Silver Coin Diner

The decision to stop in the Silver Coin Diner seemed to be a no-brainer. Its big, gaudy sign and excess chrome shone out like the bat-signal after a particularly rural stretch of the White Horse Pike. This was the first "silver" diner that we visited and I think that raised our expectations. The fact that it's located halfway between Philadelphia and Atlantic City on a main Jersey Shore road certainly can't hurt them either. By just going off location and external looks is enough to bring anyone into their restaurant on a hungry one hour drive. I put my foot on the break and made a right hand turn into their parking lot on that blistering summer day unaware of what would come next.

Eggs Benedict

Oh, the Hollandaise! So much Hollandaise Sauce, everywhere. But, let me focus on (as stuff Chef Spike would say) the "good stuff," first. My Eggs Benedict was (after some wiki research) pretty standard. Two English muffin halves topped with ham, poached eggs, and, yes, Hollandaise Sauce. I made this decision after about three minutes of reviewing their menu. I was curious, I was bold, and unfortunately I think I made a mistake. First of all the Hallandaise was rich; super rich, like a "suped-up" melted hard-boiled egg yolk. So, at least it had flavor, but that also means the entire plate, sans the potato, was that same yolk flavor (also the same yolk yellow). I was, however, impressed by the ham portion. Their ham slabs were cut thick, and now as I'm thinking about it, maybe their Eggs Benedict theory is to go big or go home. The poached eggs topping the ham where cooked as well as any other poached egg I've had, but the yolk inside added to the super yolkiness of everything else. I knew I was in over my head at that point. Finally we get to the sad English muffins on the very bottom. They kept soaking up my sauce throughout the meal and remained soggy and chewy at the same time. I'm glad I tried it, but I'm sure there are better versions elsewhere. My potatoes were undercooked. Sigh.

It really is a shame that my experience at what appears to be a landmark diner was disappointing. I'll go back at least once more with the hope that what I was served was the exception. Maybe a classic sandwich will redeem them, but it could prove that all the chrome in the world can't cover up their mediocre food.

Fried Eggplant

As for my part, I suppose I should preface it by saying it's not like you readers would ever go and order Mahi Mahi from a diner, but then again...in act of desperation like myself, you may have a lapse of judgement. My reasoning was that I wanted something that would 'fill me up not fill me out' because Chris and I were on our way to a Salsa event. I figured that the Mahi Mahi - a steaky fish - would probably be cooked thoroughly and that even if it was mediocre, there would be a side of delicious mango salsa and fresh veggies to go with me. The amount of veggies if you measured it would have been about half a cup and the mango tasted nothing like mango which leads me to the somewhat related question: Do they even make canned mango?! It came with a side of fried eggplant which I think I took one bite of and left it alone. All batter; no substance. If Chris's potatoes were underdone, then the clearly tried to compensate with my side.

Mahi Mahi with Mango Salsa

The fish was incredibly, incredibly overcooked to the point that the ends of the cut had kind of created that hard seal that wouldn't let the rest of the meat and what little juice was in there come out when I pressed down with my fork and knife. Parts of it were fine, and other parts just seemed like a waste of using an imported (and generally un-eco-friendly) fish. But I will say that it never tasted muddy or smelled 'fishy' and it was only about 10 dollars. Overall, not a terrible choice for the dinner diner that wants something on the healthier side. I think ordering it with light-to-no mango sauce (generic, kind of sweet, kind of sour) and trying to customize how long you'd like it to cook would improve the dish. But then, of course, you run the risk of these instructions not being executed well since it's not a normal seafood restaurant.

If there was ever a peanut gallery at a diner that we've experienced so far, it was at this place. The waitresses here, while good at providing solid customer service to their tables, were so clique and chatty the moment they got away that at first it was endearing, but quickly turned annoying. One of them suddenly burst out into a cheer (from the waist up) that she used to do as a cheerleader in high school to amuse one the children that were running around.

Silver Coin Diner's interior

Considering that (a) the air conditioning was broken for the front half of the house where we sat, (b) we were kind of in a rush and (c) our terrible mis-adventures in food selection, maybe it was just circumstances that made us not enjoy this diner. (No, it's not you; it's me!) But, with about five more diners on this road and the bright and shiny Galloway diner just a few minutes away, I see no reason to come back.