A friend of mine came into NYC for a visit and we hit up the Riverdale Diner on Kingsbridge Avenue.  Currently I'm on a diet that has me eating very little more than a few ounces of meat and a salad, I decided to throw caution to the wind and have a pancake deluxe breakfast instead, not knowing when I would have one again.  This ideal meal, to me, is the true test of a diner's capabilities and I wanted to see if they could measure up to my standards of excellence.

One thing my friend and I noted was the size of the booth.  The Riverdale Diner has pleasant decor and flat screen tvs to entertain the bored or easily distracted.  I, magpie that I am, am clearly the latter.  But then it's Jeopardy and I can't resist a good trivia game.  I found myself saying things like, "Yeah! I know what you mean, the booths are--Who is Samuel Clemens!--totally too thin---What is Coca-Cola!--I can imagine you must be uncomfortable."   The booths are so squished together that we sat with our ribs up against the table and we wondered if it was worth it to the diner to save those extra inches of comfort just to squeeze in one or two more booths.  We managed for the time being, but I have to say that I'd prefer a little more space in between me and the table.

The service was friendly and efficient.  We never had to wait for refills.  We didn't have to wait long for our appetizer of mozzarella sticks, though I have to comment on the watered down marinara.  When it's that liquid, you spend less time getting actual marinara sauce on your cheese stick than you do getting it wet with watered tomato juice.  While I'm sure they're trying to cut corners by "stretching" the sauce, it's actually wasted because you're soaking up the juice and leaving the bulk of the sauce behind.

When our food arrived, I noticed that the pancakes had been stacked on top of my ham, bacon and sausage.  Most of the diners that I've been to before will put all the meat on one plate and the pancakes separate.  This bothered me a little, but I separated my proteins from my carbs quickly and I know better to tell them how to arrange my plate next time.  While I like to dip my sausage in the syrup, I don't like having it forced on me.

A connoisseur of pancakes, I took a test bite.  While I wasn't incredibly disappointed, I have to be honest and say that I've had better.  I've been spoiled rotten by the Westgate Diner in Albany, NY (and by my own delicious pancakes).  As far as pancakes go, I'd give them a C+.  Not as fluffy as they could have been and I'm wondering if they use buttermilk or not.  I didn't taste it if they did.  What they lacked in quality, they made up for in edibility.

The meat, I will attest, was cooked to perfection.  I'm picky about my over-medium eggs and I will politely send them back if they're not done properly.  These were cooked perfectly. Not too runny, not too hard. The bacon was an exquisite balance of crunchy and chewiness that I enjoy. 

All in all the experience was pretty good.  I was very pleased with the service (which is tantamount in my opinion) and while I have had better, the food was okay.  I cleaned my plate, so I'm not protesting too much.