The Diner's meatloaf served with a smile (Angie Brown) photo: Aaron McKenzie Fraser

Enter The Diner. Only a couple months ago, the same guy who owns Elgin Street Diner spruced up the Amber Garden's former digs, stocked a deli cooler full of desserts, and set up shop.

Well, Elgin Street Diner is practically my second home, so I stopped by their sister loco to see if there was anything to fuss about. The space was clean and cheerful and the hostess was just plain nice. I instantly felt at home.

The menu is practically a transplant from Elgin Street Diner, but no matter - the newly painted walls and upbeat staff give this place a feel all its own. The first thing I tried was just a classic burger with only ketchup and fried onions. The menu advertises 100 per cent Angus beef burgers. What it doesn't say is that the burgers are preformed and that the onions, which cost a whopping additional $1.50, would be soggy. The salad that came with it, though, was well put together. I also tried a delicious no-nonsense BLT on wheat piled with mounds of dark, salty bacon, sweet green lettuce and fairly ripe tomatoes. The fries that came on the side were no great shakes - regular juliennes from the freezer isle, and the gravy was fairly bland. But happily the menu lists plenty of other decadent-sounding sides, like homemade mac'n'cheese and mashed potatoes.

There is more good news though. The Diner seems to use extremely fresh ingredients for the most part. The mature lady sitting across from us got a fried egg sandwich that looked on par with my BLT: straightforward, fresh and easy to take on. Later, she absolutely dove into the largest, most mouthwatering-looking ice cream sundae I've seen in a while. Chocolate sauce dripped lazily down the sides of what looked like five scoops of pure vanilla ice cream. And the glass case by the cash held a dozen decadent-looking cakes, puddings, pies and cheesecakes.

The service was easily worth four stars. The booths are cozy and the temperature inside is a welcome break from chilly winds that can't seem to make up their minds whether to come or go, but the prices are a bit higher than what I expect to pay at a diner ($14.99 for fish and chips; $12.99 for shepherd's pie).

I almost prefer ESD's brisk service and the smell of grease that hangs on your clothes after you leave, but for a slightly more homey experience, I'd definitely recommend The Diner.

The Diner
1 Richmond Road
(613) 798-7800
Lunch: $10-$20

The Reel Food Film Festival wraps up this Thursday with its last and perhaps most terrifying instalment concerning the fight over life itself. Along with short films Seed to Seed and Terminator Tomatoes Claymation, the festival will be showing a powerful documentary that the University of Manitoba didn't want anyone to see. Seeds of Change, a documentary about the risks surrounding the introduction of genetically modified organisms in Canadians' food system, was prevented from being released for several years by the University of Manitoba because of the university's cozy relationship with agro-giant Monsanto (the leading company behind GMOs who also provided research funding to the university at the time), according to Heather Hossie, one of the festival's organizers. Learn more about GMO technology and what the risks are at the screening. The Reel Food Film Festival holds its last screening on Thursday, March 15, at 6:30 p.m. at the main branch of the Ottawa Public Library (120 Metcalfe). Free. (Matt Harrison)
 
 

