DOLC: Willow Street Restaurant.... and Diner

Willow Street Restaurant and Diner has long been a favorite go-to of ours for breakfast out... no matter what time of day it is.  They aren't open 24/7 like some other diners, but that's okay.  Willow Street isn't exactly known for it's after hours night life.

Weekend mornings are our preferred hours for Diner breakfast.  Stopping in see Sherri at 'The Diner' and have her lavish us with pots of blessed coffee and plates full of comfy goodness..... yeah, that's what it's all about. (Try the Eggs Luxembourg!)

Since our idea for 'Diners of Lancaster County' originated over breakfast at the WS Diner, it's only fitting we begin with them.

The plan is this:   We will visit every Diner-like restaurant in Lancaster County, and order a comparable meal from each.  Then, we will apply our highly unscientific and wholly arbitrary opinions in describing our experience's.   It should be a hoot!

The meal:

• A ham and cheese omelette with home-fries and toast (His favorite). 
• A "house" cheeseburger and fries, however they offer it (Her favorite).
• A pancake to share, because pancakes are a goodness that diner's should nail perfectly.
• Coffee for Himself, and iced tea for Herself.
• Pie to share, because PIE, dammit.

 Here's what The Willow Street Restaurant and Diner (In Willow Street, whowouldathoughtit?) gave us to fill our order:

Their omelette features finely chopped ham and cheese mixed well with the eggs.  This trip, the usually perfect waitress Sherri slipped a cog and didn't ask what cheese I wanted.  Possibly, she just remembered.... it that kind of place.

The omelette was well done, to the point of being slightly browned at the edges.  Now, I know some eggy mavens will go all frothy mouthed at an omelette that's not light and creamy, but it happens I like mine done firm and almost too well done.   It's a thing. If an omlete has any "raw" or mushy bits, I will get gaggy. My eggs must always have the whites completely cooked. It's a thing I have.

The home fries.... well, that's an issue.  You see, WS diner has a secret way to order them, which Sherri clued us into a few years ago.  Ask for the 'Deep Fries' instead of home fries.  What you get will be the crispiest and most addicting breakfast potatoes ever.  We LOVES us some deep-fries, and order them every single visit. I ask for them cooked hard. Then they are like thick potato chips. We have been known to steal them from each other's plates.

The toast, my preferred Rye bread version.  This visit it was almost bordering on too well toasted, but not quite.  Heavily buttered, it begged to have some Orange Marmalade spread on... which the restaurant provides in the inevitable single serving containers, racked up like soldiers in the middle of the table. Marmalade is a huge win for me. Not all diners have it, and it is a personal favorite.

For Himself, this is how such a meal is done.  THIS is the epitome of a tasty diner breakfast.  Sure, some creamed chipped beef, sausage gravy over biscuits, or even eggs benny might be chosen on occasion.  That said, a simple H&C with home fries.... that's got my name all over it.  Color me happy.

Herself can speak of her burger without much help from me.  I'll say this... it was a good, hand made, basic burger. Not fancy and no special zippity do-da condiments to hide the meat. It could have maybe done with a pickle on the plate, but that's quibbling. It came with mayo. It was cooked well-done, a preference was not asked, but with this type of diner burger I am okay with that. It maintained its flavor and was not dried out. A good, no frills burger.

The burger was served with fries. WS has chosen to go with the crispy coating fries. Not my personal favorite. I prefer fresh cut or house made chips. Their fries were well cooked though, and as tasty as they could be for me.

Moving on to The Pancake!   Nothing beats a good pancake, even when it's sitting there next to a burger and fries.  Heck, that makes it even better.

WS Diner serves up a plate sized basic pancake, light and fluffy, and nicely cooked with the GBD look (Golden, Brown, and Delicious).  We like ours buttered, and usually with the Maple. Occasionally, I (Himself) will go for the jam instead of the syrup, but only sometimes.

Two thumbs up on the WS Diner's pancakes.... worth every bite. I love carby good pancakes and WS's do not disappoint. they are also HUGE, so if you are a light eater, just order one. 
 

Coffee?  Yup.... they have coffee, and it's good.  Sensibly they serve a carafe to the table, since they also use those cute little white cups that diners everywhere in the world use.  Iconic, but way too small.  Having the carafe there saves many steps, and growls.

I'll assume her iced tea was okay.  She didn't whine about it, anyway. Their tea is house brewed and strong the way I like it. Sherri always serves it to me with two lemons. Perfect! 

Nice filling, topping, crust ratio. Now get in my mouth! 

