The Plaza Diner--So many choices!

I’ve passed it a dozen times on my way to the movie theater, or Stop and Shop, but never really thought about it.  The Plaza Diner, just sitting there, separate from the shops along the same line, but still a part of that group.  I’d heard of the diner before, of course, but I’d never actually been there, and assumed it was just some place where you stop by, pick up some food real quick, and leave.  So I was surprised that when picking restaurants to review, my friend suggested the Plaza Diner.  This is where my extreme naivety comes into play.  I’ve never been to a diner before.  When I told my friend this, he looked at me with an expression akin to shock and said “we’re going to the diner now.  You have no choice.”

           

And so we went to the diner.

            And imagine my surprise when I went in expecting a place to pick up food and get out, and instead found a nice, warm, friendly eating area. 

            My friends led me to a table near the back, pressed up against the window.  The diner was virtually empty during our stay, but that didn’t detract from the atmosphere.  The place was still very friendly, lit with lamps and covered in warm colors.  The waitress came over almost immediately, handed us menus, and asked us what we would like to drink.  And boy did they have a selection.  In the soda section alone, there were numerous choices, including all of the basic options such as Coke (The restaurant had Coke, not Pepsi!  Instant bonus points!) and less popular ones like orange soda.  I was tempted to get the orange (who loves orange soda?), but going to a college campus that serves Pepsi, I had to order a coke.  The waitress left after we had all ordered our drinks and went to get them.  It was at this time I noticed the seats were sort of hard.  I mean, they were cushioned, but the cushions were a little too...firm for sitting down at a casual restaurant.  It didn’t detract too much from the experience, however, and I had soon forgotten all about it.

            After we got our drinks, we ordered.  I took a little while to decide what I wanted because they had so many choices.  In the end, however, I decided on something I’d never had before: chicken marsala.  I’ve got to say, I was a little skeptical when it was first brought out.  It was covered in marsala sauce, and me being big on aesthetic appeal found the murky brown color to look highly unappetizing.  I had ordered it, however, and so I was determined to eat it, prepared for the worst.

            And oh boy am I glad I did. 

            Simply put, it was some of the most delicious chicken I’ve ever had.  The chicken was really soft, and the sauce really brought out the flavor in it.  I got a lot of chicken as well: two decent-sized slices of chicken breast.  I ate with relish.  And I savored every last bite. 

            After finishing my delicious chicken, we were brought dessert menus.  They had a lot of options there, as well.  Cakes, pies, and sundae’s, as well as a few other choices, were numerous and plenty on the menu.  My eyes were instantly drawn to one cake in particular, though: death by chocolate cake.  I instantly knew that I would be getting this out of morbid curiosity.  My friend ordered the Peanut Butter cheesecake.

            My thoughts as I took my first bite of the cake?  “Oh wow, I am never getting anything here ever again.”  Seriously, I would go there just for the desert.  My cake was delicious, infinitely chocolaty and sweet.  It was quite possibly one of the best things I had ever tried.

            And then I tried my friend’s peanut butter cake.  It was even better.

            I love peanut butter.  But this was a step above love.  This was complete and utter devotion, an obsession, if you will.  It was the best cake I ever had.  Unfortunately, however, it wasn’t mine, so I went back to my death by chocolate cake.

            It was gone within seconds.

            And so ends my tale of the Plaza Diner.  Boy, was it delicious, and I definitely plan on going back there again, regardless of the hard seats.  It is a little pricey, so I won’t be going as often as I’d like to, but I’m still going to try to go there again before the end of this semester.  The service was excellent, the waitress friendly, and the food delicious.  I give this place an eight out of ten.