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First impression is the lasting impression     I'll keep short and sweet... I travel 200 days out of the year, been doing it for 24 years. I have been relocated in the Ottawa area and discovered the diner in August 09. Food was average and staff acceptable. I returned with a friend in Mid September, will never return. Food was bellow average, staff was very helpful (damage control helpful), the prices are a bit high for the freshness and quality of food. Problem: there is NO passion for great food coming from the kitchen (don't blame the owner; he relies on his chef for that). Quick setup/preps makes for low quality. In a location as such were the competition is all over.they should take the time to do a few things but do them RIGHT OR the owner is not planning on repeat customers just to maintain a revolving door. My 2 cents By the way I work in the food services industries and registered at that TOO
Mike Lajeunesse		October 25th, 2009
The Diner rocks!!!!!     First off, I am a big fan of The Elgin Street Diner. When my fiancé and I first heard of the Diner, we went to check it out. As soon as you walk in the restaurant, you can feel that the atmosphere is very inviting. I like the fact that their menu is simple and straight forward. Now, I am no food critic, but in my humble opinion, the food just rocks!! We have been there many times and were never disappointed!! Keep up the good work!!!!
Eric Lafranchise		October 3rd, 2009
new owner gives Diner a sour taste     I have gone to the Diner for breakfast at least once a month since it opened, and have always order the pancakes. The Diner was one of the few places that had good pancakes with real maple syrop. Today I noticed the syrup was table syrup, not maple syrup. The server checked with the cook, and confirmed my suspicions. The server apologized, and explained the Diner's new owner didn't want to pay the higher price for real maple syrop. The table beside me also commented on this poor choice of menu change by the new owner. I told the server that a $13 pancake breakfast was pretty steep for table syrop! However, the reason I wil never go back is because of the rude cook, who could be heard ranting about our complaints from the kitchen. Too bad - I'll miss the old Diner!
Chris Drummond		December 12th, 2008
Last comment is a bit off...     We have breakfast there every week. Coffee is included (and always has been as long as we've been going there, which is over a year), and the breakfast is cheaper than the Bagelshop down the street (and actually is on par with what most restaurants are charging for breakfast nowadays). The breakfast is top-notch, and the service is excellent. The portions are generous without being ridiculously huge. Also, the home fries are fantastic!
Jeff Kelm		June 30th, 2008
Not good     I live 2 minutes from this place and have been only twice in the past year or so. The food is expensive and of mediochre quality. I especially abhor their breakfast "specials". If you do plan on eating breakfast here, don't expect a $4.99 or even a $5.99 2 egg special, think more like $8 and coffee isn't included. Service is nothing special, a little slow, and not overly friendly or helpful. I had a bad experience the first time, but gave it a second chance and just confirmed it. Too bad this Diner has no redeeming qualities, giving me no excuse to go back. How can someone who owns the ESD get this one so wrong?
Andrew N		January 21st, 2008
Fascinating     While the review seemed to generally be disappointed with the food, I was intrigued by the mention of the ice cream sundae. It sounded like the stuff of heaven. I would take a chance on a sandwich or burger ( and yeah the additional onions at 1.50 is nutty! )and top off the meal with the ice creamy paradise. Yummy for the tummy.
Reuven De Souza		May 30th, 2007
~Feast or famine~     It's always hard to trust a food review when the adjoined picture focuses on the waitress and not the food or restaurant. By the way, a black and white photo of meatloaf? Oh yum. As if meatloaf didn't have enough problems selling itself these days when everything is organic and healthy?! Gotta say, this column doesn't sell me on anything except the urge to look elsewhere.
Pedro Eggers	{1 vote}	May 27th, 2007
I Came for the Food     Riva, you placed way too much emphasis on the service you received. Sure having great service is nice, but you go to a diner to eat. The majority of what you said you ate was bad. Why such a good review? Maybe you are friends with the owner? And for freezer fries and soggy onions, the prices are a little steep.
Dave Burn	{4 votes}	March 26th, 2007
toomuchtime     wow- it is impressive to see how much time and effort go into reviewing food reviews. You people are all either very bored or have waaayyy too much time on your hands. Having eaten at The Diner, I can personal agree with most of what this review said. OK food and prices just out of reach of diner food. Part of reviewing restaurants requires a critic to try all the new places in town; the good, the bad, and the ugly. I would imagine for every exceptional meal tried, there would be a number that just don't cut it. For a new place, like The Diner, who are just getting their culinary legs under them, a negative review could really hurt them. Instead of cutting them off at the knees, this review painted the ok parts of The Diner and let you make your own decision whether or not you would try it without slamming it completely. So, if you felt that this review didn't spur your appetite for The Diner, then thank Riva for saving you money if you ever considered stopping at The Diner. The review reviews on here are absolutely insane. They mimic review voyeurs trying to capture their spot in the lime light. I guess though, it is like the Howard Stern effect.
John Lane	{8 votes}	March 21st, 2007
