YELP!!!

Yelp is the fun and easy way to find, review and talk about what's great (and not so great) in your world. You already know that asking friends is the best way to find restaurants, dentists, hairstylists, and anything local. Yelp makes it fast and easy by collecting and organizing your friends' recommendations in one convenient place.

So, click HERE and check it out. Register and start leaving reviews. It's fun!!

Here's my first review on Yelp for Michael Anthony's Diner in Hamburg, NY:

In the "old" Bob Evans location is this new diner style restaurant. Conveniently located near the Holiday Inn and Red Roof Inn, Michael Anthony's Diner should fare pretty well.

I drive by this restaurant twice a day (to and from work). I was curious as to what kind of place this was going to be - after all, its former occupant was a well known chain. The dining room is huge. How could a newcomer "fill the shoes?" Pretty darn well, if you ask me.

At first glance, I was pessimistic: the menu is enormous! They serve Breakfast all day and, from what I can tell, you can actually order anything off the menu at any time! (In truth, it is reminiscent of a Denny's or Perkin's restaurant-style menu.) The place was full and people seemed to be enjoying their food. We ordered our beverages (how nice to see that freshly brewed iced tea still can be had) and delved into the novel-sized menu.

I ordered off the breakfast page: three eggs (scrambled), hash browned potatoes, sausage, and sourdough toast. My friend ordered the Chicken Parm with Spaghetti. My Grandmother ordered their House Burger (sauteed mushrooms and cheddar cheese) with french fries.

Here's how the meal went:

Three Eggs etc.: The eggs were fluffy and perfectly cooked (if not a little on the cool side), the hash browns weren't quite brown but had a nice FRESH taste with lots of onions, and the sausage was wonderful. (Side note: although I ordered sausage, I was given a piece of ham as well.) I expected a teeny breakfast-style sausage but received two plump pieces of...real sausage. It was a nice surprise. The toast was dry and cold. No butter. Only two "packets" of jam accompanied the four halves of toast. (No big deal though...there was more than enough food on the plate.)

Chicken Parm: This is my friend's "test" for a new restaurant. He says, "If they can't get Chicken Parm right, I doubt they can get anything right." He LOVED it. I have to say that the platter they presented his food on was gigantic. There were two huge chicken breasts pounded out to the size of a normal dinner plate, nicely breaded and topped with sauce and toasted mozzarella cheese. The spaghetti on the side was properly cooked and the whole thing was topped with (what tasted like) homemade marinara sauce. He ate the whole thing and said, "They definitely got this right."

House Burger: My Grandmother isn't picky. She ordered the burger medium and that's how it came. It was a very, very large hamburger. The roll was soft and "very fresh tasting." Atop the meat was sauteed mushrooms and onions, and on the top half of the roll was REAL shredded cheddar cheese, lightly melted...another surprise! The lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle were on the side along with a heaping portion of french fries and a huge onion ring (nice touch.) She took home half of her meal but said that she'd definitely order that burger again.

The service was attentive if not a little too laid back for my tastes (it is a diner, though.) The restaurant was clean. It would have been nice if all three of us had napkins and utensils before our meals came but, no big deal. Also, our ketchup bottle was empty. (Am I being too picky?)

All in all, we had a nice experience. If I could make a recommendation it would have to be: smaller menu, smaller portions. Although people love the "wow" factor, sometimes less is more. In addition, make sure condiments (and silverware) are on the table before the food comes...it will save the servers time!

I will return to this restaurant in a few weeks. They DID just open and I'm sure that they're working out any kinks they might have. I have no doubt that this place will be a five star diner...just not quite yet.