From the lost files of Diner Nation….
Back in July, Joe and I headed to Hunt Valley, Maryland for a weekend. Why? Because of Shore Leave 40! It’s a fan-run science-fiction convention that showcases crafters, artists, writers, along with famous guests. William Shatner might have been there…
I bet y’all didn’t know that my mister was famous writer, did ya? That’s right! Hey, Hey! Back up ladies…he’s taken.
Anyway, Shore Leave is bevy of activity for all levels of sci-fi lovers and it’s held right outside of Baltimore! While the mister was selling books and signing autographs (I know RIGHT?!), I went exploring. The National Aquarium took up most of my time as the area is just fantastic!
Having mostly dined on fancy hotel food, I spied a diner and convinced my guy to get away with me for a couple of hours. (“Come ON! We haven’t reviewed a diner in Maryland yet!”) In ten minutes, we were in Timonium, MD, stealing a smooch under the blue neon lights.
It was total chrome and neon on the outside, and we were pleased to see that it actually looked like a diner on the inside. Booths and a counter, a few tables. Quick note, the counter was in the back which we thought was pretty wild. We were quickly seated and ordered our beverages from Wanda. Joe had his coffee, while I opted for tea.
She was great. She kind of reminded you of a waitress you’d see in the movies who was older, had the hairspray’d updo, snapped gum and came to tell you what you were going eat, not asking what you wanted to order. Having Wanda as our server definitely put us in the diner mood.
The coffee was decent and hot. We perused the menu and made our choices. I ordered pancakes with scrapple and the mister ordered the Meat-lovers Omelette with regular potatoes and rye toast. We didn’t wait terribly long for our meals to arrive. A quick glance ensured everything was correct and we dug in.
My scrapple was good but it was a bit more on the mushy side than I prefer. It seemed like it was cooked on high heat just long enough to make the outside crunchy but leaves the inside very underdone. The pancakes definitely made up for it, though. Soft and full of flavor, they definitely had the taste of “mom-made” pancakes. I abandoned the scrapple altogether and devoured as much of the pancakes as I could. I think I stuffed myself just short of food coma.
Joe speared his omelette and bit into carnivore heaven. Bacon, ham and sausage blanketed in fluffy eggs and smothered in cheese was the perfect choice in celebrating a brief respite from the high life. I reminded him to save room for his potatoes and bread and he winked at me as he piled them together and dug in. Okay then…when you can’t choose one, choose them all!
Wanda came back and asked if we’d like dessert and while we would have loved to sample one of everything from the bakery case, we couldn’t even smell one more bite. We paid our check and went back to our hotel full and happy.
The service was a little slower than we’re used to, but I think it’s because it’s a very low-key atmosphere. Everyone in the restaurant was relaxed and having a great time. So we went with it and had a great time too.
Until next time, happy eating!
Diner Nation 