Let's go to Towson Diner

Towson Diner

718 York Rd.

Phone: 410-321-0407

Price: $10-$20

Location: Towson

Hours: Always open

You've probably seen it countless times before. On York Road headed towards Towson, you can't help but notice that big silver tube with the neon sign that catches your attention every time. It's got that cute retro-chic feel, like something you would see on classic TV. The Towson Diner is, without a doubt, a throwback to a simpler, more innocent time.

Because of a variety of errands we had to complete, my friend and I hit up the Towson Diner at what we assumed would be off hours. It wasn't even quite 5 p.m. yet, certainly well before the dinner crowd. Much to our surprise, the place was already pretty packed. We'd forgotten to account for the people-over-50 crowd who love those early bird specials.

The Towson Diner is about as cute inside as it is from the street. Murals of people dancing to a jukebox adorn the back walls, and the front counter has those big retro glass squares for trim. The booths and pretty much everything else are sea foam green, and some of the booths have mini-jukeboxes to entertain you while you wait for your food. It reminded me of Eat "n' Park, if you've ever been there, except with a little more of the cheesy diner feel.

It took a long time to decide what to order; the menu is a whopping five pages front and back, not including the 16 Friday dinner specials! Open 24 hours, the Towson Diner serves breakfast all day and all night. They offer many styles of omelets, or you can build your own. Other breakfast specialties are French toast, pancakes and waffles. Breakfast dishes range from roughly $5 to $8.

The regular dinner menu caters to every taste. If you're in the mood for a light meal, there are many different sandwiches, specialty salads, finger foods, burgers and soups.

Those looking for something a little heartier can check out the dinner specials, which change daily, as well as various pasta, seafood, beef and chicken entrees. You can get simple pasta or chicken dinners starting around $9, while some of the fancier seafood or steak dishes may leave you closer to $20 in the hole.

Our waiter was pretty friendly. (And, we agreed, cute in a feminine sort of way...) He told us that, especially in the case of the senior clientele, comfort foods like meatloaf or fish sandwiches are quite popular and well received.

College kids typically go for their burgers and fried foods, and their breakfasts sell well throughout the day. After a great deal of contemplation, we came to a decision. I ordered the aforementioned meat loaf platter, for $10.25, and my friend decided on the western omelet, an even $6.

While we waited for our meals, we explored the restaurant a little more. It's fairly large, and by 5:30 was nearly full. Despite the crowd, the waiters seemed warm and friendly and managed to keep the place looking neat and clean. While our window view didn't afford a particularly lovely view of York Road, there were plenty of little decorative touches throughout the restaurant to admire.

In addition to the older set, we noticed a lot of families with young children. The diner offers a children's menu and has booster seats and crayons to make dining with kids easier.

If you haven't figured this out yet, the Towson Diner is very much a family-oriented casual eatery. There's the perpetual noise of dishes clattering in the kitchen and kids crying in their seats. It's a paper napkins and placements type of place -- not ideal for a romantic date by any stretch of the imagination, but great to satisfy your yen for some good old fashioned home cookin'. Unlike many diners, however, it does have a liquor license, a definite plus for the over-21 crowd.

The service was incredibly fast; we probably only waited seven or eight minutes for our meals. Mine began with a salad. It was served on a chilled plate, an unusual touch for this type of establishment. The salad itself, however, was nothing to write home about, just your plain iceberg lettuce with cucumbers, tomatoes and onions.

The main dish was an improvement. The meat loaf was delicious, just like home, and a very generous serving. It was served with a side of mashed potatoes which seemed homemade. It was good comfort food that definitely beats Terrace meatloaf, though that might not be saying much.

My friend loved her omelet. It came with a side of home fries and featured big pieces of real ham and generous filling. She described it as "good bang for your buck."

We both enjoyed our entrees, but were unfortunately left too full to sample one of their 22 types of desserts. Their desserts range from $1.40 to $2.95.

I would recommend the Towson Diner as a good place for some basic comfort food that's a cut above the cafeteria. It's definitely worth a visit if you should ever find yourself hungry in Towson. At the same time, our own Nifty Fifty's Diner, on St. Paul, offers food that is just as good, perhaps a little less expensive and certainly closer to home.