Today Long Island

On a recent business outing my colleague suggested we move our meeting to a diner nearby for a bite to eat. Having never eaten at this particular place, colleague number two suggested that maybe we should go to TGI Friday's instead. "You know how iffy diners can be" she said. This got me thinking.

The foundation of the chain restaurants seems to be their consistency. A great thing when you're hungry and don't want to take any chances, particularly while traveling in an unknown city. In some cases you sacrifice quality for consistency, but really this is becoming less the case. Take for example this diner that we ultimately decided to patronize.

Located in Huntington, this diner was a disappointment from the first second I stepped out of the car. I was greeted with the stench of sewage coming up from the storm drain in the parking lot. How that smell got there I don't even want to think about. So holding our breath we braved it inside.

The menu was the standard diner menu with a noteworthy addition of a pannini section. Though a bit expensive for diner fare it was within acceptable range of $8 to $15 for a lunch entree. There was a Lunch Special page with average offerings in the same price range. The food was fine. And when I say "fine" I mean it was as expected diner food. Large-ish portions, mild flavors.

The service was terrible. Which is unusual for a local diner. Usually the wait staff at diners are home grown, amiable and friendly people who recognize that a smile can often be worth an extra dollar in the tip. This guy was erascible and at times rude.

The soda was too sweet - I asked politely for a seltser instead, which I eventually received but instead of removing the offending ginger ale, our charming waiter put it back on the table saying "what am I going to do with it?" Nice.

I ordered the Roast Beef Paninni. It was made with some kind of spicy pita bread instead of the italian bread promised in the menu. I asked about it and got a grunt from the waiter. No offer to replace it. I left it unfinished. If I was the sort to stiff a waiter this would be the one. But of course I didn't and I don't suggest you do either.

My colleagues both ordered burgers. Colleague number two was burned by grease that squirted out of her burger on her first bite. I've never seen that happen before. Colleague number one complained of "bits" in her patty and a mushy flat bun. Hate that.

My point here is not to trash this little diner, which you notice I haven't named. It's not a bad place, just not such a great place either. Typical of any diner, really. My point is, maybe my colleague was right, maybe we should have gone to TGI Friday's.

So the next day I made a point of doing just that. I thought I would compare my experiences and report my findings. To keep things consistent I went to the TGI Friday's in Huntington on Route 110, just North of the Walt Whitman Mall and very close to the diner of the day before.

I took my daughter on a busy Saturday at around 4:00PM which is, I'm told, one of their busiest times. This to test my wait staff theory, that when they are busy they are grumpy. I couldn't have been farther off. Christine, our waitress, was wonderful. Full of that typical TGI Friday's happy exhuberance. We ordered the three course special for $12.99. I was glad to see it comes in a lighter menu as well and I ordered the light Dumplings, a Pulled Pork Sandwich and the Cinnabon cheesecake (shhh, don't tell anyone I departed from the light menu). My daughter ordered the String Bean Apetizer, the Bacon Cheeseburger and the Oreo Cake. I tell you, it was a tough choice between the string beans and the fried mac and cheese with much deliberation and hand wringing.

All I can say is Yumm. The appetizers were excellent, served on a long platter, the dumplings were just perfect and not too filling. The fried string beans were crisp and succulent and though we didn't love the Wasabi ranch dipping sauce that came with them, Christine brought us a few other sauces and we had a ball with those. It was a real party.

The sandwiches were great. I thought my pulled pork was a little sweet for my taste but my daughter gave it an A+ so we swapped. The Cheeseburger was wonderful - and the bun was so big and just the right balance of soft and crunchy. We kept saying "wow, this bun is really good."

When it came time for dessert, Christine, being the oh so attentive waitress that she was, she could read from our expressions that we were stuffed from the meal and asked if we even wanted her to bring our desserts or if she should just pack them up. We gratefully asked for the "to go" version and she returned with a shopping bag for each of us.

We left happy and very well fed. My wallet wasn't depleted nearly as much as it had been the day before, and the next time a colleague say's "want to hit a diner?" I will yell loud and clear "No! Lets go to TGI Friday's".

Visit the TGI Friday's website for locations and hours of operation. (This is an honest review,TodayLong Island is not reimbursed by TGI Friday's in any way for this review and does not advertise with us.)

A last note: There are a few diners on Long Island that are truly excellent dining experiences. I have heard of these but have not yet stumbled upon one. If you know of a great diner, please Shoot me an email! - I'd love to give it a try. Maybe I'll see you there.

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