New York Luncheonettes

Those of us who grew up with the ubiquitous "luncheonettes", we mourn their passing. Before Starbucks they were the places where we "hung out" in High School and College (before we moved on to bars). Later, we would go there in the "wee hours" after a long night of drinking for a breakfast of eggs and homefries. You could also always get a (lousy) cup of coffee with a (better) piece of pastry. We spent many an afternoon and evening nursing our cups of coffee and talking about girls. The diners replaced the luncheonettes, but they were much more upscale. There weren't many diners in NY outside of Queens.

Today, there are almost no luncheonettes and very few diners in NY. Those that do exist are generally theme restaurants (like the Brooklyn Diner on 57th Street). There are many "coffee shops" which are really diners without the theme. They serve as NY's "affordable" restaurants. Generally, they have a large menu of items prepared in advance using fresh ingredients. The portions are large and the cakes and pies are a 'mile high'! We usually eat in one at least once a week for breakfast, lunch or dinner. They provide us with a, reliable, reasonably priced, quick but nutricious meal. What follows, is a list of some of the local places we've found to be particularly desirable:

Columbus Bakery (1st Avenue and 53rd Street) - great for breakfast (eggs, oatmeal and pastry) and lunch (wide variety of fresh salads, soups and individual pizza)
Sutton Diner (1st Avenue and 56th Street) - good for breakfast (coffee's not bad here)
Nectar (Madison Avenue and 81st Street) - great for salads after coming out of the Metropolitan Museum or shopping.
Brooklyn Diner - (57th Street and 6th Avenue) - fun place with just average food, a popular brunch spot.

I know that many of you will have your own favorites that should have been included. I welcome you to note them on the blog for everyone's information.