Sweet Potato Fries Are Vegetarian Highlight at Chicken Pie Diner

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But I had to head back to the spot because 1. I needed to buy some nail polish remover and 2. I had to try Chicken Pie Diner.

I've always had a special place in my heart for classic and all-American restaurants. Though most of these diners tend to lack any real vegetarian dishes, it's all about the experience.

Growing up in the city of San Diego, my favorite 50s diner was Kooky's off Friars Road. It would later become a hair salon, but every year on one morning around the Chinese New Year celebration, my many cousins and I would have breakfast there and the last person would be forced to pick up the tab for the entire group—and we're talking 50-plus cousins. It was a cool tradition and forced me to automatically love similar-themed restaurants.

Now, that I've noted that ...

The food at Chicken Pie Diner was mediocre. I tried the spaghetti at the suggestion of our sweet waitress, Libby, then later had the veggie burger, which was just a Gardenburger.

I also had its special St. Paddy's Day Shamrock shake, which was overly milky but suitable.

But the diner's sweet potato fries stole the show in our booth. They were crisp and delicious, and even the regular fries were yum.

Overall, the food was comparable to most other diners I've visited (but not as great as the famous Corvette Diner) and I enjoyed the ambiance even as it went through a makeover.

My vegetarian trip was complete with the sounds of "My Girl" by The Temptations blaring out of the jukebox.

Vegetarian-friendliness on a scale of 1-10: 5 but all similar diners would get the same score.