Just around the corner from The Regency is a modest little place called Tony's Snack Bar. Which turns out to be perfect once you pop in for a quick fry-up.
A textbook ebcb; the chips are pale, interesting and sprawling over the beans, the bacon has that irresistible combination of soggy and crisp, the egg offers a multitude of heavenly textures, the beans are breaking out of their compound like feisty stallions. Delicious.
Brilliantly simple condiments. Just your basics. No flim-flam. No flummery. Clean lines. Iconic shapes. Like baroque never happened.
These booths are clean and perfect. The ideal place for an assignation, a gossip or a solo read of the paper. There's this friendly, family mood to the place. When I was there it started off lovely, empty and contemplative. Then the lunchtime crowd poured in - school-kids, office-workers - and it got lively and loud. Then, almost instantly, it got quiet again and I got my head stuck back in the paper. All in the space of about half an hour. Brilliant.
It's always nice to find a menu which actually offers egg, bacon, chips and beans, in that order. Like my choice isn't that unusual.
But this sign is the icing on a perfect cake. And it doesn't over-promise. They give you fine food and quick service. A magnificent place.
What a beautiful sign.
Posted by: Blip | March 29, 2006 at 12:09 PM
like baroque never happened? wonderful!
Posted by: Johanna | March 31, 2006 at 03:30 PM
Went there on Friday. A wonderful little place that's now run by my good friend Luis, who used to run Diana's Diner.
Posted by: Ben | October 24, 2007 at 08:21 AM