The Standard Diner...Art Deco Served With a Purple Onion

EAST DOWNTOWN--The Standard Diner had been open for about 8 days. That meant to the Beautiful MaryAnn and me it was a perfect candidate for Sunday dinner. Furthermore, we had heard two comments from friends about the place that seemed to be irreconcilable: one person said the prices were comparable to The Flying Star and the other said it was outrageously expensive, citing that a steak and fries cost about $23.

The place was about half full...not too bad for a Sunday night around 6:30, especially considering that the wind was howling outside in the street. The prices? Well, they do have a $23 steak and fries. They also have a couple of pages of salads, appetizers, and sandwiches under $10. And the food was excellent.

The Beautiful Girlfriend had a Cobb sandwich. I had the home-made veggie burger. Both were delish...although I would advise a dose of Beano if ordering the veggie-burger. MaryAnn's sandwich was so big she ended up taking most of it with us. It also came with vegetable sticks and a purple pickled onion. I loved that onion.

We were so full we had to forego dessert, but I hear the ice-box chocolate cake is worth coming back for. Anyway, one of the attractions about the place is the decor, and that is definitely worth seeing again. Yes...art deco. But expensive looking art deco. It reminded me of an old-style skyscraper lobby...or maybe a luxury streamliner. I half expected to see Diamond Jim Brady slurping down Oysters Rockefeller.

They seem to serve a lot of wine, expensive wine. I like that. Expensive wine usually means they don't have to pay all the rent with the food menu. And No, I don't drink. As it was, plenty of food, coffee, no dessert, 2 people: less than $20. And, don't forget, a little box of food balancing on the dashboard for tomorrow's lunch.