Review: The Silver Spoon

The Silver Spoon
218 Flatbush Avenue (at Bergen St.)
2/3 to Bergen Street; B65, B67
Reviewed by Emily Lawton

The Order: Western omelet with home fries and wheat toast; coffee

The Food: Fairly disappointing. The omelet was more like fried eggs, folded. Though I tend to prefer "well-done" eggs over runny ones, this had an obvious crust both inside and out that spoke to careless cooking -- the kind of careless cooking that entails walking away from the grill for several minutes at a time. This led to the omelet being way too dry, which might've been less of an issue if I'd chosen something with cheese. But should I have to compensate for their mistake? The fillings were well-distributed throughout -- cooked into the eggs instead of bedded down in the middle. The red peppers were good, and the ham acceptable, but the onion pieces were too large and too crunchy for my taste.

The homefries here are below average, with soggy potatoes and the carrots and onions undercooked. I don't really like carrots in there to begin with (because really, fried carrots? ["I never heard of that in my life, and I can't say I wanted to" -- Sars]), and the difference in texture among the vegetables was disconcerting.

The toast was perfectly toasted, neither over- nor under-done. Buttering, however, was half-hearted, and made for greasy middles and dry outer edges.

The Drinks: Silver Spoon's coffee is standard diner fare: palatable but nothing to brag about. I like that they actually have a cup-and-saucer serving system, as opposed to a plain mug. The cream came in a 4 oz. plastic juice glass, which seems odd since there are a variety of dishes specifically designed for dispensing dairy into coffee. Their improvisation is unwieldy; it's almost impossible to pour without spilling cream all down the side.

The Service: The waitresses here are generally young women who are attentive but only intermittently friendly. Though my water glass was a tiny 8-oz. number, it was never empty. Coffee refills were readily provided. Food arrived in about ten minutes. Sadly, they have the New York mentality that dictates that customers don't really want their bills, even when they've finished eating many minutes before and seem to be fidgeting around in their seats. We finally had to go find our waitress to get the ticket, which is always irritating.

The Surroundings: Lots of mirrors, and where there aren't mirrors the walls are cluttered with framed things (letters, newspaper articles, et cetera). There's a vaguely Greek theme. The front windows look out onto Flatbush Avenue, which can be entertaining, but only a few tables have a view. People sitting towards the back can entertain themselves by watching the cook in the open kitchen, or by staring at their own reflections on every wall. The Silver Spoon has table seating, and a row of stools along the counter with the required diner allotment of old men eating soup.

Miscellany: This is a local establishment, with some degree of quirkiness, and it's my neighborhood place, so I wanted it to fare better. But any diner worth its salt should be able to serve up a decent eggs-and-potatoes breakfast with ease, and the Silver Spoon just doesn't deliver.

review by Emily Lawton