Carroll Gardens Classic Diner

155 Smith Street (at Bergen Street)
Brooklyn, NY 11201

I like the boldness of putting "Classic Diner" in the name of this place (it's like me insistently adding "Genius" after my name) because it's not. It's more of a classic Greek style family restaurant, which is okay if you like that kind of thing. It's a comfortable place to sit, anyway, except for the wide screen TV's. TV's should never EVER be in a restaurant that takes itself seriously at all, and everyone should know that.

The really good thing about this place is that it's open ALWAYS, which to me is a special quality, even if I'm NEVER going to come here in the middle of the night. It's just nice to know, though-- when I wake up from nightmares at 3am, I can think, well, the CGCD is open right now! There is a great deal of comfort in that thought.

Some time ago I adopted the habit of ordering a Cobb Salad, whenever it's on the menu, as a kind of cuisine barometer. While the Cobb Salad here was $9.95, more than I'd prefer to spend on a lite lunch, it was HUGE. I wish it was half as much and half the size. But you know when restaurants DO offer half size entrees, they always price them like one dollar less than the full size, so you have to figure it's just more economical to get the full size one. Anyway, the good thing here was that one of the friendly and accommodating employees wrapped the remainder of my salad in like three layers of container, so when I got home and it had leaked through two layers, it still didn't get the inside of my bookbag soiled beyond repair.

The Cobb Salad itself was very good-- not the best I've ever had, but somewhat unique due to the addition of CORN. I mean, why not. I'm still sorely missing Milwaukee's Comet Cafe's discontinued 13 layer salad which was kind of a Cobb variation that included peas (which is what really made it special). My biggest complaint was that they didn't use the classic Cobb dressing, but instead gave me a choice. I don't like to have a choice. Though-- Cobb dressing is essentially a vinaigrette, which I don't like either, so I guess you just can't please me.

Well-- drunk at 4am, grits and bacon, The Queen of Paris France, The Carroll Gardens Classic Diner with NO TV's-- that would please me!