Diner Deluxe - Feeling a little Fri-ta-ta-ee!

Today’s office space was courteous of “Diner Deluxe” located at 804 Edmonton Trail NE in Calgary, Alberta.  50’s inspired décor, this little ditty is a breakfast/brunch/lunch/dinner gem and has been nominated (and won) best breakfast in Avenue Magazine at least twice (if not more, I just haven’t followed Avenue Magazine for that long!)

In the interest of full disclosure, I love Diner Deluxe.  I’ve been here dozens of times (if not hundreds…okay no…the “s” on hundreds is not needed, but close!)  Basically, if I have a choice for breakfast, I come to Diner Deluxe…but I’ve never tried to work at Diner Deluxe so I figured I would try it and see what kind of experience I have.

The thing about Diner Deluxe is, when you walk through the door you are instantly transported to a time when things were much simpler.  Honestly, every time I go into even the washroom I smile.  It reminds me of my Grandma’s decorating style (except my grandma doesn’t leave little notes to remind me where “stuff” goes or how “stuff” works.)  The unmatchingness (I realize that’s not a word) in the diner which include the cups, spoons, dishes, the pictures, the tables, the chairs all sparkle with charm.

The problem with Diner Deluxe, I never know if I’m supposed to wait to be seated or just walk in.  Part of me thinks I’m just supposed to walk in because it’s that comfortable feeling, but they do have servers sooo…I wait and typically stand there awkwardly till someone slows their roll and greets me…if only there was a sign! (Actually half the time I have to put my name on a list to get in, because on weekends the line-up is out the door…thus my confusion!)

Today, I was able to land a prime location, staring at the kitchen and had a good view of the people in the restaurant.  I walked in around 10:00 AM and it was 75% full.  My spot allowed me to spread out like a typical work bench (my post-card campaign is starting and I have a number of volunteer initiatives due next week for Making Changes Association) and with my organized chaos approach to business, I had to be able to move quickly between items as I require breaks from each project often – typically due to boredom or needi
ng a break to rejuvenate the creative juices.

Anyway, the coffee at Diner Deluxe is an amazing roast and I always drink way too much. For this morning’s breakfast (and let’s face it, lunch and quite possibly dinner) I order the Smoked Chicken, Asparagus, Fresh Tomato & Gouda Frittata.  And as always – I was not disappointed (although if I could just eat their toast and jam and I’d be a happy camper….their jam is my favorite condiment…not only does it’s deliciousness find its way onto my toast, it also goes on my eggs, hashbrowns and if I knew it wasn’t weird, I’d probably lick the little silver cup it comes in to show my absolute and genuine love of this jam…okay I digress.) 

The chicken is perfectly prepared, although there was almost too much chicken, and the cheese needed to have a bit of a kick to it.  Maybe a bit of asiago? Parmesan?  No wait - Blue Cheese!  The cheese was missing a richness (then again, I’m a bit of a cheese addict, and I like strong tasting cheese).  The asparagus was perfectly steamed, not too crisp and definitely not too soggy.  The tomato (which I usually pick out) was also tasty.

The hasbrowns today weren’t quite as good (with the yams slightly undercooked) but, that’s rare for Diner Deluxe. 

As for the service – she was a bit off today.  My favorite is the one with the wicked tattoos and the crazy earrings made out of her own flesh.  She always compliments me and has always made my day.  It’s like she knows the perfect thing to say.  Today’s server just seemed like she needed a hug.  And I’m way too shy to just offer one up.   Don’t get me wrong – she made sure I had everything I needed and made sure my IV coffee drip was always full.  She was just off.  There was, however, a busboy (not sure if that’s still what they call that position) who was very chatty and asked about my lap top.  He seemed really sweet…almost to the point where I was going to give him my lap top and buy myself a new one!  But again – that would be weird I think.

As for getting my work done – it was harder than I was expecting.  A.) I love listening into people’s conversations (yup, I’m THAT girl) so I found myself drifting off.  B.) I was conscious of the fact that I was taking up another potential diner’s spot (I had two to just one of me) C.) No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get the access key to work on my wireless (admittedly, I had enough to do to keep me busy without getting the wireless to work, but it was still a drag!) and D.) I felt patrons that were waiting were boring holes into the back of my head wishing me to leave.  I did spend $25.00 so I know I earned my spot, but THEY don’t know that…

Recap: $25.00 included breakfast, coffee and grapefruit juice (which is not freshly squeezed) and of course a 20% tip.  I’ll be back without doubt – and maybe try to work there again…perhaps next time at the bar where no one really likes to sit anyway!

For the love of food: 4 out of 5 stars (today…typically 5 out of 5)

For the love of working in a traveling office: 2.5 out of 5 (but I’ll see what it’s like in a different spot next time!)