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| - As I've reviewed more restaurants, I've found that my standards have become increasingly exacting, and that I award fewer 5 star reviews. Despite this, Central Diner and Grille impressed me sufficiently that I feel justified in awarding this rating. It's hands down the best diner I've ever been to, by far.
As a city dweller, I rarely make it all the way out to Robinson. When a Yelp event at a nearby business led me and CM there this weekend, I suggested that we check it out for dinner beforehand. I described it to him as an upscale diner, but this doesn't really do it justice--it's more of a casual dining-type place that happens to offer breakfast foods all day long, and to be open late. Also true to the diner name, it offers a variety of desserts, as well as Greek foods, given that the owners, like the owners of many East Coast diners, are Greek. However, its staple foods are classic American dishes, and they have enough of a variety to satisfy many different tastes.
In light of the specialization in Greek food, I decided to order the Chicken Athena ($16.95), a Greek-influenced chicken dish, and CM decided to order a gyro ($8.95). In addition to its eponymous dish, my meal came with a choice of soup or salad and side dish, as well as bread. In keeping with the Greek theme, I decided to try the soup of the day, avgolemono, a Greek lemon-chicken soup. I'd never tried this soup before, but it was very flavorful, and had a nice thickness. The bread was a step up from what you'd expect at a casual dining establishment--it was fresh and had a nice body. For my side dish, I went with the mashed potatoes, which were pretty standard. As for the Chicken Athena, the first thing that was immediately apparent was its size--it was served on a platter larger than the placemat in front of me, and consisted of two large breasts topped with half a bag of spinach, as well as a generous helping of tomatoes and feta. Wow! The taste was on point, too--the freshness of the ingredients was quite evident. I ate half of it and took the other half home, which I ate for dinner the next day. CM's gyro was also massive, and came with a generous helping of fries, which were of the lightly battered variety. He really enjoyed it, saying that it was almost as good as the one he'd had at the PGH Greek Food Fest, which is high praise. His only minor criticism was that he wished it came with more tzatziki sauce, since he enjoyed its flavor so much that he wanted more! (We probably could have asked for extra, but it didn't occur to us.)
Although the food was quite good, what earns Central a full 5 stars from me is its atmosphere and service. In PGH--at least, in the city, al fresco dining is hard to come by, and Central has as many outdoor tables as they do indoor ones. Since the weather was nice, we were able to take advantage of it, and it was awesome. As a diner, Central is a family friendly restaurant, and several families with kids opted for the outdoor seating, which gave the kids an opportunity to blow off some steam. Nevertheless, between the nice weather, the music, and the patio furniture, the atmosphere was comparable to some of the better restaurants I've been to in PGH. The service was also impressive--our waitress came back to our table to offer me gravy for my mashed potatoes after overhearing me mention that I'd like some to CM, and the owner stopped by to ask me how everything was, and even offered to fill my water glass after we'd asked for the check. It was clear that this is an extremely well-run, customer-focused restaurant.
CM and I enjoyed our time at Central so much that we returned after attending our event to enjoy dessert and after-dinner drinks on the porch while watching the sun set. I ordered the death-by-chocolate cake ($4.95), and he ordered a hot chocolate with whipped cream ($1.85). Although the waitress described the cake as all chocolate, this wasn't quite true, since the cake itself was yellow--it had chocolate icing and was drizzled with chocolate syrup. Nevertheless, it was quite tasty, and the icing was high quality (CM compared it to his grandmother's). CM enjoyed his hot chocolate so much that he used a spoon to sip it to make it last longer.
Overall, we were extremely pleased with our meal(s) at Central. I'd love to return sometime for breakfast, which I'm sure is just as good as--if not better than--dinner, or for another dessert. I'm positive Central would be a huge hit with my parents, who are picky eaters, or with children. If you happen to be in Robinson and are tired of mediocre chain restaurant dining, or are on the hunt for a great diner, be sure to check this place out--you won't be disappointed!
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