Bethlehem Diner
9:10 - 9:41 pm
Setting the Scene
Located between what felt like a hundred interchanges, major highways, and other strip malls including stores such as Condoms Galore, the Bethlehem Diner is a shining green and red light located in the midst of a macadam park. Walking into Bethlehem Diner, we were greeted with the classic outdated 1960s diner look with muted teal and maroon colors complimented by the shiny metal accents and support pillars. We were seated by a Bronx New York man. How do we know he was from the Bronx? It was tattooed on his forearms. We were seated right next to the entrance, the perfect observation location for the clientele that enter diners in the closing hour. This included a large table with a family that sat so quietly and awkwardly we forgot they were there as well as an old woman with a cough that would have put the average person with COVID to shame.
We kept our order simple and classic. For Bethany, a water and a chicken tender wrap with coleslaw and fries. For Ben, an OJ (no ice, but he was asked if he wanted it) and the classic eggs benedict with home fries.
Bethany
My water was great because it did not taste like chlorine. I loved my chicken tendie wrap. It was breaded chicken tenders with lettuce, tomato, and ranch dressing. The tortilla was warm like at Chipotle, which was lovely, but I wish it would have been kissed on the flattop once bundled up. The ratio of chicken to toppings was ideal, but the real winner was the amount of sauce. As a self proclaimed sauce queen, I know the appropriate amount of sauce for a wrap, and the cook at Bethlehem diner must be a sauce queen too. It was wet enough to taste sauce in every bite, but not too much that it was a soggy mess. Well done. Side note, the tomatoes definitely made the wrap. They were somehow the best tomatoes I have had this season. The fries were banging. Crispy, hot, and definitely fried in fresh oil (I think). As a former waitress, the ketchup was definitely not the brand that was on the outside (Farmer’s Choice tomato ketchup on the outside, generic brand on the inside) but it still tasted excellent. The worst part of my dish was the coleslaw. I love a mayo based coleslaw, but this one was disappointing. The pieces were small enough to be fed to a baby and it lacked any flavor whatsoever.
Ben
Pretty sure my orange juice was just the concentrate (this is not a complaint). Eggs Benedict was pretty dece. The egg was a little more done than most that I get, but I actually liked it. It meant that I didn’t have to worry myself sick trying to sop up all of the yolk. The sauce was thin but also had chunks that were a little more coagulated. Probably because we showed up near closing. The Canadian bacon was a little thick I think? Next time I’ll have to bring my ruler to double check. Nothing noteworthy about the English muffin. The dish came with home fries and a little cup of fruit. I tried a piece of the fruit and it was identical to the precut up fruit you would get from a chain grocery store/gas station. I didn’t bother finishing it. The home fries were nice and soft but browned off well on the outside. Maybe a little under seasoned so I added some salt. They had a healthy amount of oil and with some ketchup, they were great.
Rating
Would go again if nowhere else in the area was open for food, mainly for the fries