Starlite Diner

The old Hess shoe store on Belvedere Avenue near York Road has been at least four restaurants over the past dozen or so years: Taste, Crush, Shoo Fly, and now Starlite Diner. Crush was my favorite of the bunch and I was very sorry to see it go; I particularly liked Demi, the small plates restaurant on the lower level. Taste was a bit all over the place--sometimes the food was good, and other times not so good. Shoo Fly was Spike Gjerde's attempt at a diner that had his local-only farm-to-table gimmick. The food was diner-ish, but prices were high and sometimes patrons want a damn lemon wheel for their cocktail. Shoo Fly didn't attract the hoi palloi, something at which Starlite Diner seems to be more successful. On the Saturday evening we were there, the place was fairly busy. Not hopping, as it was only 5pm, but more people came in as the night went on.

The decor is bright and funky, like a restaurant from the Jetsons rather than the streamlined chrome-tastic look sported by most other local diners. Starlite offers breakfast all day, such things as huevos rancheros and Oreo pancakes, plus a lunch and dinner menu full of trendy items like brussels sprouts and sliders with a couple of brief nods to diner food in the form of meatloaf and a roasted turkey sandwich.

Our party of four tried three apps, three items from the dinner menu, and one breakfast item.

Devils on Horseback is a fine retro appetizer. Ordinarily they're a play on Angels on Horseback, or oysters wrapped in bacon, substituting a dried fruit--like dates--for the oysters. At Starlite, they're a bit confused: deviled eggs topped with a fried oyster and a dollop of pimento aioli. They were...ok. The egg filling was a bit stiff for my taste, and the oysters overcooked. Potentially very good, however, and maybe they are on other nights.

This is the lobster mac and cheese. The lobster mac at Crush was probably the best version of that luxurious now-classic that I've ever tasted. Starlite's lobster mac was....meh. I liked the use of cavatappi, but prefer a saucier mac, and I really don't like my mac blanketed in stiff melted cheese. The screaming yellow cheese on the bright yellow plate was not appealing. A garnish of finely chopped parsley or green onion would go a long way to make the dish more attractive.

The fried brussels sprouts with bacon bits and a shower of finely grated Parmesan cheese was more successful. I can't rave over them, but I can't complain at all, either.

The breakfast item we tried was suitable for dinner - chicken and waffles. Three pieces of boneless fried chicken, both white and dark meat, were served over a fluffy Belgian-style waffle and came with a side of chipotle aioli. I felt the chicken was a bit bland, but it was nicely crispy. My biggest complaint (and you knew there'd be something) was the syrup. While Mrs Butterworth's/Log Cabin was fine in my youth (because I didn't know that their fenugreek flavoring really doesn't taste like maple at all) I wanted the real deal. I suppose I am spoiled.

Mr Minx ordered the shrimp and sausage jambalaya, which came with a chunk of cornbread and a shit-ton of butter (presumably for the cornbread). I detected cumin, which made the dish seem more like Mexican rice than jambalaya. But I suppose we're not in New Orleans. <sigh>

I had the short rib tacos. They were chock-full of tender shredded meat, tomatillo salsa, and queso fresco. They tasted pretty good, but were messy to eat. Perhaps doubling the corn tortillas so they don't fall apart would help. (It would.) The tacos came with a side salad, which I loved--a simple mix of baby greens with a bit of feta and a light toss in the slightly sweet house vinaigrette.

More of that salad and a side of crispy fries came with the pimento cheeseburger. I thought this was the best dish of the night. The 8oz Angus patty was nicely pink on the inside, with a terrific charbroiled flavor. It was topped with a house-made pimento cheese of cheddar flavored with bacon, onion, and chipotle peppers.

We had ordered a lot of food, so we declined dessert from the display of cheesecakes and whatnot from the case near the front door.

The prices are right at Starlite Diner, at least for the food. The most expensive items on the menu both involve steak; a 12oz strip with frites is $24, and a 10oz strip with eggs, home fries, and a salad is $20. There's also a lobster club for $18. The rest of the menu averages $10-$12, depending on whether it's a breakfast or dinner item. The $3 Natty Boh draft seemed a steal, especially when compared to the cocktails. We tried the Vega ($11) and the Bellatrix ($9). While both were made with quality spirits, the alcohol was quite diluted by other ingredients and neither drink packed any sort of punch.

