glow-in-the-dark paint.

For what?

I got a bunch of cut-out paper decorations for my apartment door.   Granted, no one sees it but me and the other two apartments on the second floor, but it makes it cheery.  I got hearts for Valentine's Day, shamrocks for St. Patrick's Day, and Easter Eggs for Easter.

This is what the door looks like now.

[Sason]

Oh, it's not an old-fashioned diner.  In fact, it was just remodeled and renamed.  The original diner (named Versailles) was very slow and was showing its age.  I'm guessing new owners bought it and are making it a success.

It was packed the night we were there!




 

So what's the difference between a diner and a restaurant?

[brianr]

So what's the difference between a diner and a restaurant?

That confused me as well. I always thought a diner was like in the top photo where you sit at the counter. I have only ever found this is North America and hate it. I would avoid but often no choice especially for a single person. Very occasionally there might be a similar situation here, where you sit while waiting for your table to be prepared, but more likely it will be lounge chairs, much more civilised. The lower photo is more like a restaurant or a cafe. A cafe is less likely to be open in the evening (but there are exceptions) while a restaurant is more upmarket.

[serious crayons]

So what's the difference between a diner and a restaurant?

And what about an eatery? Or bistro? Or cafe?

I think  grilled cheese sandwiches, bacon and eggs, but maybe also, like, roast beef or hot turkey sandwiches with mashed potatoes and gravy. That's a classic diner dish, IMO. Also, people mostly drink coffee, juice or milk. I don't think of diners as selling alcohol, typically.

Cafe seems like kind of a diner but slightly fancier, and a bistro is a slightly fancier cafe!    An eatery is what a restaurant critic calls them after running through all the other words. 

[brianr]

We do not use diner nor eatery. A bistro is usually found in a hotel attached to a bar, often you order and wait for your number to display (or now a gadget to buzz on your table ) then go and collect from the servery.  As I said, a cafe tends to have lighter meals and often closes by 4pm, sometimes open very early for breakfast. A restaurant is more formal but the boundaries between cafe and restaurant can be blurred. At home I rarely eat out in the evening so rarely go to a restaurant. My sister visited in early December and we went to a restaurant one night before the ballet then to a very expensive one at a winery for lunch (sort of an early Christmas lunch as I did not go back to Sydney for Christmas). We also went to a sort of in-between restaurant/cafe the night before as we were staying in the town near the wineries. Then the following week I had friends (ex-students) visit and I took them to an upmarket restaurant in my home city. I paid my very inflated Mastercard on Monday
However I would go to a cafe for lunch or coffee several times most weeks, often alone while shopping, sometimes with friends after movie, hiking or gallery etc visit. I started a group called Just Coffee and we meet one morning per month. The aim was to try out all the cafes in the city. In just over 3 years we have been to 35 different cafes. I thought we were running out and repeated a few in the last few months but some of the ladies have given me a list of about half a dozen mainly down in the university area where I rarely venture.

[CellarDweller]

I believe that a restaurant is more 'upscale' type of experience.

A better type of food, perhaps more intricate or fancier.

A diner is more casual, and you can usually order "Americana" style of foods like fried chicken, meatloaf, burgers and fries, as well as breakfast items like french toast, eggs and pancakes.

Also most restaurants will have an open and close time,  and may have set menus for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  A diner is open (at least in NJ) 24 hours, and if you want breakfast food at 7PM, you can order that, the full menu is available at all times.

[serious crayons]

often you order and wait for your number to display (or now a gadget to buzz on your table ) then go and collect from the servery.

That's so different from here that I don't even know what a servery is!

I believe that a restaurant is more 'upscale' type of experience.

A better type of food, perhaps more intricate or fancier.

A diner is more casual, and you can usually order "Americana" style of foods like fried chicken, meatloaf, burgers and fries, as well as breakfast items like french toast, eggs and pancakes.

Also most restaurants will have an open and close time,  and may have set menus for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  A diner is open (at least in NJ) 24 hours, and if you want breakfast food at 7PM, you can order that, the full menu is available at all times.

My definition of diner is exactly that (I forgot about meat loaf!), except around here they do open and close and some don't serve breakfast all day. I don't know if you have Denny's there, but to me that's just like a diner, except that diners aren't typically chains. Oh OK, I did a quick check and apparently there are 8 Denny's in NJ.

I personally wouldn't call McDonald's a "fast food restaurant," but I believe technically they are called that (I'd just say "fast food place"). But otherwise I think I'd use "restaurant" for just about anything above that.

I suppose next you're going to tell me you don't call carbonated soft drinks "pop"! 



 

[brianr]

Servery" a counter, service hatch, or room from which meals are served.
In most houses built before or shortly after the war, kitchens had a servery to the outside which had a door on the inside which could be locked. The milkman left bottles of milk in there and the baker left bread.  However in Taverns here the servery is much bigger, the door can be rolled up to provide a counter at times when meals are served. Servery can also be use for the food service area in canteens as in universityies. As we (thankfully) do not tip, it is quite common to go and collect one's meal when it is ready. Of course the meals are cheaper than in a full restaurant. I would not call MacDonalds a restaurant either but they do advertise themselves that way. I have become lactose intolerant so sadly no longer buy a shake with my big mac and fries. Instead I order a coffee and have been surprised to be given a number and told to go and sit at a table and my meal is brought to me.

[CellarDweller]

Hiya BetterMost friends.

Happy Hump Day everyone!

I spent Tuesday and Wednesday in the whole jury duty selection process.  Almost made it through the first day, but at 3:15 got called with a group of 50 people to be selected to be a jury.  After an introduction to the process, we were told it was 4:00, and we could go home.

I went back today, sat around, at then at 12:30 I was called to be interviewed to sit on the jury, however, because I had to deal with a situation that was similar to the case, I was excused.  By this time other uncalled jurors were going to lunch, so when I went to check back in to go into the jury pool, I was told  that since it was my second day, I could go home.

[CellarDweller]

My definition of diner is exactly that (I forgot about meat loaf!), except around here they do open and close and some don't serve breakfast all day. I don't know if you have Denny's there, but to me that's just like a diner, except that diners aren't typically chains. Oh OK, I did a quick check and apparently there are 8 Denny's in NJ.

I personally wouldn't call McDonald's a "fast food restaurant," but I believe technically they are called that (I'd just say "fast food place"). But otherwise I think I'd use "restaurant" for just about anything above that.

I suppose next you're going to tell me you don't call carbonated soft drinks "pop"! 

Yes, we have the Denny's chain here in NJ, and I've been to it a few times.  It's ok, but I usually don't go there. 

I agree with you and Brian, that McDonald's is not a restaurant.  I will  usually just say 'fast food', or (like you) 'fast food place'.   The same term will be applied to Burger King, Taco Bell, Wendy's, KFC, and places like that.

As for your "pop" expression, I have a story about that.  A group of friends and I went on a road trip to Myrtle Beach, which is down South from NJ.  We stopped at a diner to eat, and I had the following conversation with the waitress.  The first sentence is mine.

"I'll have a soda"

"A what?"

"A soda."

"What's that?"

"You know, a Coke."

"Oh, you mean pop."

"No, I mean soda."

"No, you mean pop."

"I'll bet you $5.00 it's called 'soda'."

"Ok, I'll bet you $5.00 it's called 'pop'."

The waitress then goes into the kitchen and comes out holding a bottle of Coke, laughing out loud.  On the bottom of the label, were the words "Soda Pop".