Restaurant Review: Diane’s Sidewalk Deli

Restaurant: Diane’s Sidewalk Deli
Address: 500 Chesterbrook Blvd. Wayne, PA 19087
Rating: ★★★ out of 5 stars
Style: Eat-In / Take-Out / Catering
Food: New York Deli Style Food
Atmosphere: Bright & Kitschy
Parking: Free Parking Lot
Service: Friendly 
Price: Under $10; Lunch Specials Mon – Thurs $5.95
Unique Feature: Delivery available Monday – Friday 11am – 2pm ($20 Minimum Order)

While much of the area spent their Sunday indoors, heeding a gubernatorial state of emergency order, I found myself navigating the winding roads of Tredyffrin as part of a team of reporters contributing live coverage for our Suburban Patch readers.

Making my way trough town after town, life seemed to have been put on hold. Gas stations, convenience stores, restaurants and cafes were as dark as the traffic lights along Lancaster Avenue. A couple of hours into my assignment, a series of road closures veering me off of my path led me to Chesterbrook Boulevard and a business that wasn’t going to let Irene put a damper on its weekend.

Diane’s Sidewalk Deli has been serving breakfast and lunch in the Chesterbrook Shopping Center for 16 years, and today, its fluorescent sign was a beacon of light on an all too dreary afternoon.

I was greeted and seated by a cheerful, smiling waitress. She brought me a menu and started me with a fresh, hot cup of coffee without one grump, gripe or groan about the weather.

I sat sipping my coffee, pondering what to order while staring out through the floor to ceiling rear window at the post Irene “apocalypse” that I’d be returning to moments later. I decided on the Chipped Beef for here, a Sausage, Egg and Cheese breakfast sandwich and a Chicken Salad Stuffed Tomato, to go. I wanted to stock up for my day of hurricane hunting.

My Chipped Beef arrived, served with a side of grilled home fries. An order of white toast was completely hidden under the mix of creamy gravy and salty slices of corned beef, as it should be. The potatoes were lightly grilled, but cooked thoroughly. This isn’t my usual kind of breakfast, but for today, its hearty, rib-sticking qualities were just what the weatherman called for.

I finished up my coffee, paid for my take out and was on my way.

My Sausage Egg and Cheese was served on a thick, toasty English muffin and wrapped in wax paper and foil (no Styrofoam here). Three sausage links were split, browned to a crisp and topped with a fried egg and melted cheese. A solid rendition if I’ve ever seen one and the perfect mid-day snack.

My final choice, the Chicken Salad Stuffed Tomato, sounded so unique that I had to give it a go. My first surprise was its glaring similarity to a salad I’d had many times before. I guess I was expecting something different. Though, true to its name, the main appeal of this salad was a large, ripe, firm tomato, scored and sliced to open up like a flower, overflowing with the most generous portion of chicken salad I may have ever seen.

Unfortunately for the chicken, it was begging for some salt and pepper and desperately needed some crunch. The stuffed tomato was accompanied by nearly a half head of yellow iceberg lettuce, shredded carrot, purple cabbage, black olives, white onion, cucumber, and came with a lifesaving side of ranch dressing; my choice.

I was very pleased with my breakfast, the service and the ambiance. And since Diane’s was one of the few places open during what was predicted to be the storm of the century, the stuffed tomato hiccup is totally forgiven. I’d even order it again, now knowing what it was I’d be in store for, but maybe I’d opt for tuna.

Kudos to Diane and her crew for the dedication they showed to their neighborhood and their customers!

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