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Golden Dove Diner Restaurant
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
2 reviews for Golden Dove Diner Restaurant
Stopped in at 1:30 AM on a Sunday when I was on the road. When I entered DINER into my GPS, this was the closest one to where I was. This is not in the best of neighborhoods IMHO, but hey, a girl's gotta eat. Looks a little dive-y from the outside, but I know, with diners, that can be misleading.
I was seated immediately although there was a crowd of people in the place (a diversity of age groups but mostly 20-somethings). The place wasn't particularly diner-like; more like a 1970s formica-topped-table & mismatched chairs type restaurant. But clean & friendly with heavenly smells, rotating dessert case & a bakery counter.
My hungry eyeballs brightened when I saw the menu. At the top it said, THE ORIGINAL GOLDEN DOVE DINER SINCE 1995! You know, old school. ;0)
Lots of selection here including all different kinds of breakfast (this place is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, which I love!). I was feeling Italian food so I perused the choices. Lots of veal dishes with spaghetti. I thought, Hmmm, eggplant Parmesan? But they didn't have it.
Then I saw "Veal Parmigiana Romano" & was intrigued. It's a veal cutlet, breaded & fried, topped with ham, eggplant, & provolone cheese, with a side of spaghetti & tomato sauce (or gravy, if you're from Jersey). Lots of dishes on the menu noted that the dinners were "complete." Such a quaint 1950s word! I think that means you get soup or salad, the entree, & bread. My entree was $15.79.
I asked what the soup of the day was. Stephanie - who was a great waitress, friendly, bubbly & efficient - told me Italian Wedding or Chicken Noodle. I went with the former. She rushed me out my diet Coke.
Soon a little cup of soup - filled to overflowing - along with saltine crackers was placed in front of me. It wasn't Italian Wedding soup, which I consider to be oregano-flecked chicken broth base with tiny meatballs. This was minestrone, a rich vegetable soup with Italian flat green beans, tomatoes & elbow macaroni. I didn't really care & it was good! It didn't have a million chunks of potato in it which I consider to be a ploy by the restaurant to just fill up the soup bowl with something cheap. It was hot & good & tasted homemade.
I worry when I order veal at lower-priced restaurants (& some higher-priced ones; see my review of a German restaurant). I'm always worried I'm going to be served something that looks like the breaded bottom of my shoe. But I needn't have fretted at the Golden Dove because oh. My. GOODNESS this veal was good!
Stephanie brought me out this platter - yes, a platter, like one your mom would serve the pot roast on back when you were a kid - of food that was piping hot & smelled like a trattoria in Roma itself. I mean, this was a huge plate of food! The spaghetti's sauce looked better than jarred or restaurant distributor food sauce. And the veal.
Okay, it was a breaded, crispy-crusty piece of veal about the size of 2 decks of playing cards put side by side (yes, nice & thick too). This was fresh veal, not a chopped-and-formed "cutlet" from Costco. On top was a slice of deli-style sliced ham which had been frizzled separately on the grill (that made such a difference between a mediocre dish & a 4-star one). On top of that was a thin slice of fresh eggplant with the purple skin still on (nice presentation). That was topped with red sauce & provolone. The provolone was good-quality & was just right with the sweetness of the tomato sauce (the sauce was a bit too salty for me though, but I feel that way about most restaurant food).
One bite & I realized I'd made such a good choice! It really fed my soul. Stephanie checked on me & was good with the all-important after-entree-service followup & to refill my diet Coke. It bugs me when a server goes out for a smoke after they've carried out the entree & you don't see them again for 20 minutes.
I ate half my veal & half my spaghetti. I didn't get the bread that was promised by the word "complete" on the menu. I would have eaten it, but it didn't really matter. (But you should bring out the bread & butter, servers, even if it's not asked for.) Stephanie brought me out a box, a plastic bag, & the check (which I had called for).
Stephanie also told me that she had taken the job (her second) at the diner because she & her husband were trying to buy their first house. They wanted to settle by November 1, 2009 (which FYI is the deadline for first-time homebuyers to get a tax writeoff [thank you President Obama, I love you]). She said she had 2 kids - 4 & 2 - who really missed their mom when she was at work all night at the diner.
So if you're in the neighborhood, pop in & see Stephanie & OVERTIP! Tell her Kathie (the first person to order the Veal Parmigiana Romano on her shift, she will remember) sent you!
Altogether my bill was $21.88 ($17.88 + a $4 tip). I wanted dessert, but I had to get home & it was late! Or early! But my belly was full & my soul fed. Thank you, weird computerized woman's voice on my GPS!
I had went to the Dove Diner (24 hour restaurant) for an early Sunday lunch. I was seated at a booth with lots of families with young kids nearby. I was initially given a breakfast only menu, but I requested a regular menu, which is quite extensive plus breakfast is served all day too. The breakfast menu offers eggs, omelettes, hot cakes, French toast, waffles, sides, and more. On Mon-Fri (5AM-11AM), $3.49-$3.99 breakfast specials are offered. The regular menu has steaks, chops, chicken, seafood, sautes, Italian dinners, salad platters, apps, sandwiches, Philly cheesesteaks, hoagies, comfort entrees, desserts (cakes on display, puddings, ice cream treats) and more. They offer plenty of daily specials and mini meals (smaller appetites). They offer 22 complete dinners for $9.99 or 2 for $17.99 which include soup or salad, entree, soft drink, and dessert (pudding, jello, & ice cream).
The dining room has both booth and table seating with a small mini jukebox at each table, and a small waterfall wall divider. The mini jukebox had mostly selections from today including the Now series, and Nelly Furtado. The dial on my jukebox would not turn past Carrie Underwood. As I was getting up, my booth seat shifted and the patron behind me, though not sitting on the adjacent seat, became annoyed. This diner should really SECURE THE BOOTH SEATS so as to prevent unnecessary shifting.
I ordered the Lasagna special ($9.99) and started out with a Diet Pepsi and a cup of seafood bisque (really a thick chowder), which was very creamy with potatoes, fish & crab meat, I did bite on a small crab shell. The Lasagna was baked and served on a large metal plate, which had lots of ground meat, thin layers of ricotta filling, firm noodles, tomato sauce, and lots melted mozzarella cheese, a geneorous portion. The taste was a bit salty, so I needed a refill on Diet Pepsi. The butter garlic toast (buns) was good for dipping in the sauce. I chose rice pudding ropped with whipped cream for dessert, which was warmed and too sweet for my taste.
The service was good. At first, my waitress was very anxious to take my order, while I quickly decided on what I wanted from the extensive menu. The food came out in acceptable time and I was given refills on Diet Pepsi when needed. The total check came out to $9.99 (zero percent tax)before tip. 3.5 stars overall for the atomosphere, decent food, and value.