Palace Diner
Click right to take a look around…
The stance is dicey—on one side (and on the menu) a landmark title and a note: “Our aim is to please and to satisfy and your comments are always welcome.” On another side, there is a whimsical “LATE NIGHT SNACKS” addition to the usual meal list and a less-than-whimsical moment when I walked in to the diner and witnessed a manager mid-reprimand. “Be better,” he was sternly saying to her. From what I experienced and could see, the waitresses and cleaning staff were on it. I would say err on the side of caution and be on your best behavior, because there is certainly an underlying tension. Nevertheless, I couldn’t get over the interior. It has everything. The fabric on the booth seats that I’d guess only exists in that form, the carpeting of acanthus crosses and spiraling diamonds, your usual metal ribbed fixtures along the window breaks, and chandeliers inspired by bridges (but also, robots?). The stylized P’s frosted onto arched glass paneling are just too much. Regardless of how many conflicting feelings one could pick up on at this diner, one thing cannot be disputed or misinterpreted: on a Thursday night at 23:00, there was activity—old, young, big parties, small parties, black, Hispanic, talkative, mute...it’s got the emblem of obscure late-night business and is a true palace for the masses.
SCROLL DOWN
SCROLL DOWN
For More
〰️
For More 〰️
Drink: Coffee
An approachable temperature at 23:00 on a Thursday. And you know what? It was sweet. No, it wasn’t watered down or lacking in bitterness. It had its own expression which played a solid solo song, but also harmonized well with my cake. I could’ve have asked for much more.
••••
Food: Carrot Cake Cheesecake
The first bite had ice flecks on it. It super freezes in that case, which isn’t a bad thing. You might just hit an unexpected crunch. In any. case, it quickly becomes the intended consistency, a fluffy dense center with carrot cake thinly sandwiching it on the top and bottom. Until now, it never occurred to me how truly flavorful carrot cake is. With it making up at best 1/8 of the cheesecake, it still dominated the flavor. Don’t get me wrong, the cheesecake itself is powerful, but the carrot cake is what ignites the palette up. You’d also suspect that the cream cheese frosting would be too much. It’s not. It’s the perfect final element. They might have even been able to reduce the amount by a tad, but I wouldn’t risk it. This cake is the perfect solution to being torn between cheesecake and carrot cake...just get both in one.
Price: Carrot Cake Cheesecake=$7.99; Coffee=$2.50*
*These two items are not listed, so just consider this gospel.