Adrie Reinders

Back in time

Lori’s Diner at Sutter
500 Sutter St, SF, CA 94102
(415) 981-1950

Just around the corner of my hotel in downtown San Francisco, I discovered Lori’s diner, looking for a neat place to have some lunch.  www.lorisdinner.com.
The exterior already looked nicely nostalgic – and the interior didn’t disappoint. It was like entering another timezone – that of Elvis and Marilyn Monroe – all gleaming skai lether sofas, jukeboxes and music from that era. Pretty nice by the way. The menu also resembled times past – tasty, huge quantities and not good when you are on a diet. Good for the ocassional lapse though.

I opted for the delicious Lori’s club – with turkey and potato salad on the side plus a large milkshake. A real must if you are in San Fransisco and are feeling in the mood for some nostalgia…

Food: 8
Service: 8
Comfort: 8.5
Price/Quality: 8.5

Nookie’s, 1746 N Wells, Chicago

If you like an American diner, you will love Nookie’s. I have become a regular there – and have sampled their meals at lunch (mostly), dinner and breakfast.
It is definitely one of the busiest restaurants I know – often you have to wait for a table, specifically at brunch or dinner at the weekends. The menu has a whole host of choices, with one thing in common – none of them will fit into any diet you can imagine! I often have the egg white omelets – it’s gi-normous, but nice and light and fluffy. The waffles at breakfast time come highly recommended as well. All the dishes I have had here, are prepared well – and I just love their cottage fries. Don’t expect any trendy things such as cappuccino or fancy Starbucks variations on coffee or tea, it’s all straight-forward food. You get what you expect. Service is friendly and efficient and prices are very reasonable. Comfort is probably not what would bring you to the diner… but then, they don’t expect you to sit around all day.

Food: 8
Service: 8
Comfort: 7
Price/Quality: 9

Definitely highly recommended if you are hungry, looking for some good old-fashioned food and don’t want to spend a fortune.