Not Even Wings Will Lift Eagle Rock Diner Menu Above Edible

[I want to preface this review by admitting to be a big skeptic of diners and the quality of food served at most of these establishments.]

It was time to give Eagle Rock Diner a chance. Since breakfast is my favorite meal, I decided to spend part of my morning in the restaurant.

We parked in a very large lot dedicated to the patrons. The diner itself seemed quite big, as well. As we walked in, I noticed a big sign for some breakfast specials. To the right were the cash register and a plethora of baked goods (baking done on the premises) including cookies, cakes and foccacia.

We were seated and a not-so-friendly waitress came to take our order. We ordered coffee ($1.25) and looked through the extensive menu. It was a typical diner menu, including eggs, waffles, French toast, etc. I noticed one of the specialties was their famous Challah French toast ($8.95), made with chef's secret recipe. I was immediately intrigued and decided to go with the recommended dish.

We also ordered the silver dollar pancakes with blueberries ($5.95) since all their pancakes and waffles are made from scratch.

From the omelet specials we ordered the "Hot and Tangy" Spanish omelet ($8.50).

As we sat back with our coffees a few things came to mind. It was a large space divided into a few seating sections. We were in the bright section with the windows. The space was clean yet outdated. My coffee was cold. I like my coffee strong, good quality and hot. This cup had none of those attributes. I still drank it and waited for my French toast.

In my mind, the French toast would mimic the Challah shape, which is not a typical round loaf. It has two to three knots (depending on the Challah). I was imagining the bread slices to have evidence of those knots. As the plate was placed in front of me, I noticed the slices to be ordinary bread slices. The taste was not that of a rich eggy bread. I looked over to pour some maple syrup onto my French toast and noticed packages of syrup with ingredients including high fructose corn syrup. It was not what I wanted to top my dish with — I wish I had brought my own maple syrup and coffee.

The silver dollar blueberry pancakes tasted fine as long as I didn't have a bite of the blueberries. They were completely bland — neither sweet nor tart.

The omelet was accompanied by whole-wheat toast and home fries. The Spanish part of the omelet included tomatoes, green onions, celery and onions. The vegetables were cooked in a tomato sauce. The ingredients on paper scream flavor, but in actuality the omelet was bland. Even salt didn't do anything — ketchup salvaged the dish. The home fries were adequate and crispy on the outside — they did need a heavy dose of salt, pepper and ketchup, as well.

We finished up and were given a bag of cookies for the adults and a pack of gum for the kids to take home.

We paid the modest bill and I couldn't wait to get home to brew a perfect cup of coffee.

Rating: C (half an orange)