The Rocket

Issue date: 4/4/08 Section: Focus

Anything you could expect from a hometown diner is exactly what you'll get from Main Street Diner in Grove City.

All of the clichéd sights and sounds of a diner can be found here: the clanging of dishes being cleaned coming from the kitchen, the waitress yelling orders to the cooks through a window in the wall and the old men sitting around drinking coffee and reading the newspaper.

FOOD

To start, I had the house salad, which came standard with chilled iceberg lettuce, cherry tomatoes, onion slices and plenty of shredded cheddar cheese for extra flavor. I chose a side of ranch to accompany the salad, which came in a larger-than-usual helping.

The grilled chicken sandwich was served pretty basic, topped with lettuce, tomatoes and mayonnaise.

The large, but plain chicken breast was given a little savory extra by being served on a Kaiser roll with sesame seeds.

The grilled cheese, on slices of thick Texas toast by request, had about four pieces of American cheese with bacon and pickle slices on the side.

The sandwich could have been cooked a little longer to melt the cheese to gooey-goodness. For the most part, it was appetizing, but how can you go wrong with that much bread?!

My guest and I both ordered a side of french fries but probably could've shared one. The platter of fries looked like it was made of about two whole potatoes.

The restaurant has an extensive selection of food to choose from, including daily breakfast and dinner specials.

PRICES

Considering the portion size of most of the menu choices, the diner was rather inexpensive. Most of the appetizers were less than $4.50, with the exception of the appetizer combo that included a little bit of everything.

Burgers, melts, and sandwiches-hot or cold-were all less than $6.50. Salads, excluding the house salad, were in the $7 to $8 range.

The pasta and dinner assortment started around $7 with only two dinners a bit over $10.

Desserts consisted of cakes, ice creams (including a flavor of the day) and homemade pies from $2.69 to $4.69.

Main Street Diner also offers "fried chicken to go" with four size options, from nine to 50 pieces, for $17.59 to $59.99.

I was especially surprised at the "healthy corner" section of the menu, which featured dinners from about $5 to $10, because not too many places offer such a selection.

ENVIRONMENT

The place really gave off that small-town-diner feel. The diner was brightly lit and a little loud even though it wasn't too crowded. The large dining room had booths lining both sides with tables in the middle. Each booth had its own coat rack on the end.

The booths were a little worn in and the walls scratched, but both of those things add to the ambiance. Pictures of old-time Grove City also adorn the walls.

The restaurant had a lunch counter that looked as if it was reserved for the regulars.

There were coffee cups at every place setting, which gave the impression that you could stop by with friends or by yourself just to relax with a cup of joe.

However, I was displeased that the restaurant's smoking section took up about half of the total space, with no divider between the sections.

SERVICE

Our waitress was ultra-friendly and, from overhearing the interaction at nearby tables, all of the other waitresses seemed just as pleasant.

They seemed like they knew many of the customers and were just as nice to the ones they weren't familiar with. I believe that they really helped set the comfortable, relaxed atmosphere.

All of our food came just quick enough to finish the plate before. And our waitress wasn't annoyed when asked to come back more than once.

Main Street Diner
1313 W Main St
Grove City, PA 16127
(724) 458-4522

THE BOTTOM LINE

The quaint diner offers something for almost everybody-and every wallet. I will admit that it's not the most sophisticated dining spot, but it's convenient and low key. And I can't imagine finding a friendlier staff.

Meagan Gribbin is a junior communicationmajor and the advertising manager for The Rocket.

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