Since PIE is the domain of Herself, I'll step back and let her take a rip at one of her favorite things.  They had a few choices: raspberry, lemon meringue, coconut custard, egg custard, and shoo fly (the demon of the pie family, YUCK!). As we never know what kinds of pie a diner will have this is one area where we may have some variances. I had the lemon meringue. A personal favorite! WS's is one of the best I have had. The meringue was perfectly firm and the lemon curd filling was smooth, lightly tart, and not overly sweet. The crust was cooked through (no one likes a soggy bottom!), flaky, and a nice base to move the delicious pie innards to my mouth hole.

How does Willow Street Restaurant and Diner Fork up? 
4 Forks for flavor.
3 Forks for atmosphere. (The decor is dated, but it is clean. Air freshener in the bathroom is usually too strong)
4.5  Forks for location. (Easy to find & plenty of parking)
4.00 Forks for your value.
4.85 Forks for service. (We have never had bad service, but we usually request Sherri. We are always seated quickly and have never waited.)
4.07 Forks overall

Diners of Lancaster County

What exactly IS a diner? 

Perhaps it's a type of restaurant, and we can list the features that make a diner a *diner*.  More likely, it's a perception in our minds, and anyplace that fits the perception then fits the name.

Lets take a shot at defining the restaurant type:  'Diner':

• A relatively small place, although this is not a given.
• Lots and lots of desserts.... most especially pie. (Mmmm...pie!)
• A counter and booths.  Free standing tables are not mandatory, but the counter is.
• Breakfast 24/7, or at least all the hours they are open.
• More pie, and cakes too. (Cream pies, fruit pies, custard pies...)
• Bottomless cups of good coffee and glasses of iced tea.
• 'American' fare, like burgers, sandwiches, and comfort food.
• Yet more pie, preferably in a revolving glass cabinet. (shining like a beacon of hope and joy!)
• Chrome, and vinyl covered seats at the counter.
• Fast service and friendly wait staff.  Even the grumpy ones are friendly.
• Condiment racks on the counter or table, containing salt, pepper, ketchup, hot sauce, sweeteners, and usually little packets of jam and jelly.
• Most of the hot foods are cooked on a flat top, and the cook is a master at home fries.
• Locally owned and operated, and not a chain store
• Did I mention pie? (*sigh* Yummy pie!)

 Myself, I believe the concept of The Diner is almost a state of mind.  Lot's of places may call themselves 'Cafe' or 'Bistro' or even 'Family Restaurant', yet when we walk in our deepest soul speaks the word 'Diner' to our heart.  We know without asking that an omelette can be had any time of day, no one would even consider charging for a coffee refill, and somewhere there's going to be a glass case showing off enough desserts to feed a football team.

Herself and I have decided to do a series on The Diners Of Lancaster County.   These kinds of places are our comfort zone.  They are where we go when we want a good meal on the quite, without pressure and without pretense.  

Til now, we've inwardly cringed against writing up our diner dining experiences, feeling that such places are off-duty for us. Now, our minds have changed a bit.  We offer our scribbling here as a way of sharing with friends.... and who doesn't like sharing a meal with friends?

For this series, we will be visiting diners around Lancaster county, ordering a matching meal at each.  Something in keeping with our comfort food tastes, and allowing us to compare apples to apples.

• A ham and cheese omelette, with home fries and toast. 
• A cheeseburger, in whatever way the place calls 'regular', along with fries.
• A pancake to share..... because life is better with pancakes.
• Coffee, and iced tea.
• Pie!  (Again, to share)

We will lead off with our go-to place, which calls itself a restaurant while still meeting every 'diner' criteria we can think of.  Stay tuned, friends!

The Revere Tavern..... (Read to the end)

The place:   Revere Tavern, 3063 Lincoln Highway, Paradise, Pa.

Dinner for two:  $107, with a decent tip.

What we ordered:  One mixed drink, one seasonal beer on tap, a bowl of signature soup, an appetizer, two entrees that came with salads, coffee, and desert to share.

What we received for our money:   A rich, satisfying, and tasty 'date-night' dinner served in a classically gentile setting, with service that made us feel like special customers.

Every once in a while, we like to get away for a nice dinner.  Just Herself and I, having a meal someplace special.  Not our everyday fare, but something outside our ordinary daily grind.  You know.... a date night.... treating ourselves to an experience as much as dinner.

This time, we chose The Revere Tavern, in Paradise.  
 
The place has been there as long as I can recall, which makes sense given it's 250+ year history. The Inn carries that age with grace and beauty, lending a lovely ambiance to the diners experience.  True to it's 'tavern' nature, the Revere also offers a comfortable bar sporting it's own light menu.

