Diner 60 West

Good day friends,

Unbeknownst to me a new restaurant opened up on Gulf to Bay in Clearwater two months ago.  I probably had not realized it since there is so much construction going on in that area that I avoid it at all costs.  I was told of a new place called Diner 60 West and was also told they had huge portions at low prices.  Sir Griffin was sold and today I gave it a try.  I cleverly snuck in the back way to avoid the construction mess so I was pretty darn proud of myself for that.

I walked in and was kind of surprised at three things:

1. It was a lot bigger inside than I imagined.
2. It did not look anything like a true diner and
3. There were a lot of chicken statues.

The sign outside advertised ½ price lunches for the month of October and I was immediately intrigued.  There was a regular menu and then the special October ½ price menu.  I dove right into the ½ price offerings and was decidedly pleased with the variety of offerings.  I was fully expecting to see a club sandwich, a bowl of soup and maybe a small burger but no!  There were omelets, sandwiches, salads and bears.  Oh my!  I was initially drawn to the foot long chili dog because I love chili dogs.  One of humankind’s greatest creations is the chili dog.  If there is not a chili dog museum in the world there certainly needs to be.  However, as a snack last night I made myself two chili dogs with onions.  (No cheese, but that’s a sore subject so we will not address it here)  Since it had only been about 16 hours since my two standard sized chili dogs at home I figured it would behoove me to try something different. 

Let’s see, should I have a salad?  When have you ever know Sir Griffin to order a salad?  Maybe I should have an omelet.  They certainly have some delicious looking photos of omelets and I love them too, but it really felt like a sandwich day.  I looked and saw they had a Philly and I do love a good Philly, but is that what I wanted?  Then I saw the deciding factor:  the Philly was served on a world famous amoroso roll.  For those of you unfamiliar with it, the amoroso roll is what makes a true Philly simply delicious.  The Philly came with cheese, grilled onions and a side of fries.  I asked our lovely server, Wendi, if it was a big sandwich for a healthy appetite and she said yes.  SOLD!  For the record Sir Griffin’s wife, Lady Gianna Stromboli, ordered the chicken fajita omelet and Took half of it home with her.  It was delicious.

Out of the corner of my eye I could see Wendi bringing me my Philly.  My mouth was watering at the sight of the sandwich and the huge mound of fries that accompanied it.  It was all piping hot and I would have to wait for a slight cool down period to pass.  I started with the fries and they were seasoned in a way that I am not sure I can describe outside of using the word “yummy”.  Just the right amount of salt and I think a dash of pepper or something else.  Regardless they were good.  Now as most people know I do not like ketchup on my fries.  I normally have them plain to enjoy them just as the restaurant intended or with ranch dressing.  Ranch dressing goes so well on so many things I will have to write about that at a later date. 

It was time for a bite of the Philly.  I held it up and smelled the bread as it melded with the meat, cheese and onions.  (I love onions)  The aroma was mystifyingly spectacular.  Without any further hesitation I took my first bite.  Nirvana!  The bread was fresh and the meat was juicy.  They blend of cheese and onions fully complimented the flavor of the meat, which was seasoned to perfection.  I generally like my Philly to be a little greasier, but the meat was as lean as can be and I had no complaints.  Wendi came and checked on us regularly, which was great as she kept my ice tea generously full.  As I chewed the sandwich and savored each and every bite I thought about how I was only paying $3.99 for this delectable delight and I enjoyed it even more. 

And Wendi was right.  The Philly was huge and the fries seemed endless.  There have been many a time when I finished everything on my plate and was still hungry which inevitably led to dessert.  There was no way possible that any dessert would be coming my way this day.  I was full.  Absolutely stuffed as a matter of fact, and I was happy.  I actually took some very small bites of the Philly just to make it last longer.  When was the last time I did that?

As lunch came to a close the bill came as was expected.  The grand total with tax came to $13.12 for two glasses of tea, a giant omelet and the aforementioned Philly.  Pretty good deal if you ask me.  It was time to leave and as Lady Gianna rolled me out we said goodbye to Wendi, who was nice enough to fill us up some teas for the road.  Sweet girl.

So dear friends I encourage you to try Diner 60 West in Clearwater Florida.  I don’t think you will be disappointed.  I know I’ll be back.  You can ask for Wendi as I know she will take good care of you, but the entire staff looked to be friendly and efficient so I don’t think you can go wrong. 

As always my friends…

You don’t have to be Jewish to love Levy’s.