Breakfast at Abner's

You'll have to ask who Abner is because I forgot to ask. Sorry.

I forgot to ask because I was too busy eating my breakfast and people watching. The breakfast food was great. I tried the eggs, toast, biscuits & gravy, and fried potatoes. All of them were really good, cheap, and filling enough that I forgot to eat lunch (that NEVER happens).

Abner's is a classic Dayton diner. They assume that you want coffee, they sell lotto tickets and they have a back room where the food comes out of. I love it all! Abner's does have really good food. Since my bad experience at Wympe's, I had been leery of trying a diner's biscuits and gravy. I am very happy to report that Abner's biscuits and gravy were very good.

There is some good people watching at Abner's. It is on the main road of E. Dayton so it attracts a crowd with a lot of life experiences. I know this because the tatoos were a rich tapestry of . . . something. I think that my guest and I were the only people in there without tats. They were very friendly (like most Daytonians).

One of my favorite things about Abner's is that it is a great place to get away and get work done, especially if an internet connection is not needed. It is not a loud diner, the people pretty much keep to themselves and they don't mind you hanging around.

I recommend Abner's for the people watching, the office like functions but most of all, they serve a really good breakfast. (but you must pay cash for it)

Wympee's-Breakfast Edition!!!

I've been a long-time fan of Yummy! Burger on 3rd. Street. I have avoided Wympee's, http://tinyurl.com/nfg5wh out of loyalty to Yummy! Burger. Well, I was meeting someone for breakfast at Yummy! Burger and they were closed until 10:00 so betrayal happened. Sometimes when you can't find something . . . you walk across the street . . . . and check out the menu.

Wympee's has been around since 1938 and a nice story about it was in the DDN, http://tinyurl.com/lqka8n a little while back. But, to be honest, Wympee's was disappointing. The decor was lotto tickets, the background noise was The Price is Right, and the menu didn't have anything on it that sounded that appealing.

This being breakfast, I had an omelet and my friend had biscuits and gravy. The omelet was almost burnt and the biscuits and gravy lacked a meat taste and was too salty. I wasn't expecting great but it wasn't even good.

I'll stick with Yummy! Burger. Betrayal doesn't taste good.

BOW to the Master

I generally respect cockiness. If you're good, you should not hide from it. I have no idea who Benjamin is but he's the Burger Master. Benjamin's The Burger Master is a little place about a mile north of downtown on Main St. It is surprisingly close to downtown, closer than Brown St. restaurants. It is also close to the best burger around.

I describe a Burger Master burger as how I think Wendy's burgers were before it became a chain restaurant. The cook butters the bun with a continuously rolling metal tube that covers itself in melted butter. (Where can I buy one of those?!?!? How awesome would that be for toast or eating mashed potatoes.) I really don't know what else they do because they wouldn't let me work there for a lunch shift.

My standard order is bacon cheeseburger and fried okra. The burgers are very fresh, thin, and only cooked one way. They aren't huge chunks of meat. They don't need to be cut-up. I think it helps in the cooking process that they are so thin. The burgers are a little crispy without being burnt. It all adds up to being a lot of flavor.

I also really enjoy the fried okra there. The coating is crispy but the okra is still juicy. Unfortunately, the french fries are not good at Burger Master. They taste like they've been cooked in the same oil as the chicken.

Yes, Burger Master offers a wide range of menu options besides burgers. They are okay. Go for the burgers.

I'm really curious to know who Benjamin is/was. I've been there plenty of times and I don't think that I've ever seen a man even working there. I would like to imagine that this person doesn't even "work" there. He just walks around knowing that he's created a fantastic meal. If you've created a great meal, go and be cocky!

Tony's!!!

I like to have business meetings at memorable places because it makes the meeting itself more memorable. I took a guy who lives in Cincinnati to Tony's and he was so excited that, the next night, he took his wife and another couple from Mason to Tony's for dinner. What this means is that Tony's is a tourist destination. It's that good.

What makes Tony’s memorable and unique is the menu. Tony's specializes in Fair Food. Among its fried items include pickles, Oreos, Twinkies, and Snickers. They have things that no one else has on their menu including Loaded Spiral Potatoes and Funnel Cake with Cherry Topping (I actually recommend without the Cherry Topping, the cherries are too overpowering). I’m sure that they would fry anything else if you asked. They are very nice there. (SPECIAL INSIGHT: The best way to get to Tony’s is a really long walk.)

Tony's also has pizza, hamburgers, pork tenderloins and other regular food there. They also have salads. (I want to see the person who orders a salad, a diet coke, and a fried Snicker). Those are all good. You can't go and get the specialty desserts if the main food is bad.

Recommended order: Tony's Italian Sausage, Loaded Spiral Potato and Deep Fried Twinkie.

I give the restaurant ambiance three lunch orders. The restaurant is really boring but the family that works there is very generous with portions and offering free samples. The food is four lunch orders. You will have a meal that you will remember for a long time.

Its nice to have choices but its also nice to have a place that specializes in something that no one else is specializing in doing. Go to Tony's but beware of the tourists!

How to Say Hello

A restaurant should be able to be classified by how they greet you when you walk through the door. An expensive restaurant will greet you formally. A good restaurant will make you feel welcome. When you walk into East 5th Street Grill & Carryout, they ask you if you want coffee. That's exactly how a diner should welcome its customers.

E. 5th Street Grill is an authentic diner. The walls are filled with garage sale pickups. In the summer time, they leave the door open and the screen door closed. They serve breakfast and lunch all day (including a huge pork tenderloin sandwich that should require two buns). The food is cheap. They even have a cook that is covered in tattoos and a shaved head (I wish I knew his name). They have a bar to sit at. All of their food is cooked on the griddle or fried in oil.

I was eating and trying to think what else the place needs. Only the waitress, a very nice woman, wasn't cast for the role. Their menu also mentions salads but can we all agree to ignore that?

All of that and you'll still remember how they greeted you,"Do you want coffee?"