** Patty Melt review **…read more
Roadside eatery in a tiny strip plaza. Outside, it looks nothing like the classic New England train car style or New Jersey stainless steel style diners, but inside are countertop with stools, booths around the outskirts, and the hustle and bustle giving it a strong diner vibe. Like my visits to many diners, I was here on my patty melt quest.
-- Patty Melt: First, the composition is faithful to the prototype, with a quarter pound patty (no smashburger nonsense), rye bread (no sourdough decoy), buttered (not merely toasted), and with the classic Swiss cheese, sautéed onions and thousand Island dressing. No fusion, no reinvention, no omissions, no hipster jive. Good crispness and butteriness on the bread, great melt on the cheese, and noticeable softness to the onions. Most importantly, the beef could be ordered medium rare, and they executed. More softness, with gushing juices and a really pleasing bite. I suspect nothing special to start with, but they cooked it to near perfection. Only quibble would be not much crust to the patty, but not as critical on a patty melt.
-- Fries: I could have had tots or a few other options, but fries were fine. Almost certainly frozen, but the skin-on variety and not the dreaded coated kind. Nothing special, but good enough.
Service was adequate. It seemed like everyone was prepping to get everything gathered and cleaned for closing about 90 minutes earlier than necessary, but that didn't detract. If anything, it shows initiative and hustle.
Not much data to go on, but an easy 4 for me.
