Ray’s

14 E. Germantown Pike, East Norriton, PA 19401

http://eatatrays.com/

“Classic” diners appeal to me, in some strange way. It’s not like I was alive during the 50s to get the whole sock hop, sharing milk shake, checkerboard floor, going steady vibe. However, these places often are friendly and do what they do well. For a few years now, I’d wanted to go to Ray’s, in part, because it is always packed. My first trip was no different: we stood in line for a bit for a table, and the line soon extended out of the door. Part of the reason for the line was there just being a lot of people there; the other part of the reason was this woman:

She seemed to be confused much of the time, and was, in general, just not a very efficient or effective hostess.

However, once we were seated, I was glad I got such a plumb seat in plain view of this:

Because, you know, what says retro diner like a Jamie Kennedy send-up of breakdancing?

There is a soda fountain part of the restaurant that looked cute:

So, all is not lost.

As noted, it was very busy, and the service was just OK. My bottomless mug o’ coffee did in fact have a bottom at times, and the food was a little slow getting to us. Rick got eggs and turkey sausage and I got a combo meal that was bacon and eggs and a stack of pancakes . No, I didn’t eat all of it.

Overall, the food was just fine. The helping of bacon was good, but the quality was uneven–some crispy, some soggy, some lean, some fatty. The potatoes were underdone–I need some crisp there, and there was very little. The pancakes were nice, but the syrup was unwieldy and uninteresting. Rick’s breakfast was also ho-hum.

Now, dependable, nothing outstanding diner food would be great to have, were the prices were not a bit too high–I think the total ran over $20, and it just didn’t warrant that expense. Maybe they’re paying for the neon bills or something. I don’t know; I think I’d try Jem up the road over Ray’s again, neon and all.

Michael’s

709 Bethlehem Pike, Montgomeryville, PA 18936

OK, so this place is definitely on the chicken-fried side of things. In our never-ending quest for good breakfast places (of which there are surprisingly few), we came across this place as we were in the area. This area is in fact not close to Stonesthrow, but actually closer to Rick’s work and the Montgomeryville Mall.

Just to give you a sense of the era in which this place was last remodeled, this was above us:

In case you can’t tell, that’s a skylight. Ringed in neon. There was a lot of neon, not all of it working.

Let’s cut to the chase. We both had bacon and eggs–mine scrambled and Rick’s over easy, as is his latest wont:

Really, perfectly fine. The eggs were cooked well, the bacon crispy yet not burnt, and the hash browns adequately crispy. So, despite the surroundings and propensity for running into coworkers, Michael’s will service need we breakfast in that area.