Meatless Month: Day 12

We were on our way to see Machete at Crossgates Mall last night and only had about an hour.  Mr. Hungry didn't feel like Chipotle or pizza, so we were planning on going to the Metro 20 Diner right on Western Avenue.  It's not the greatest diner around, but it would be fast and would most certainly have some vegetarian options.  I pulled into their parking lot only to discover they were closed for renovations, so I drove a bit further west on route 20 to the Western Diner, which neither the Mr. nor I had ever been.

Stepping into the Western Diner is like stepping straight into the 70s, right down to the music playing.  Wood paneling and amber-glassed lamp shades decorated the dining room.  We were promptly brought tiny glasses of water and a basket of potato rolls.  I decided to try their eggplant Parmesan, being fondly reminiscent of the batch I recently made, and Mr. Hungry ordered the stuffed shells.  I had thought about getting breakfast, and maybe I should have.

Dinner started with a choice of soup or salad, and I opted for the cream of broccoli soup.  Why, I don't know, as I don't generally like diner creamy soups, particularly cream of broccoli.  The broccoli is always cooked to a grayish mush and the soup itself is inevitably overthick, but it was fine.  Exactly as I expected it would be.  It very well may have had some form of animal broth in it, but we're not being that fussy about our "veg month," as Mr. Hungry has taken to calling it.

Our entrees arrived shortly after ordering and were both swimming in marinara sauce.  I am not a lover of any tomato sauce in the best of circumstances, and unfortunately, the Western Diner's wasn't great.  Too sweet, too thick, and just not delicious.  But my eggplant was crispy and the mozzarella topping was browned, so despite the over cooked spaghetti the meal was adequate.  Mr. Hungry's stuffed shells were so sauce laden that he scooped them out of their little serving dish onto a spare plate.  He said they were fine.

The theme for this meal would be adequate, and inexpensive at just under $30 including tax and tip.  I know not every meal has to be memorable, but I hate spending money on food that isn't really worth eating.  I don't think we'll be returning to the Western Diner anytime soon.