Lucky Diner

[PaoPao]

Alright, here it goes ...

Have to say that overall the place is good. The food, the service, the speed of getting your food and drinks, etc.

We had one salad, two drinks, two entree's, and one dessert ... with tip was just shy of $100.00.

I think the thing I miss about the old Diner was that we would spend half that for a better meal and be stuffed instead of satisfied. The old Diner never really overwhelmed me with the over the top quality but you sure got more than you $'s worth IMHO.

Now the Lucky Diner reminds me of Brown's or Milestones or any other restaurant around. Which may be a good business model but for what I appreciate in restaurants, it presently lacks. It's different, but a diner to me is alot of greasy good food at a great value in a relaxed atmosphere. The Meatloaf I had tonight was nice, but it wasn't Grandma's meatloaf that I've enjoyed so many other times before piled with green beans and mashed potatoes. Tonight it was two discreet slices with a few green beans and a whipped conical looking portion of mashed potatoes surrounded in sauce. Nice looking to be sure but a far cry for what I expect or want to see in a diner. I'm not sure if Heather still has a hand in the desserts, but compared to what was previously offered where dessert was the one of the highlights, the pecan pie we had was pretty ordinary.

Ah well, it was good while it lasted. I do want to go back and try their Hot Dog and Burger ..... maybe I just went in with too high expectations of what was.

The thing that I am excited about though is Sean's experience and presence coming to a Diner. For sure menu's and recipe's will be tweaked to become an institution like all of the other in the chain. Best of luck to Sean and Scott and hopefully we'll get to see more of the greasy spoon than the silver one.

[Xando Head]

Funny, Pao Pao, we must have just missed you as we just got back from a dinner at Lucky Diner.

We were quite impressed with both the service and the food. It is, for sure, not typical diner fare. I would call the cuisine "diner-inspired." For me, my personal preference is to leave a restaurant satisfied and not stuffed. But definitely to each his own. Perhaps it comes down to expectations of the word "diner." In any case, as we walked home our collective agreement was that we were impressed and satisfied, given it's their second night.

When we first arrived we were greeted in a friendly matter -- and quickly -- and while there were only 3-4 other tables in the house, based on our past experiences here this felt darn near revolutionary.

During the meal, our server was friendly, attentive and refreshingly forthcoming when unsure the answers to 1 or 2 of my questions -- going to the back to ask.

We started with the onion rings, battered with cornmeal, which had a fresh, unexpected flavor -- but not so "far-out" that it competed with the very idea of diner onion rings. For mains, partner had the deconstructed chicken and mushroom pot pie, which I did not taste but he definitely enjoyed. I had the meatloaf, which was so moist I almost had difficulty keeping it on my fork. I did find the mashed potato presentation amusing -- I called it the "Michelin Man" potato -- but that touch of whimsy was neither a positive nor negative in my mind. Partner also had the pecan pie but I didn't taste it so can't comment -- he finished it with a smile on his face, though.

The room is still somewhat the same, with the booths moved and an extended bar area created. I understand that some other cosmetic changes will be made, and I'm looking forward to seeing how the room evolves. I'm also anxious to see their brunch menu.

In our minds, a good start. And yay! for service!

[John Jameson]

Hi Pao Pao,

Thanks for dropping in and trying us out.

While writing my business plan I thought of you and your many positive reviews of Heather's operation. You've been Heather's most outspoken supporter since Diner's opening and I was convinced that it would be impossible to win you over.

The Browns/Milestones comment really hurts and while there is nothing wrong with those two particular operations, to compare the combined efforts of Mark Brand, Kurtis Kolt, Quentin Kayne, Dan Tigchelaar and myself to a Milestones, is a slap in the face...at any rate, we will have to agree to differ.

I would hate for anybody to read your post and think that we were overpriced....for the record our Dinner mains (save one) are $11-$15, our sides $4, our starters $6-$7 our desserts are $7. Our lunch mains are $11 and under, etc.

I find your $100 comment to be misleading....We have one main course priced at $28 and you had it. This sheds a slightly different light on your total spend.

It is true that we are more expensive then "Diner", but we need to be for "Lucky Diner" to succeed...actually Heather needed to be more expensive for "Diner" to succeed. Heather's dinner prices were the same as her lunch prices...you cannot survive in Yaletown if you sell your main plates

under $10, unless you skimp on service and quality.

The food is definitely a far cry from what you might expect to see in a greasy spoon diner and has more in common with the fare at San Francisco's Fog City Diner.....that won't be changing.

Cheers,

Sean

[winegeek]

Alright, here it goes ... 

Have to say that overall the place is good.  The food, the service, the speed of getting your food and drinks, etc.

We had one salad, two drinks, two entree's, and one dessert ... with tip was just shy of $100.00. 

I think the thing I miss about the old Diner was that we would spend half that for a better meal and be stuffed instead of satisfied.  The old Diner never really overwhelmed me with the over the top quality but you sure got more than you $'s worth IMHO. 

Now the Lucky Diner reminds me of Brown's or Milestones or any other restaurant around.  Which may be a good business model but for what I appreciate in restaurants, it presently lacks.  It's different, but a diner to me is alot of greasy good food at a great value in a relaxed atmosphere.  The Meatloaf I had tonight was nice, but it wasn't Grandma's meatloaf that I've enjoyed so many other times before piled with green beans and mashed potatoes.  Tonight it was two discreet slices with a few green beans and a whipped conical looking portion of mashed potatoes surrounded in sauce.  Nice looking to be sure but a far cry for what I expect or want to see in a diner.  I'm not sure if Heather still has a hand in the desserts, but compared to what was previously offered where dessert was the one of the highlights, the pecan pie we had was pretty ordinary.

