Dinersaurs

A couple weeks ago, a few of my dearest friends in Manhattan trekked over to Williamsburg to join this tart for dinner, Brooklyn-style. Diner is one of the restaurants that's been at the top of my list for ages, and though right in my backyard, it's taken me three years to actually get there.


Lots of things make this place special before you even set foot in it: it's in an old diner from the 20s and was beautifully renovated. Having completed a pre-apprenticeship program to introduce women into tradeswork, I am a sucker for old hardware and architectural detail.



What makes Diner really special is the fresh, unpretentious menu that changes every day. (They embrace the farm to table philosophy and also own Marlow and Sons and Roman's. Check out their blog here.) Our lovely server scribbled the evening specials on the paper tablerunner, explaining the cooking procedure and ingredients used. Our dining experience began.


House made flatbread with serrano ham, caramelized onions and rosemary.

This is me having a transcendent experience with the Portuguese fish stew. It's one of my favorite things in the world and they just happened to make it that day.

Seriously, I could have bathed in the tomato broth.

Frank had a burger with hand cut fries that hadn't been sitting in a bucket all day. They made me so weak, the camera lens got blurry.

Even Abe, with his pain in the butt vegetarian demands, had a marvelous homemade pasta that didn't beg for meat: pappardelle with pesto.

We squished up in the corner booth, completely oblivious to the high traffic aisle next to us and the line out the door. All that mattered was we got a table.