I don't have any pictures of the Stafford Diner, located at 1388 Rt. 72 W, and when I did a Google image search, these goofballs came up. It is indeed taken at the Stafford Diner, and epitomizes just one of the subcultures that frequent the joint: goofball high school kids doing goofball things, things they'll probably regret later in life.
Anyway, the Stafford Diner is a place that I will go to again, and have been returning to for many years. We went there for a late lunch on Monday afternoon. Now, for a long, long time, my "usual" at the Diner was grilled cheese, and as I aged my grilled cheese went through different variations: just plain grilled cheese so no extra cost was added when I was young and broke, later on some grilled cheese w/ ham, which is delicious, and even later, when eating more healthy (I don't think healthy and grilled cheese belong together, at least not diner grilled cheese), I would get grilled cheese w/ tomato, which is really, really good. Neither variety is better than the other, just different. My cousin Bud swears by the Stafford Diner grilled cheese, says it's the best in the world, and if anyone is well-traveled enough to know where in the world to get the best grilled cheese, it's Bud.
But this post is not about grilled cheese. Lately, I'd say about 95% of my Stafford Diner visits within the past year, I've been getting the Monte Cristo. If you've never had a Monte Cristo, let me explain. The Stafford Diner variety is a ham, turkey, and provolone cheese sandwich on thick French Toast w/ a side of fries and syrup for dipping. I get it with mozzarella instead; it's incredible. I recently found out, via Wikipedia, that a Monte Cristo sandwich is traditionally dipped in its entirety in batter and deep-fried, which sounds like it would be mind-blowing, really incredible, but the Diner version is good enough.
But what about service? One thing I love about diners is that there are classifications like "diner food," "diner service," and "diner waitress" that, to the experienced diner patron, need no explanation. Our waitress was the classic "diner waitress": nice, but all business. Set the coffee mugs down with a clunk, creamer dish still perched on top, rings of spilled coffee on the table. She was quick to refill our water and coffee, and quick to bring out our food. It was night and day when compared to Roberto's Dolce Vita. If you really want a taste of the sweet life, check out the Stafford Diner. Just watch out for goofballs number one and two, pictured above.
Next up, Scojo's Restaurant, located at 307 Long Beach Blvd., Surf City, NJ. First of all, I don't go out to eat all the time, it just happens to be a coincidence that I've gone out so much the past few days. Scojo's was a special case, because we went there for a late breakfast right after we finished pumping concrete footings around pilings in a crawlspace. How do you celebrate such fun? Breakfast.
Scojo's is a restaurant that until this past Summer (when my eyes were opened to a number of places on LBI to which they had previously been shut) I had not frequented and even (erroneously) thought poorly of. My previous opinion: too expensive, too crowded, for tourists and old people only, too crowded. OK, so it probably still holds true that on a weekend morning in the Summer, Scojo's is going to be too crowded and full of tourists and the elderly. But it is also delicious. I have gone there a handful of times since the Summer, and it is never packed, the prices are the same or lower than a lot of breakfast places on the Island, the service is always fast and friendly, and the food so far has been outstanding.
My Dad claims they have one of the best Greek omelettes he's ever had, citing the inclusion of black olives as a main draw. I'm going to have to take his word on that one, olives aren't my thing, and I find that more often than not I'm drawn to the sweet side of breakfast when I eat out. I can vouch for their French Toast stuffed with Mango and Sweet Cream Cheese, which is often on their specials menu. It's decently priced (I think 6 or 7 bucks) and really, really filling. Their blueberry walnut granola pancakes are also really good, and really cheap when on special at $5.95.
For my most recent visit there I chose the Half Moons, which are two pancakes folded over and stuffed with cream cheese and your choice from a variety of fruit fillings. I chose apples. Their pancakes are among the best on the Island, but I was wondering how the Half Moons would be, because sometimes places put too much cream cheese in these stuffed things, and drown the dish. Fortunately, they did the right stuff and put the perfect amount in. The apples were a surprise too, because they weren't the typical pie-filling fare, but fresh cut apples. Another deliciously sweet treat from one of my new Island favorites, Scojo's.
So, there, I've shown that I am not a dining tyrant, and that it's not really hard for a restaurant to make me want to return. All it takes is good food and good service in a timely manner. The low prices aren't a necessity, but in both these cases, an added bonus. I will go to these places forevermore.
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