Oh, Those Soggy Onions And Freezer Fries.....Whatever Happened To Home Cooking?...     The former tenants at 1 Richmond Road were greeted with a few of my visits over the years but more because I was asked to participate in a team luncheon at Amber Garden, instead of deciding to go there for my share of European fare. The new tenant, The Diner, sounds like they are preparing an oft repeated menu of burgers, soggy onions and freezer fries. Oh, and a tantalizing ice cream sundae. But, as Bob LeDrew states quite clearly in his review, did Riva's car hit a pothole somewhere along Richmond Road forcing her car up in the air to stop at 1 Richmond Road and thereby missing many much better choices along the way? I mean, if you compare eating to dating, do you go out with the near-sighted, vegetarian introvert that has an all-year long snow-coloured skin tone instead of looking a little longer to get the chance to put a little "more moxy in your foxy?" and spend some time with the better built, outdoorsy little number with the cute dimples and the pretty sway? Less heartburn and more filling. You make the choice. But, Richmond Road is not exactly the barren landscape of 10th Line Road as far as restaurant choices go and The Diner sounds like it could work on being finer. Nice rap Jane, by the way.
Steve Landry	{9 votes}	March 17th, 2007
Drinking Kool-Aid     Your review was fraught with references to so-so food... pre-formed hamburger patties, soggy onions, freezer-case fries, high prices (for a diner)... yet you paint this all in a positive light. Why? It is simply a mediocre place. Some good things, some not so good. No need to wax poetic about it. 4-star service? Come on. Yes, when we went, our server had a hint of a smile and didn't mess the order up, but 4 stars? Please. Who's paying you to write this? FYI, try the "homemade" mac 'n cheese. There is a bubbly layer of breadcrumbs and cheese on top, giving it the look of homemade. And then, when you dig in, its pure Kraft Dinner. Complete with orange-y glow. I think they are pulling a fast one. This restaurant is "okay". To imply that it is the shining gem in Westboro is a fraud. As the above reviewer pointed out, there are some great restaurants in Westboro that are far above the relocated "ESD".
Marni Krebs	{10 votes}	March 16th, 2007
Can Never Have Enough Good Diners     Diners... simple fare, well prepared (ok sometimes greasy spoon vintage but that isn't all bad if you like that sort of thing) and served fast with a minimum of fuss. These throwbacks to a simpler time are fine by me. Zaks and the various Rockin Johnny locations seem to be doing ok but others seem to have difficulty attracting a clientèle. I certainly miss the old Capital City Diner that used to be on Hunt Club Rd. Foot traffic is often the key unless it's in a busy drive by location. O well... time will tell. This new diner has the one-up of having a proven formula and menu from the old location but will that same formula work in a different neighborhood?
Mark Cayer	{5 votes}	March 16th, 2007
Diva Riva Too Fast with Food Facts!     Yo-Yo Riva! if u want me to believa that u is the Dining Diva U got to cut yo' food facts with sumpin' cleana than a dull & dissin ham-fisted cleava! Ya know whad I'm sayin? Yeah, I'm talkin about your recent dish on The Diner which smells a bit like ya know....week-old fish. And don't dis the hood when you don't even know what hood you in, girrrrlfren. We is West Wellington, part of Historic Hintonburg ('burg' as in Anglo-Sax for hood not as in McDonalds) and ain't never, no way, even on a bad day, been Westboro. (Y'all really should be way more thorough...) Ya know what I'm sayin? The Diner is the latest but far from the greatest resto/bistro/pub-grub-a-go-go in what is actually a really really good food hood which should be a fact u be checkin before u be attackin us for lackin Ya know what I'm sayin? Get outta yo little box! Check it out, gorilla-friend before you shred your street cred again! John's Diner (the real kind, best club in town); Agave (best maggie-ritas in town); Cafe Mio (DeNiro drove from Montreal just for the joe), Won Ton House (since 1976!), Absinthe Resto (steak & chi-chi-tinis), Anna Thai, Allium (serious yum; creative, complex, coolinary); Royal Oak (Dan the Man behind the bar Th&Fr), The Wood (sports bar with Virgin Caesar??!!??), Siam Bistro (Buddhalicious), Schnitzel House (Potato Pancakes with Rosemary), Daniel O'Connor Pubalicious with in-house BOWLING!, PizzaPizza, Bella's Bistro (CSI: Classic Seductive Italian), Thyme & Again (stuff-you-wished-you'd-cooked to go or eat in), The Table (sublime organic veggie weigh-yo-plate greats), Mcdonalds, Caffe Ventuno, Nicastro's, Roses Cafe (been to a Jazz/Blues fest lately Diva Riva?); Carleton Tavern (Sam's Pizza and Ugli Club Breakfast; Virgin Mary occasionally appears on a piece of toast ); Ottawa Bagel Shop, Parma Ravioli, Wellington Gastro Grooveaholic Pub...sorry...running into my limito de tirado....
Jane Foy	{8 votes}	March 16th, 2007
Huh?     Sure, the Diner is a good place for what it is. But did your reviewer teleport straight in? Within ONE KILOMETER of The Diner are: 1. Caffé Mio, right across the street! 2. Siam Bistro 3. Bella's Bistro 4. The Roses Café 5. Les Grillades 6. Juniper 7. Anna 8. Pho Van Van 9. The Wellington Gastropub 10. Allium 11. Absinthe 12. The Table I've eaten at five of those 12 in the last six months with excellent food and service. Your reviewer needs to get out more. Or do a little RBWA (research by walking around)
Bob LeDrew	{4 votes}	March 15th, 2007
The Diner     I really like going to The Diner. there is a variety of food to choose from and it is walking distance. Sometimes you need to get out and eat at a greasy spoon place and this is a good place to start.
Louise Lacroix		June 6th, 2007

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