Great Food Any Time
Court Square Diner
45-30 23rd St., Long Island City
(718) 392-1222
www.courtsquarediner.com
CUISINE: Diner
HOURS: 24 hours
CREDIT CARDS: Yes – All major
As you all know by now, I love diners. It was one of the things I was most looking forward to about moving to New York City from Florida, because in my home state, the closest thing you have to a diner is Denny’s. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
Located underneath the 7 Train station at Court Square sits the appropriately named Court Square Diner, which opened in 1946 and has become one of the more popular dining establishments in all of Long Island City.
And that fact is just what I used to lure Queens Tribune reporter Ross Barkan, known for his diverse palette from dim sum to mushroom-crusted salmon, and photographer Ira Cohen, who does not like to stray too far from Flushing, all the way to Long Island City.
Mr. Ross, as he is affectionately called by his young cousin Marcy, lamented on how he was upset that he was not in the mood for breakfast for dinner, a notion I countered by ordering two scrambled eggs, pancakes and a side of whole wheat toast.
Ira, who came dressed in a long-sleeved flannel shirt even though it was May, surprised us both by ordering a meat souvlaki platter with chunks of marinated meat on pita bread, with yogurt sauce, French fries and a Greek salad. Ross and I were under the impression that Ira only enjoyed food from Asia, so to see him order something from Eastern Europe was truly inspiring.
After keeping our personable server waiting, Ross finally decided on a peasant sandwich, which is hot meatloaf topped with grilled tomatoes and fresh mozzarella, served on focaccia bread. He added a side of corned beef hash and washed it down with a Hawaiian Punch from the fountain that he said reminded him of elementary school.
The service came with a smile and it was quick and accommodating to all our requests, which included being seated in the same booth used in a recent episode of “Person of Interest” on CBS.
At the Court Square Diner, you can get anything you want, whenever you want it, and that is just what we did. And we went home happy.
-Jason Pafundi