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Friday, June 10, 2011

Royal Diner; Clarkston, Michigan





Last night, after Sarahfay's softball practice, we went to have dinner at the Royal Diner, located at 6540 Dixie Highway in Clarkston, Michigan.  The Royal Diner used to be called Nick's Country Kitchen a year ago and when it was I must admit that I was not a fan.  But I am happy to say things have definitely made a change at the Royal Diner.  This establishment made a long-term shutdown while they revamped the store and I must say they did a wonderful job!  I will be the first to say that I am a tough nut when it comes to the critiques of restaurant decors, but the owners did a really nice job of the Royal Diner, inside and out.  On the exterior they have a beautiful neon sign that gives the impression of an old style diner; while inside there are nice comfortable booths and tables, plasma TV's, more neon lights and even a working fireplace!


Now I have eaten here before and let me say that the salads are great, especially the Greek Salad.  I have also previously had a hamburger and they too were delicious.






Today, I decided to eat something off of the specials list and that was the Roasted 1/2 Chicken.  This was served with my choice of potato (I choice a baked potato w/ sour cream), a vegetable (peas), a bread basket, and my choice of soup or salad.  Now as I said previously stated the salads at the Royal Diner are good, but their soups are exceptional.  One of my favorites is their cabbage soup.  Unlike most cabbage soups the Royal Diner does not cook the massively large pieces of cabbage until it is mushy, rather they cook it so the cabbage and carrots still have a bit of "crunch" in it.  I absolutely love it!  As for my chicken it was huge!  I kept thinking to myself that for that to only be a half of a chicken, then that bird must of been on steroids and possibly a pro-wrestler.  It was that h-u-g-e.  The flavor of the chicken was great and it was cooked well.  There was a homemade dressing underneath the chicken that I loved and thought finished the meal perfectly.  For me the only thing that would have been nice was something sweet like a fruit relish.






Sarahfay ordered off of the kid's menu and chose the Eggs & Meat.  She, like her parents, loves her eggs poached (she a good kid) and for her meat she opted for crispy bacon.  She had white toast and a Sprite to drink.  Being a Hendin, Red Hot was added to the dish.  She gave a thumbs up to it all.






Kolleen, who does not eat very much at all, ordered a side of hash browns and then shared off of Sarahfay and my plate.  Kolleen felt the hash browns were not that great until the butter was added, but then they turned to something quite good.  Kolleen also ordered coffee which she enjoyed.  I am always impressed when a restaurant gives the table a thermal carafe.






Now the greatest downfall for the Royal Diner was the price.  They our not the most affordable restaurant out there.  There are worse, my special was not too bad at $8.49, but the Kid's Meal at $4.99 only had 2 eggs and 2 pieces of bacon, that seems pricey.


The cleanliness of the store was good.


Overall I was happy the Royal Diner.  They do have good lunch specials and I would recommend them to anyone for lunch.


Happy Tasting!


Overall:


Service:                          ****(4)
Food:                              ****(4)
Affordability:                 ***(3)
Cleanliness:                    ****(4)
Decor:                             ****(4)


Overall:                         ****(4)

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