1) Must be open 24hrs, or as close as possible in accordance with local laws.
2) Must have rotating mirror-ball inspired dessert case.
3) Must serve breakfast all day.
ChesDel Diner of Odessa, Delaware is no such beast. They are open limited hours, including closing at noon on Monday. They do not serve breakfast all day. They do have have a rotating mirror-ball dessert case, but it's offerings are rather weak. While the restaurant (it is NOT a diner) does offer some kitchy appeal with the original prefabricated building that characterizes "diners" still intact, albeit hidden beneath two large additions. Several of the booths in the front grill area have 1940's era newspapers shellacked onto the table tops, which provides you with entertainment while you wait. Prices are a bit on the high side for my taste ($6 for half a Belgian waffle with no sides? but stick to the basics (something fried, something with eggs) and the prices are more reasonable.
Sir. Forksalot and I decided to check it out for a late breakfast. I know the ChesDel is known for it's daily rotating of specials and was excited to check it out. Despite our chilly reception from the waitress whose lips were never in danger of pointing upwards during our entire meal, we were excited to try out their breakfast offering. He decided on the cream chipped beef with scrapple, and I went with the half a Belgian waffle with fresh local peaches and whipped topping. Because we wanted to fully solidify our commitment to solidified arteries, we added on a side of homefries and corned beef hash.
First up, my Belgian waffle. This was pretty disapointing. While the waffle itself had good flavor, it had a rubbery texture that made me suspicious it had been nuked in a microwave rather than freshly poured over a griddle. Making matters worse was the because it was already slightly soggy, the peaches made the top a wet goey mess. The peaches were perfect, sweet, and ripe. However the ability to cut fruit does not make you a chef. My final gripe was the whipped topping. It tasted like something you'd find served beside at a hospital, and then only to very sick patients who wouldn't be around long enough to bitch. Serioulsy folks, if you're too cheap to spring for real whipped cream, at least make it Redi-whip?
On to the sides! We really have a good and bad side here. On the right, homefries. These were a major let down. The homefries were thin sliced like my Mom used to make, which made me hopeful. Till I took a bite that is. The homefries had been cooked in under heated oil, leaving them soggy rather than crispy. This might have not have entirely been the cook's fault. I quickly realized the potatoes had been sliced so thin that cooking them at all risked making potato chips rather than homefries. I did get the down low on the homefries, it seems they recently changed the way they were making them. Before they were chunks of fried potatoes which were much better. C'est la Vie.
The savior of the side dishes was the corned beef hash. Sir Forksalot and I nearly had a duel to the death over the last bite. This stuff never came anywhere close to a can. Cooked to perfection, with a warm inside and a nice crunchy layer outside, these babies were a delight to the mouth. Big chunks of corned beef maintained the texture along side cubes of potatoes. The spices were right on tract, even including a bit of fennel seed for kick.
Sir.Forksalot's cream chip beef, eggs, and scrapple. Not too shabby. I'll skip over reviewing the eggs. Anyplace that can screw up "two eggs, over medium" should be shut down on principal. The cream chipped beef had a nice subtle tang to the gravy which was creamy, with no lumps or gritty aftertaste you often find. The downfall of many a cream chipped beef is a lack of the vital ingredient - the chipped beef! However the ratio of gravy to beef was plenty generous. The scrapple was well cooked, fried for a nice crispy outside and mushy inside of things you don't want to know about. I'm not sure what brand they used, but it had a nice peppery spice to it. Dipped in a little maple syrup it was a savory-sweet pig intestine treat.
The coffee, a vital part to any diner experience, had a good flavor but was a bit weak. Stick to the iced tea instead. All in all it was an okay dining experience. The cornedbeef, cream chipped beef, and scrapple were really excellent. If the service had been a bit friendlier and the waffle not been nuked, I would have a much more glowing report. But, if you're in the area it's worth checking out if only for the corned beef.
Sir Forksalot says: Get off my scrapple, bitch!
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