Ah well, it was good while it lasted.  I do want to go back and try their Hot Dog and Burger ..... maybe I just went in with too high expectations of what was. 

The thing that I am excited about though is Sean's experience and presence coming to a Diner.  For sure menu's and recipe's will be tweaked to become an institution like all of the other in the chain.  Best of luck to Sean and Scott and hopefully we'll get to see more of the greasy spoon than the silver one.

←

Without rehashing an old thread on restaurant reviews, this was one of the few honest, from the heart reviews that did not sugar-coat a fellow e-gulleters establishment. It also did not deter me in the slightest of one day giving this new establishment a try.

Well done

[the g-man]

Funny, Pao Pao, we must have just missed you as we just got back from a dinner at Lucky Diner. 

←

Spooky. We were there tonight too, probably at the same time.

Started off the night headed for Chilo's Mexican in the deep jungles of East Van but they were closed up for the night. Changed course for the Hamilton Street Grill, but we walked in and it was crazy busy, I don't think there was an empty table to be found... a few walks down the block and there is the new Lucky.

We also had the meatloaf tonight. I actually liked the meatloaf better than the one I had there when Diner opened a while back. We had the burger too - we liked the beef although not totally sold on the bun. I am not sure what kind of bread it was but we both found it a little dense and substantial for a burger bun. Did not see the much-acclaimed chocolate souffle from the old menu. Not surprised that it is gone though - from past trips to Diner I think it was made from scratch on order and took a long time to make it to the table. Whatever the reason, I am looking forward to checking out the dessert place that the past owner is apparently opening. I wish her the best. The old Diner was just a really refreshing spot for Vancouver and it will be cool to see what she does next.

The front of the house was solid. I kept thinking that you folks must be concentrating on that issue in particular, our server was very helpful and kept on top of things.

Diner always had good loud music and it is good to see that hasn't changed. We got some nice 80s funk to funk out to while waiting for our pie.

Good times.

[wildebeest]

Is Lucky Diner accepting Credit or Debit cards?

[eatvancouver]

credit cards definitely are.

[sheo]

I had the privilege of eating brunch at Lucky Diner on Saturday. I believe it was the first day they were serving breakfast, but wouldn't have guessed that at all from the friendly prompt service and nicely put-together meals. I ordered a benny w/brie, roasted tomato, and chard, served on a cheddar biscuit and accompanied by an oustanding potato rosti. The homemade ketchup was the best I've had, but then again I am sucker for the 'perfect condiment', and always appreciate the extra effort that goes into the little things! Cheers to the chef, who looked like he'd been working long and hard, and best of luck to Sean!

[Wine and Roses]

Gave it a try on the weekend. They certainly know what they are doing based on the success of all their other places. Found it a bit expensive for what you got though, value was lacking but will give it another try in a few weeks. Paid cash so don't know what they take for paymen methods?

PS - Thought the menu at Crave up on Main Street was a nice diner style menu and found it much better value.

[lauraf]

We went in for dinner last night. (Disclosure: No disclosure needed! Sean is - sadly - not one of my clients. ) Love the look of the room. Service was, as expected given the new ownership, top notch. Interesting selection of beers and spirits. We shared the iceberg lettuce salad with blue cheese dressing - simple, fresh, and while I sometimes find blue cheese too strong (and it can trigger a migraine for me), my husband loved it and happily ate most of it, while I stole the toasted pecans. More pecans please!

For our mains, he ordered the Blue Plate Special - it was essentially a tuna melt made with crab. A large slice of sourdough, three mounds of crab, and melted cheese. It includes your choice of two of the three sides - coleslaw, chili, or potato salad (I think I got that right). For $17, it seemed quite a substantial dish, and with the generous serving of crab, well worth the price.

I simply had to order the mac 'n cheese. According to Kurtis, it was one of the few menu items from Diner's menu that they were happy to keep. It was a rich serving of corkscrew macaroni in a thick gouda/cheddar sauce. Now, I am a mac 'n cheese freak, and when I make it at home, I add chopped tomatoes, green onions, and bake it with more shredded cheese and breadcrumbs. But, I am not at Lucky Diner to eat my version of mac 'n cheese. So, it was delicious, but as a whole main, a bit monotonous for me, without anything but pasta and sauce. I would enjoy it more with some other 'stuff' in it, or as a shared dish, or as a smaller portion with something else, like Cru's little ramekin of mac accompanying their short ribs. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely loved it, good dish, but I needed something else to mix things up a bit.

My husband very much enjoyed it and looks forward to going back. As do I. With someone to share the mac 'n cheese with me.

[Daddy-A]

Having recently enjoyed a post-drunken-Christmas-Party-brunch I feel qualified to add my two bits here.

Get ye to the Lucky Diner.

Me: 2 eggs poached (perfectly), bacon, sausage, hash browns and a cheese biscuite.

Spouse: Corned beef Eggs Benny. (Is that the same corned beef that appears in the Reuben? Is it produced in house? Whatever ... it's GOOD)

The bacon and the biscuit on their own were worth the trip. Hollandaise on wife's Benny was excellent ... lots of love and butter put in that sauce for sure!

Glad to hear they've turned town the tunes to an appropriate level given the accoustics of the room (gawd I sound old and cranky). It was especially appreciated consider the state of my head.

A.

[Anchoress]

So... what happened? I've searched for a thread that explains why it closed, but didn't find anything.

[Daddy-A]

This link should set some light on things. While Urban Diner doesn't say anything specificaly, Sean Heather does chime in on the comments.

Bottom line, not enough butts in seats.

A.