273/365 Doc's Good Eats

I try to avoid the Apple-Chili-Friday-Olive Garden drill whenever I can, so when I spied this delightfully campy place next door to the Holiday Inn in Warren, MI, I knew I had found my dinner. The seats were concave from years of customers lingering over the Good Eats, and the few occupied tables had elderly couples dallying over the senior specials. They call them family restaurants up this way, but they are so like the beloved diners of my youth in the New York metro area. The cup of chicken soup was overflowing with curly noodles, tender chicken chunks and vegetables that were remarkably still al dente. Then my entree, the grilled chicken Greek salad arrived. As expected, the plate was bigger than my head. Fresh, creamy feta, crisp, cool lettuce, warm chicken slices and the yummy surprise of some sweet beets...mmm. I had skipped breakfast and lunch, so I allowed myself a peek at the list of Oversized Desserts, though I knew what was tempting me. I smelled the apple pie baking when I entered the place. I ordered half a slice at full price, a strategy to try to keep myself honest. The perky, young waitress asked, with a wink, if I'd like that warmed. Silly girl. She brought the half and I ate half of that. A delightful meal of relatively ordinary foods that could only have been improved with the company of friends or family.