Connie's Diner, Finger Lakes region, NY

Connie's Diner
Waterloo, NY

So on our way home the next day, we decided to hit a few wineries, and perhaps a farmer's market for some fresh veggies to bring home.  We stopped by Connie's Diner to fuel up for the long day ahead. 

Connie's Diner, unlike its New Jersey brethren with their strong Greek prescence, is owned and run by an Italian family, and has been open for quite some time.   We recalled that even Emile's was an Italian restaurant, and we had passed quite a lot of pizzerias here in upstate New York.  We're quite curious as to how one ethnic group, and not another, had made inroads into the Finger Lakes back then, to seemingly dominate the local restaurant industry. 

Connie's was bustling that Sunday. We were lucky to snag a booth by the window, well within sight of the furs who were waiting in the car. We liked the old-school, authentic feel of the diner, with its blue-and-orange vinyl upholstery and jukeboxes on the table.



The verdict: hearty good diner food!

DJKung got the steak and eggs.

I got eggs with potatoes, and sausage for the furs.

Whassamatta? Egg Plattah!!!

Under food:

The Egg Platter

159 Crooks Ave

Paterson, NJ 07503

(973) 684-3291

I like to think of this tiny diner as a time machine. It feels so 1950s inside, with the chrome, the tiny booths, the round stools by the formica counters, and the fake wood panelling. Its myspace page mentions that it has been around since 1977.

A lot of changes have passed the Paterson area in the decades past. I think this diner is one of the few leftovers from when Paterson was still a booming industrial city. You could easily envision the factory workers coming over here for breakfast or lunch way back. Nowadays, the clientele reflects the diverse community in this area, but still with that same blue-collar vibe. The prices here are unbeatable.

This place ain't called The Egg Platter for nothin'. They make 21 different kinds of egg platters. We tend to opt for the basic stuff.

That day's specials included beef sausage with eggs and home fries, steak and eggs and waffle with eggs.

Beef sausage wit home fries and two eggs. DJKung found the sausage a bit gamy.

Two eggs with a Belgian waffle. I love how sunny this picture is, with the glistening egg yolk, creamy pat of margarine, and the subtle yellow of the waffle.

The Egg Platter gives serious bang for its buck. For our breakfast, we spent about $12 in all (including drinks). Sure, you could have better breakfast fare elsewhere, but not in a time machine like this!