The Diner   

It's called a diner, but with its comfy booths and full bar (with stools) in the back, this place could pass for almost any conventional restaurant. Even the menu suggests something more elitist than just your local neighborhood eatery. How often do diners serve haricots verts, grilled salmon filets with herb butter, or Parisian carrots? The chef also dishes up a lovely rosemary roasted chicken with a darkly crisped skin and loads of herbed flavor, and the mashed potatoes dripping with gravy are probably better than anything Mom ever whipped up. Yet you'll find the casual stuff too, from burgers and hot dogs to meatloaf and macaroni and cheese, from hand-cut onion rings and meat chili to grilled cheese or BLT sandwiches. Since it's always open, breakfasts are big deals here, and are as eclectic as the rest of the menu, starring eggs plain or as omelets, jumbo pancakes, and Croque Monsieur or Croque Madame sandwiches, with ham, bechamel sauce, melted cheese -- and for the Madame version, a fried egg. If you've stopped by in the morning, you might just this once consider dessert for breakfast, for the kitchen has devised the sort of intensely rich and moist chocolate cake you wish you could make at home. It's a killer, but you really won't care, it's that good. Best news of all for families: Kids are welcome and the prices, modest.