"Restaurant" Review: The Brooklyn "Diner"

During my Architectural Appetite hiatus, I went to the Brooklyn Diner for the first time. It's been a few weeks, but it seems the resentment I hold towards this establishment has not waned.

The Brooklyn Diner, as my father once described it, is the "Disney World" of diners. It has two locations in Manhattan, one being situated right near Carnegie Hall and then other in Times Square (relatively new). So yes, the locations suggest that this place really is for tourists -- specifically out-of-towners who have never been to a diner before and are intrigued by that nostalgia connected to 1950's diners that were popular in Brooklyn. Thus, the Brooklyn Diner.

From the exterior, it genuinely looks like a diner. But don't be fooled! The first thing that was an immediate warning sign when I walked in was the tablecloths. White tablecloths. No diner in their right mind would put white tablecloths under their greasy food and overflowing beverages. Then when I got the menu, there were no breakfast items listed. What? Really? Is there any point to me being here? And to top it off, pretty much everything on the menu is over $15 and most of the items are even over $20. And is it worth it? NO! They don't even have those little white after-dinner mints at the door when you're done with your meal.

In conclusion, I revoke this restaurant's right to call itself a diner. I also revoke its right to associate itself with the borough of Brooklyn. So for now, they will have to change their signage to "Untitled" until someone comes up with a better name to describe this deceitful, overpriced eatery.