Standard Diner

Standard Diner has been open in Albuquerque for a few years and I've eaten there a handful of times over the years. The Standard Diner is located on Central and Arno in East Down Town or EDO as I've heard it called. The building originally was an old service station built in 1938. It does have the service station appearance, but the inside is a very well decorated restaurant. This restaurant too has been featured on Diners, Drive In, & Dives. It is a diner, but it's a diner with an upscale twist. The diners that I am familiar with are greasy spoons with a menu is high in fat content that is served by a lady with has the blue uniform with booths that are a weird vinyl color. The diner is far from what I am used to for diners. The outside is a yellowish stucco with great windows for patrons to look out. The parking here is tight, but where in EDO is it not? The walls are different colors, but they are subtle and go together very well. The place looks retro, but is is very tastefully done. The booths line the walls of the main dining area and they are made of wood with vinyl padding. The middle area has tables and chairs made of wood that has a nice dark stain. The flooring has mixed surfaces: tile and carpet that compliment each other very well. The ceilings are vaulted in some areas and look great.

The picture to the above right is an Otis burger which has sliced beet, a fried egg, grilled pineapple, bacon, and cheddar. I was not brave enough to try what appeared to be a culinary train wreck to me, but my former roommate LEG is far more adventurous that I and gave it a go. LEG is quite the foodie, his parents used to run a great steakhouse for a number of years while we were in college, he worked their in many different capacities, and he just loves great food. From what I recall LEG enjoyed the different textures and all of the flavors went together surprisingly well. On the trip with LEG, Pookie came along too. I cannot recall what she ordered, but she did enjoy it. Pookie is a selective vegetarian and their menu accommodated her dietary choices.

I have had their burger and the prime rib special. The burger I had was just a diner burger with different toppings. The burger was greater than the sum of all of it's parts. I'm not sure on the availability of the prime rib special, but I meant to eat light that night, but they twisted arm and I had to get the prime rib or be subjected to the horrible torture of not eating it. From what I recall they had a special oven or method for cooking the prime rib. My piece was over done for my taste, but the flavors and marbling of the meat were great. I have had the side salads at Standard and they have great, good looking components that help one get to the magic number of five servings of fruits and veggies.

Each time the food has been pretty good and the service adequate, but not great. I would say the best way to describe the Standard Diner is an nicer restaurant with a diner shell. I would give Standard Diner a rating of three stars out of five.

http://www.standarddiner.com/