Service is....ok. It's not bad, but it's not good, either. The person who led us to our seats gave us regular menus, but not the drink menu. Our waiter filled water glasses then left. After a somewhat long wait, he returned to take our drink order, but as we had not received those most important menus, we spent more time waiting while he returned with them, and then again for him to come back to take our order. Later, our entrees arrived while we were still eating our appetizers. This was a problem noted in Suzanne Loudermilk's Sun review in early November and was still an issue in early December.

While I think Starlite will be more successful than its predecessors in that particular location, it didn't quite satisfy any of our dining needs. It should, however, be popular with young families (there's a kids' menu, and the decor is fun) and folks in search of a good burger (who aren't into Clark Burger for whatever reason).



Posted on Minxeats.com.

Broadway Diner Revisited

When the Broadway Diner opened in the early 2000s, I was cautiously optimistic. There was a dearth of good restaurants in the Dundalk area, limiting our dining options whenever Minx and I would visit my mother and brother. A diner would provide a place where everyone could get something regardless of what they had an appetite for, the portions would be big, and the prices reasonable. The only question was, would the food taste good? Well, we were happy to find that the food exceeded our expectations and, over the years, we have enjoyed many a meal there.

I have fond memories of eating at the Broadway Diner, most of them football related. I recall watching Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers win a divisional playoff game against the Seahawks in a raging snowstorm while eating prime rib, for example. And for some reason, we were always at the diner when the first round of the NFL draft was going on. I watched the Baltimore Ravens draft the likes of Haloti Ngata, Ben Grubbs, Joe Flacco, and Michael Oher while enjoying meat loaf, cheeseburgers, and roast chicken. The Minx even reviewed the diner way back in 2008.

Sadly, since my mother can not get around easily anymore, we haven't been to the diner in a few years. Then the other day, we were heading to Essex and decided to stop hop off I-95 at the Eastern Avenue exit to grab some dinner. At first. we were assaulted with the plethora of Guy Fieri pictures on the wall (he filmed a segment of Diners, Dipshits, and Douchebags there a few years ago), so we averted our eyes and followed the host to our table. Broadway has all the familiar chrome and glass decor one associates with a modern diner trying to make you feel like you are in the past. Despite the artifice, the place has always had an air of genuine warmth. The wait staff is friendly and there are always regulars chatting at the counter. It just feels comfortable there.

After being away for some time, we felt some trepidation that the food may not be what it was. The Minx was not all that hungry, but chose to splurge on the broiled crab cake platter. Just as I have a fixation with meat loaf, Minx has to try every crab cake in town. Broadway's crab cakes were pretty top notch. The large and meaty cakes, which looked to have been formed with an ice cream scoop, were nicely broiled to an actual brown (unlike the albino broiled cakes served in many other restaurants). There was both minimal breading and binder holding together the moderately-sized lumps of crab, making for a somewhat firm cake. The flavor was herbacious in bites, and crab-spiced in others, which was a bit unusual, but the flavor of the seafood manged to shine through. The picky Minx felt these were top-notch cakes. Offering both tartar sauce and cocktail sauce was a nice touch.

Broiled Crab Cakes

Since I was going to be speaking with people later that evening, I searched the menu for something that would not generate bad breath. The Chicken Diana looked to fit the bill with chunks of tender chicken breast, asparagus, broccoli, and a blanket of melted Swiss cheese over angel hair pasta. Mild and creamy with a healthy portion of pasta, it was rich and comforting while offering enough green vegetables (a shame the asparagus was a bit bland and overcooked) to make me feel like I was eating healthily. The huge portion almost required a doggy bag, but I polished off the plate.

Chicken Diana - Chicken breast, asparagus, broccoli,
and swiss cheese sauce over angel hair pasta

We didn't have time for dessert, but we knew from past experience that they were also quite good. It was reassuring to find that one of our favorite diners had not lost any of its appeal after all these years. We hope to make some more memories soon.

Broadway Diner
6501 Eastern Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21224
410-631-5666

Posted on Minxeats.com.

