Formerly known as "Marie's Family Restaurant" before it was purchased by Valentin Escobar and renamed "El Ranchito." It was then purchased by Robert Cooper in 2008 and renamed "Marie's Diner." This is a local favorite for casual dining, especially breakfast. Weekends are crowded. My wife and I decided to try their food to see if it was as great as some people claim. We got a Homestyle breakfast, Ribeye and Eggs breakfast, Liver & Onions, Chipped beef with Belgian waffles, a short stack of blueberry pancakes, cranberry juice, and orange juice. All Homestyle breakfasts come with home fries or grits and toast, biscuit, or English muffin. The Homestyle breakfast we chose had 2 eggs with meat. The meat choices were bacon, sausage, scrapple, or corned beef hash. We ordered 2 eggs, home fries, scrapple, and an English muffin. The eggs were over-easy and they were cooked correctly. The home fries had a little salt and pepper added. Everything was cooked well and typical tasting.
The Ribeye and Eggs breakfast had a large 14 oz ribeye steak; 2 eggs; home fries or grits; and toast, biscuit, or an English muffin. We chose home fries and an English muffin.
The steak had a strong grilled flavor. It was moist and a little chewy with no seasoning or marinade flavor. The taste and texture were like sirloin steak. It was about 1/2 inch thick. We ordered the eggs scrambled and they were fluffy. That was an unexpected good thing! The home fries were lightly seasoned with salt and pepper. For the price, this was a great bargain!
The Liver & Onions had 2 pieces of liver, 2 sides, salad, and a choice of dinner rolls, biscuits, or cornbread. The side choices were french fries, sweet potato fries, onion rings, coleslaw, fried okra, corn fritters, applesauce, potato salad, green beans, broccoli, vegetable of the day, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, cinnamon apples, and cornbread stuffing. We got mashed potatoes, cinnamon apples, and cornbread. The liver was a little chewy with a little dryness. It was slightly overcooked. The liver and onion flavors were natural with no noticeable seasoning. The gravy had a mild beef flavor. The mashed potatoes had the taste and texture of boxed instant mashed potatoes. It was too thin. The taste was okay. The cinnamon apples were undercooked and slightly chewy. It was mildly sweet and had only a little cinnamon. The cornbread was crumbly, moist, and slightly sweet. The salad had lettuce, red onions, cherry tomatoes, croutons, and cheese. The dressing choices were ranch, blue cheese, thousand island, french, Caesar, honey mustard, raspberry walnut vinaigrette, or balsamic vinaigrette. We chose the balsamic vinaigrette. Everything was typically okay in this side salad. Overall, this dish provides plenty of middle-of-the-road food for a low price. The variety of side dishes was impressive!
The Chipped beef with Belgian waffle was creamed chipped beef. The first flavor was salted milk followed by a mild beef flavor. It was okay because the beef was tasty, but the cream sauce needed improvement. The waffle was moist, soft inside, lightly crispy outside, and plain tasting. The key to this dish was the cream sauce and it was only edible.
The short stack of 2 blueberry pancakes had a choice of blueberries on top or inside the pancakes. We chose to have them inside. The pancakes were over 8 inches in diameter and an inch thick. They were stretchy and chewy. This is what happens when you overmix your pancake batter and cook it too soon. The activated gluten doesn't have time to relax. The taste was typical, but the texture was bad. The blueberries were fresh, a little tart, and not sweet. This short stack NEEDED syrup to make it edible!! The syrup was moderately sweet with the taste of a generic value brand syrup.
We got 2 glasses of orange juice. It tasted like the gallon-size orange juice at Walmart. It was not too tart, not too sweet, and had no pulp. It was okay.
The cranberry juice was mildly sweet with a light cranberry flavor that was slightly tart which left a dry mouthfeel. I think it was a cranberry drink with some real cranberry juice. The cup size was about 20 oz. It was okay.
The dining room and restrooms were very old and worn down. They were relatively clean. The food prep time was reasonable. 29 minutes after ordering to get the first entree. The service was efficient and professional. This place has diner food that is okay, nothing more and nothing less. It has a high rating for two reasons. Sentimental value for locals because it has been here for a long time. And low prices for a lot of food. So, if you're looking for flavorful food with a well-rounded and well-balanced flavor profile that has depth or uniqueness, then go someplace else. The food here rates at 3 stars. The amount of food for the money added an additional star. It can't be beaten in this time of hyperinflation. read more