We were made to feel special from the moment we walked in, being escorted immediately to our reserved table. Service was incredibly attentive and professional. I only had two complaints that are small issues. The restaurant was not very busy, as we had early reservations and they put us in the back corner, by a serving station, so my view was poop. Also if you run cold, wear a sweater. I was very chilly, and I normally run hot. 

Service began with warm, crusty rolls and an herbed butter.   Two types of rolls were presented, two with herbs and two plain.  Herself found the herbed butter a bit too salty (a bit? A lot!) and I cannot disagree.... although I was okay with it.  Honestly, it may have been the only flaw in the entire evening.  I should note... our waiter was able to instantly tell us everything that had gone into the herbed butter upon being asked.  His knowledge of both the food and bar menus was first rate.

Salads were crisp, fresh, and Herself could barely find even a bit of wilted lettuce... and she looks hard! (I really do. I evaluate every salad I eat for the littlest bit of wilt.Wilt grosses me out, it's a thing. 😸) Basic dinner salads, relatively simple but refreshing.

For an appetizer, we shared Clams Revere, although I had but a wee nibble.... having ordered a bowl of their signature Snappy Soup.  Herself wanted nothing to do with the soup, declaring it

made from creatures of her tribe.... or something. I tasted the soup, I did not care for it. I thought snapper soup was made from Snapper the fish, not turtles. I like turtles.

 As for me, having had their Snapper Soup on previous occasions, I wouldn't have missed it.  Extremely rich, even before dosing with the provided sherry, the bowl of soup would make a fair light meal all on it's own.

Snapper Soup is perhaps a niche food.  Like Blue Crabs, or maybe Quiche..... not everyone likes it.  Those of us who do, however, *really* like it, and will go out of our way for a well done offering. Revere certainly does not disappoint on that front.  At $7 a bowl, it's not cheap, but instead an excellent value.

The clams revere were tasty. Again, maybe slightly over-salted to my taste. They are served as 5 half-shell clams, broiled with bacon, spinach, peppers, onion and Monterrey jack cheese. I was pleased with them. The clams had no grit and were not over-cooked.

For mains, we each went for our comfort zone.  Herself had mushroom ravioli:  "Sautéed wild mushrooms, baby spinach and walnuts tossed in a truffle Madeira cream sauce, over mushroom stuffed raviolis".  She went a step further and asked for a serving of grilled chicken to go with it. This was a delicious dish, that was both satisfying and tasty. The portions at Revere are generous. The chicken was grilled perfectly and was moist. It went very well with the pasta dish. I am picky about my pasta and the ravioli were cooked perfectly. No arguments on my part.  The ravioli was really nicely done. Not overdone and mushy, as so many kitchens turn out.

Lil 'ol me... I went with the beef tips: "6 oz. beef tenderloin, sauteed with onions and mushrooms in a beef burgundy sauce. Served over mashed potatoes".

Speaking for my dinner..... it was all but flawless.  Well plated, the beef was fork tender while being cooked to the medium-rare I had specified.  The gravy was intensely rich, setting the mushrooms up for success and neatly building the steak tips up to their full potential.  The mashed potatoes were flavorful, nicely seasoned, and well presented. They made a perfect counterpoint to the rich gravy and beef. I finished off his sauteed onions and mushrooms because they were too delicious to go to waste!

After dinner, even as well fed as we were, Herself just had to try the Snickerdoodle Creme Brulee, a favorite of hers (Two favorites actually, snickerdoodles are my favorite cookie...mmm cinnamon and creme brulee... mmm creamy goodness!).  Once again, The Revere did not disappoint. It was not overly sweet, having a simple light richness and flavor.  The carefully melted sugar topping was perfectly done. It had a delicious addition as cinnamon and was prepared perfectly. The custard was not too loose, nor was it scrambled eggs.

Rounding off with coffee, we sat back from the table and relaxed in peace.  It was a good moment.  A very good moment. 

By our standards, the Revere is not inexpensive.   That said, it certainly offers a value that exceeds the bottom line on the check. It is a classically good restaurant that is exactly what it purposes to be, fine dining in a beautiful location. We exchanged some dollars for an excellent memory, and that's priceless.

How does The Revere Tavern Fork up? 
4.75 Forks for flavor.
4 Forks for atmosphere. (This was decided after some discussion, because I was unhappy with our particular table, and cold the entire evening.)
4.5  Forks for location. (Easy to find & plenty of parking)
3.75 Forks for your value. (Expensive, but worth it.)
4.85 Forks for service.
4.37 Forks overall

********************************************************************************
We went back.  Stayed at the hotel, and had dinner again at the Revere.   It caused us to reconsider our rating, and we can no longer go with a 4.37 forks.  Due to some issues and general unhappiness, I doubt we will be back.    You draw your own conclusion, but we will take our hard earned money elsewhere I think.