Nautilus Diner

While it seems that the Minxes mainly dine at either high-end restaurants serving "modern American cuisine" or a hole-in-the wall Chinese or Thai joint, the place that has probably gotten most of our dining-out business is the Nautilus Diner, on York Road below Timonium Road. Where else can we have a good bargain meal and have leftovers to boot?

On occasion we'll order their serviceable cheeseburgers (we usually get them "deluxe" with slaw, pickle, fries AND onion rings), but more often than not we'll get a whole dinner. In most cases, these come with soup or a (fairly substantially-proportioned) garden salad, plus choice of potato and veg. Regularly, I eat the salad, the potato, and the veg, and take the protein home for another day. That was the case on a recent visit to the Nautilus, when Mr Minx and I were accompanied by his brother, Craig.

I had the half baked chicken with stuffing, a baked potato, and stewed eggplant. I ate the wing, a slice of thigh, the stuffing, eggplant, and about half the potato. Our dog Milo was the happy recipient of some of the breast meat, and the remainder made a nice chicken salad for my lunch later in the week. While the chicken was slightly dry, the skin was nice and crisp, and the eggplant had a nice punch of red pepper. Oh, and it was $12.99

Mr Minx had the prime rib, a $17.99 special that day. His brother had the whole rockfish for the same price. The steak was tender and juicy. I didn't try the fish but Craig seemed to enjoy it quite a bit, saying it was perfectly cooked.

In the past, we've enjoyed the restaurant's huge servings of lasagna, moussaka, meatloaf, and fried chicken. Their crab cakes are a little bready, but otherwise tasty. Less successful are dry souvlaki and dull grilled chicken sandwiches.

The Nautilus recently introduced a new menu with trendy additions to the roster of classic fare. Now one can get a pastrami and swiss burger, a chicken cordon bleu panini, or a spinach quesadilla, as well as breakfast all day (and night) long.

Nautilus Diner
2047 York Rd.
Timonium, MD 21093
410 561 9236

Broadway Diner

Last night, after a hard day of configuring my Mother-in-Law's new computer and watching football, we decided to have dinner the Broadway Diner. Past diner experiences in the Dundalk area were usually had at the Boulevard Diner, but I was ready to try the new kid in town.

Mr Minx and I had driven past the Broadway Diner construction site for many months, yet never had the opportunity to eat there. The decor was much like our local Nautilus Diner with similarly colored wood trim and ceiling treatment, and like most diners had a pastry case in front of the entrance, luring patrons in with its glistening éclairs and strawberry-topped cheesecakes.

The menu was the typical huge selection of classic diner fare, burgers, and Greek specialties, but there were some twists. There were a selection of burgers, for example, served on focaccia bread, and some oddball salad choices ("Mango Swordfish Salad"). We went for the more pedestrian: liver and onions (my MIL); chef salad (BIL); prime rib (Mr Minx); and "Land and Sea" (moi). Except the chef salad, entrees came with the usual choice of soup or salad plus vegetables and/or potatoes. In other words, a ton of food.

I had never tried liver and onions before, so ventured a forkful of my MIL's. It tasted, unsurprisingly, like liver. I didn't mind it, but a diner-sized portion of the stuff is way too much. Her mashed potatoes were much like homemade: lumpy, red skins here and there, and seasoned with something oniony. I liked that the roast beef on my BIL's salad was unseasoned brisket, the only stuff I'll allow in a roast beef sandwich (a holdover from my Jewish deli-filled childhood). Mr Minx's prime rib was at least the 20oz advertised, if not more. It tasted merely ok, but the green beans on the side were still surprisingly crisp and fresh-tasting. My "Land and Sea" was an extravagance which included a NY strip steak topped with spinach, a portobello mushroom, and melted cheese, accompanied by two each crabmeat-stuffed scallops and shrimp. The meat was flavorful and well-seasoned, and the crabmeat was of the lump variety. My baked potato was marred by its aluminum foil wrapper, but it was moist and needed little butter. Everything was very tasty.

Between my husband and myself, we have enough leftover beef for two more meals, which is one of my favorite things about diner food: it's a good value for the money.

Although I do like the Boulevard Diner, I think I'd like to make the Broadway a more regular dinner destination when we're on that side of town. There were plenty of things on the slightly offbeat menu that I'd love to try.

Broadway Diner
6501 Eastern Ave
Baltimore, MD 21224
(410) 631-5666