I gave the kids choice of dinner last night: Chanon Thai, Red Iguana or Blue Plate Diner, and was thrilled that they chose the Blue Plate. Not that I prefer it over the other two for sheer quality of food, quite the opposite, probably. But we were very hungry, it's close to our house, and I just genuinely enjoy going there.
We sat outside, just off of 21st and 21st. The brightly painted metal chairs and lampposts, the diner bar just inside the door and so many little details give this place real character. The rusted bikes chained to the posts lining the patio seating serving as a fence are emblematic of the character of the place: relaxed, authentic, retro but not trying too hard.
Our waitress wore the Blue Plate uniform: black short-sleeved shirt, black pants that hug the calves and ankles, and a favorite pair of shoes (I don't know that I've ever seen them wear socks). Exposed tattoos are generally another part of the uniform, but I didn't see any on our waitress last night. As always, she was friendly, no-nonsense and gently supportive of our choices ("good choice," she says with a smile when I order chili as a topping for my burger).
The food is, well, diner food. What else would it be? But it's probably the only SLC diner I really want to go to. Back east, they have Perkins, Utah has the Training Table, everywhere has Denny's, but none of these lifeless chains has the quality of the Blue Plate. What's different? The unique ambiance, the daily specials, the presentation, but perhaps most important for my family, the vegetarian and vegan options. Having been vegetarian for 10 years, I grew to really appreciate diners like Walnut Cafe in Boulder, CO that offered soul food with a little nod to those making other choices. It's a definite choice for a diner to offer vegetarian AND vegan sausage on their menu, and it says something about the place.
So the kids ordered the Gordon, Jr., which is part of the breakfast-all-day menu: one egg, one big pancake, home fries and choice of meat. They ordered the meat sausage (ha!) I actually prefer their vegan sausage, but hey, it's their meal. As for Mr. Vegetarian, well, I'm no longer vegetarian, so I ordered the burger. With chili on top and steak fries on the side. Oh, yeah, gut bustin' goodness.
Only it didn't bust my gut--it was perfect. Thank you, Blue Plate Diner. The ambiance is really fun and funky--you should experience it if you haven't already. There's a free jukebox inside to play your fav tunes on, and I just have to say it's great to hear Bob Dylan follow Michael Jackson on the speakers out front. That's eclectic for you. I'll leave you with one good example of their humor: the sticker on the closet bathroom mirror.
I concur with this assessment of Blue Plate. I might add that your chances of hearing a Johnny Cash tune are 80%, chances of seeing a Harley are 45%, and if you sit outside, the chances of being licked by a passing dog are 53.25%.
ReplyDeletelol. Nice stats, Gary. I can see that you've spent some good time tabulating. You're dead on with the Johnny Cash, that's for sure. Funny--I had a picture of the owner, Johnny, with his lambchops climbing into his maroon Chevy Astro van and launching on down the street, but the picture was blurry. Another classic sign of the Blue Plate, those lambchops.
ReplyDelete