The Diner at North Point Review

First Impression

John: Two years ago, Tim and I reviewed the Peachtree Diner (and yes, I'm also shocked that the Dining Duo has existed for more than two years. We're like the Roseanne show was: bad comedy that just won't die). Anyway, it was a simpler time. Tim only had three kids – he has nine now – and I didn't have any gray hairs.

Well, for this week's review, Tim had a great idea, "Lets eat at the Diner at North Point." Now, I'm 99 percent sure the Peachtree and North Point diners are owned by the same people, but I figured, "hey, it's been two years and Tim never gets to pick where we go, so I'll humor him." So we ended up at the Diner at North Point. Let me say this about both the Peachtree Diner and the Diner at North Point, when you walk into both places, you'll find them very inviting. Plus, a weird thing I've noticed is that every single customer is always having a good time. I'm pretty sure that's a good thing.

Tim: We got to the diner relatively late because it takes forever for me and my wife to get all of our children to bed, and she sure as hell isn't doing that on her own. The good thing about arriving late is that the parking options are fantastic, even if you're not handicapped. I drove up and swung into a space immediately by the front entrance, as if it were reserved for me and my blue Kia. That alone is grounds for a high score on the first impression.

John: 8

Tim: 9

Appetizers

John: After six straight weeks of reviewing pizza restaurants and bars, Tim and I weren't sure what to think of the appetizer menu. They had healthy, interesting options like: Asian lettuce wraps, spinach pie, seared sesame tuna and bruschetta. The options were so plentiful that Altork and I almost didn't know what to do, so we ordered what any confused reviewers would: Crab Cakes.

Tim is the crab cake connoisseur out of the two of us – which isn't saying much, he's also the ballet expert, the hunting authority and the gymnastics specialist. I must say, I'm usually not a big fan of crab cakes, but I was a fan of these. Someone decided to top the cakes with roasted red peppers and a black bean salsa, whoever that was should get a 12 percent raise.

Tim: I used to work at Ruth's Chris steakhouse as a server way back before I hit the big time at the Beacon. And to this day I have yet to eat a crab cake that was better than the ones that I stole…um…that they served. In fact, I'm pretty sure anybody who covers their crab cakes in beans and peppers is trying to hide something – namely that their crab cakes aren't good enough to stand alone.

Crab Cakes: John 7, Tim 4

Entrée

John: You could probably eat at the Diner at North Point every day for three years and never eat the same combination of food. Not only do they have nightly specials, but they serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. I love places that serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. I even keep my fingers crossed daily that my future wife serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.

For the main course, we decided to get a cheeseburger, a chicken panini and a boneless pork chop. First, I love boneless pork chops because there's no bone. Nothing is worse then a giant bone in the middle of your food. I'm not a cave man (although if I was a cave man, I would have killed so many sabre tooth tigers, I would have won some sort of MVP award), so I don't like gigantic bones in my food. The chop was moist, well-cooked and tasty, you really can't ask for much more out of a pork chop.

The hamburger was nothing to write home about. I mean, I don't ever write home, but if I did, I definitely wouldn't write about the hamburger. It was a good size burger, but there wasn't a ton of flavor. I could have made the same thing on my grill at home.

The chicken panini on the other hand was the highlight of the meal. If you put anything on a French baguette, it's usually good. When you put grilled chicken, caramelized onions and roasted red peppers on a French baguette, it's unbelievable.

Tim: We don't often order burgers because, let's face it, they're horrible. (Haha! Just kidding. I love cheeseburgers. I just ate two double cheeseburgers before I wrote this. Don't email the Beacon about how un-American I am because I made fun of burgers.) We don't order burgers for the same reason we don't order salads or saltine crackers or little balls of lint – because you can get them anywhere and they're all pretty much the same. I'm not exactly sure why we lifted our burger shun for the Diner at North Point, but it's safe to say that the burgers have been effectively re-shunned.

However, paninis are a crusty, golden, buttered delight. And North Point's was no exception.

Panini: John 8, Tim 8

Pork Chop: John 7.5, Tim 6.5

Burger: John 5, Tim 5

Dessert

John: It hurts my soul to report this, but we didn't order any dessert. We were actually in a time crunch, so we had to sacrifice something and to my chagrin, it was the dessert. The reason skipping dessert was so depressing is because there is a giant windowed counter at the front of the restaurant and behind the windowed counter were the biggest, mouth-watering cakes you'll ever see. If you eat at the Diner at North Point, do not skip dessert.

Tim: Since we just got through the holidays, and my gym membership just expired, and I just bought my first pair of 36-inch waist pants, I don't think skipping dessert was the worst thing that could have happened to me. Let's just say that the $100 American Express gift card I got for Christmas has already been earmarked for a sturdy pair of running shoes.

Dessert: N/A

Final Impression

John: So it probably sounds like I love this place. The crazy thing is that I haven't even told you the best news about the Diner at North Point: they serve alcohol. So not only do they serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, but they serve alcohol. That alone makes this place worth checking out. Basically, what I'm saying is this: come any time (because they serve every meal), come hungry (because they have everything) and have the cab driver on call (because they have a nice selection of alcohol).

Tim: Diners like this are great because they can be all things to all people. It's like the restaurant version of a butt-kissing yes man. And I mean that in a good way.

John: 8 

Tim: 8