Diner Deluxe Calgary, AB - Great stuffed french toast, variable eggs bennedict, and really slow, absent minded service

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French toast 8/10, Eggs Benny 4-6/10
After sleeping in on the weekend, we headed out for a late brunch/breakfast. After seeing the lineups were similar at Over Easy Breakfast Co and at Diner Delux and 30-40min wait times to be seated at both - even though the pancakes at OEB are to die for (review for OEB here), we decided to give Diner Deluxe a whirl. This nostalgia themed diner is bright and busy, and from a placard on the wall, it proclaimed it had tasty eggs bennys... which we found out was a bit hit and miss, along with absentminded and extremely slow service.

the DRINKS
With a choice of alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks, my boyfriend went with the black currant spritzer - essentially a black currant Italian soda - syrup at bottom, club soda on top.

I should have went with something caffeinated as I read the smoothie as fresh, but it was a Naked smoothie - the bottled stuff you can get at any grocery store. Tis a shame they don't make fresh smoothies.

My cousin went with what turned out to be a packaged Pineapple juice, not fresh. Then again, we're not in Hawaii, so can't expect fresh pineapple juice here.

the EGGS BENEDICTS
Our tummies were a grumbling after it took over 20min to have our drinks show up on our table, and another 30min passed before we reminded our waitress we were still waiting for our order - after watching patiently as several tables that were seated well after we were served. The meals were whisked out within 10min after we reminded our waitress of our forgotten orders. First out was the Canadian Bacon Eggs Benedict

Despite the pretty picture, the eggs benny must have been sitting out the whole time on the backburner, as the poached eggs were solidly dry and overdone, while the English muffin was dry and chewy. Disappointing after such a long wait, along with the hype that Diner Deluxe made the best eggs benny in Calgary.

My boyfriend's Grilled chorizo and sauteed spinach eggs benedict with a huge pile of seasoned hashed browns. Unfortunately, they forgot that we had upgraded the hashed browns to a poutined hashed browns, so we asked and the waitress apologized again and went off to let the kitchen know.

My boyfriend's eggs benny fared a bit better with the eggs soft in the center, though not runny as he had requested. The flavors of the sausage distracted from the tasty hollandaise sauce, while the sauteed spinach could have used a bit more draining as it added in a bit too much moisture to the dish

My Stuffed French toast with Urban Baker's rosemary apple sourdough stuffed with Sylvan Star gouda, Canadian bacon drizzled with rosemary syrup was the best showing of the day.

With the scent of rosemary wafting up from the lukewarm French toast and was served with a big heap of seasoned hashed browns. They drowned the toast in the syrup (I had asked for it on the side, but I was too hungry to care at this point)

The cheese was a bit unevenly distributed, but when you bite into a portion that had melted cheese, crisp bread, bacon bits and a trace of the rosemary syrup - delightful. My boyfriend very helpfully ate all the super syrup saturated portions since he loves his breakfast items swimming in syrup.

Finally, after a third reminder after we were more or less finished eating, and 15min till the end of breakfast service, the Breakfast poutine came out. Luckily, it was worth the wait, but we shouldn't have had to ask 3 times for our food!

That said, you can't really go wrong with with hashbrowns​, Quebec cheesecurd​s, and creamy basil hollandais​e sauce. Mmmm.

the VERDICT
Overall, I'd be tempted to come back for the breakfast poutine, but maybe it was a bad day, but the absentminded and extremely slow service is a big turnoff.

Diner Deluxe
Address 804 Edmonton Trail Northeast, Calgary, AB T2E 3J6
Phone (403) 276-5499
Hours Mon-Fri 7:30-9:30pm, Sat 8am-3pm, 5pm-9:30pm, Sun 8am-3pm


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