In an earlier post I wrote about the diner culture in the metro New York area. We have a few places hereabouts that could qualify as almost-diners. These are two examples in the Seattle suburbs.
Jay’s Café in Kenmore. Jay’s has the all-day breakfasts and daily specials, along with the paper placemats featuring local businesses. In addition, it has a regular group of retired men who sit around, drink coffee, and bemoan the state of the world. (Julian told me about this, since he fits into that demographic; however, he has yet to join such a group.) We’ve stopped there for lunch a few times on our way to downtown Seattle.
George’s in Kirkland. To my mind, downtown Kirkland is an odd place for a diner. This town has more plastic surgeons and BoTox/collagen injectors per capita than anywhere else in Washington. (Cheaper rents than Bellevue, maybe?) The city’s vibe is also more arugula than iceberg lettuce. However, George’s thrives. It’s run by a Greek family, so it has the standard gyros, dolmades, and moussaka. You can also get pasta, burgers, and the all-day breakfasts. Last month George’s had a scratch-off card promotion. You could get discounts off your check, and be entered in a raffle for a large-screen TV. One night on our way to French class we got a 20% discount on our check. Not bad at all.
One reason I refer to Jay’s and George’s as almost-diners is they both lack the killer dessert case. No respectable diner in New Jersey or New York would survive without one. Even if you have to haul half your dinner home (as we often do at George’s), you’re still supposed to be offered the temptation of some pie. Just ask the patrons of the Double R Diner from Twin Peaks.
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