Drumore Diner.......

Drumore Diner, 1426 Lancaster pike, Quarryville.   A few miles down Rt 272, past Buck.

These are the folks that took over RD's old restaurant a while back.  We held off going to visit til they got settled in for a time.  Getting a restaurant off the ground is HARD WORK, and frankly those first few months can be hit-or-miss.

I walked in the door actively comparing the place to RD's, one of the best foodie havens that ever existed.  Truthfully, it was unfair to The Drumore to make that comparison, and Herself turned on her 'conscience' mode and snapped me out of it.  'NO" she said..... "Just take them on their own merits, like any other place". (I felt that was only fair. We have always prided ourselves on being fair, and only comparing a place to other similar places of it's nature.)

Okay... Okay..... Grumble growl..... but I do miss RD's barbecue, I do.

We Stopped in at The Drumore Diner on the weekend, on our way to do a bit of grocery shopping.  A late breakfast, and a chance to see what the new place is putting on the table.

Decor wise, not much has changed.  Some paint here and there, new pictures on the walls, but that's about it.  I suppose, what more was needed?  It was a turn-key restaurant, ready to operate from it's last owner. Just a country diner, with it's future resting on the quality of their food and the people serving it up. It was clean, busy, and loud. A lot of people seem to be going there for breakfast.
Herself ordered a "gourmet" muffin, and some sort of cheese omelet thing.  She can tell you her thoughts on the egg thingy... best I leave it at that.

The muffin turned out to be an Otis Spunkmeyer offering, like convenience stores sell, only unwrapped and on a plate (I suspect it is part of their food delivery, somewhat better than convenience store brand, but not much).  I can't imagine it's exactly the same thing that Sam's Club sells at $8 for 15.... but it pretty much tasted like it.  The restaurant missed a serious bet here, giving up the chance to make their own fresh.  Muffins are pretty easy to gin up, even on a busy morning of prep.   Fresh muffins and Sticky Buns can define a breakfast place, if well done. Here I agree 100% fresh baked goods with breakfast make the difference between "okay" and "wow"

For breakfast, I ordered scrambled eggs with cheddar cheese, wheat toast and homefries "cooked hard" with a side of bacon. Nothing was wrong with my meal; but there was nothing remarkable about it either. I will say their potatoes are okay, although they asked me what "cooked hard" meant, and I thought that was weird.

Oh..... They don't have sticky buns.  Sigh. (*Rage flips the table!*)

As for my Brekkie, I figured a nice egg sammich would do the trick.  Something simple, and a chance to see what flavors the Drumore could bring to the plate.

So, a Bacon and Egg sandwich, on sourdough toast. 

That's exactly what I got.  Two slices of sourdough toast, some bacon, and some fried egg.

What I didn't get was flavor. The toast seemed to be missing butter.  The bacon.... just blah (although he commented it was chopped up, not whole which made the sandwich easier to eat.)  The egg.... screaming for seasoning.  Overall it was dry and bland.  

I tried to give it a fair shake, but I gave up after eating half of it.  I wasn't that hungry I guess, and there wasn't anything on the plate encouraging me to keep going.

They say hunger is the best sauce.... and that sandwich NEEDED some sauce, or something.  Butter on the toast, and perhaps bacon with personality.  Seasoning on the egg, certainly.  A side dish of salsa would have helped beyond measure.  

Sorry Drumore.... It just wasn't that good a sammich.

The service was good, bordering on excellent. (Although coffee service started off slow, it made Hisself pouty. Which is adorable!) The atmosphere, just like a country diner should be.  The food?   Lacked heart and soul.  It's hot calories on a plate, but there's no love there.

We'll go back one day soon, and see how their dinner menu stacks up.  I have hopes.... but very cautious ones.  In a restaurant, the plate is a canvas.  The cook makes their art happen on that plate. Or doesn't.   

How does The Drumore Diner Fork up?
2 Forks for flavor. (it wasn't bad flavor, just lacking) 
3.75 Forks for atmosphere.
4.5  Forks for location (in RD's old location, so even though the lot is weirdly shaped there is plenty of parking)  
5 Forks for your value. (The prices are VERY reasonable) 
3.25 Forks for service. (Leslie was our server and she is a gem! I do have to ding a little for slow coffee service. They do a weird thing where the server has envelopes and everyone deals with their own tables payments instead of having a hostess. I don't care for this as it takes servers away from serving. In a diner setting, time is better spent allowing your servers to serve.)
3.7 Forks overall