Broadway Diner

Last night, after a hard day of configuring my Mother-in-Law's new computer and watching football, we decided to have dinner the Broadway Diner. Past diner experiences in the Dundalk area were usually had at the Boulevard Diner, but I was ready to try the new kid in town.

Mr Minx and I had driven past the Broadway Diner construction site for many months, yet never had the opportunity to eat there. The decor was much like our local Nautilus Diner with similarly colored wood trim and ceiling treatment, and like most diners had a pastry case in front of the entrance, luring patrons in with its glistening éclairs and strawberry-topped cheesecakes.

The menu was the typical huge selection of classic diner fare, burgers, and Greek specialties, but there were some twists. There were a selection of burgers, for example, served on focaccia bread, and some oddball salad choices ("Mango Swordfish Salad"). We went for the more pedestrian: liver and onions (my MIL); chef salad (BIL); prime rib (Mr Minx); and "Land and Sea" (moi). Except the chef salad, entrees came with the usual choice of soup or salad plus vegetables and/or potatoes. In other words, a ton of food.

I had never tried liver and onions before, so ventured a forkful of my MIL's. It tasted, unsurprisingly, like liver. I didn't mind it, but a diner-sized portion of the stuff is way too much. Her mashed potatoes were much like homemade: lumpy, red skins here and there, and seasoned with something oniony. I liked that the roast beef on my BIL's salad was unseasoned brisket, the only stuff I'll allow in a roast beef sandwich (a holdover from my Jewish deli-filled childhood). Mr Minx's prime rib was at least the 20oz advertised, if not more. It tasted merely ok, but the green beans on the side were still surprisingly crisp and fresh-tasting. My "Land and Sea" was an extravagance which included a NY strip steak topped with spinach, a portobello mushroom, and melted cheese, accompanied by two each crabmeat-stuffed scallops and shrimp. The meat was flavorful and well-seasoned, and the crabmeat was of the lump variety. My baked potato was marred by its aluminum foil wrapper, but it was moist and needed little butter. Everything was very tasty.

Between my husband and myself, we have enough leftover beef for two more meals, which is one of my favorite things about diner food: it's a good value for the money.

Although I do like the Boulevard Diner, I think I'd like to make the Broadway a more regular dinner destination when we're on that side of town. There were plenty of things on the slightly offbeat menu that I'd love to try.

Broadway Diner
6501 Eastern Ave
Baltimore, MD 21224
(410) 631-5666