New York Diner (Orlando) Review

Here we are again. I feel like I am writing my first blog entry since it has been so long. Our poor, neglected blog has so many digital cobwebs I wasn't even prepared to write a post (translation: no pictures). With all the time that has past, I didn't want to let another opportunity pass us by, so here we are.

As the title reads, New York Diner located near the Orlando International Airport on Semoran (436) is the subject of this review. The restaurant is located in a new building which also includes Bonefish as an anchor. When you walk through the front doors, you are greeted by a large aquarium with a custom New York skyline inside. Pretty cool design, which I'm sure would make any New Yorker proud. As cool as it was, it seemed to be lacking in the fish department, perhaps they were sleeping. The concept of the restaurant is "taking the 24/7 idea of a diner and adding a more international, upscale flair." It certainly doesn't look like any diner I've been in before (which is probably a good thing). I think now would be an appropriate time to interject that I have only been to New York once and that basically consisted of a late night border crossing from Jersey where I was attending a banquet for my fraternity back in my college days. So, this review is purely on the food since I don't have "New York Diner" experience to compare to.

Now to the important part...the food. The menu was quite large but expected for a diner. Being overwhelmed, it took Marily and I a while to come to a decision on what to order. We finally ordered the beer battered onion rings as an appetizer (after we were told our first choice was not available...tikka masala wings). The onion rings were tasty with an actual hint of the beer in the fried batter. We both went with burgers for our entrees as suggested by our server based on the 8oz patties being made of chuck, brisket and ribeye. Marily chose a standard bacon cheeseburger and with chili cheese fries and I chose a Loco Moco burger which was a burger with a fried egg topped with brown gravy. I upgraded my fries to pomme frites. Those fries turned out to be the best thing we ordered. They were crispy fries tossed in truffle oil, parmesan cheese and parsley. The $11 burgers didn't live up to their hype. My order came out wrong twice, first as a plain burger and secondly without the brown gravy. Even once it was corrected, the burger was overcooked (clearly medium well and not medium like I requested) and really didn't have the quality beef flavor I was expecting. I would rather eat a burger from a food truck (The Crooked Spoon comes to mind) than the one I had before me. The New York Diner also features Juniors Famous Cheesecake and desserts. Unfortunately, we didn't make it that far but they did have several enticing options that were calling get out for us but some how we refrained. Maybe next time!

 Our server was very nice but was either not very good at her job or was simply a rookie server. First issue, she didn't offer us any beer & wine options (typically the first question once you sit down). By the time we noticed others enjoying adult beverages around us, we already had our Pepsi at the table. After a long week, mommy and daddy like to enjoy something better than soda but didn't even know it was an option since it wasn't on the menu. Second issue, no stinking refills were offered. This is my biggest pet peeve with servers. Third issue, even though we elected to skip on dessert, she gave us the check without even asking if we wanted it. I've never worked in the restaurant industry but I'm pretty sure the goal is to get the check as high as possible in order to increase your tip potential.

 Overall, I think the New York Diner has potential. It is 24/7 and has a diverse menu. I'm going to chalk up the issues with the service and kitchen as new restaurant kinks that need to be worked out. I will give them another try in a few months and see if thing improve. Let us know if you try them out and have a different experience.