The best-laid schemes o’ mice and men gang aft a-gley, or some other idiom indicating futility. Idk. Whatever floats your boat.
We tried going to [REDACTED] but called and knocked unsuccessfully!
The four droogs made up our rassoodocks to go to Brooks Landing Diner, where Dave and Bo had gone once before as a backup plan when [REDACTED] was closed. The Brooks Landing sub-neighborhood, located within the 19th Ward, was once known as Castletown, and was originally settled in the early 19th Century. The Genesee Valley Canal was constructed through the area in the mid-1800s. Brooks Landing now abuts the Genesee River. A new Staybridge Suites building is at the “landing” itself—in the past there have been like weird tours or something that dock their boats there every so often, like U of R tours maybe? But that was like once. Haven’t heard much about it since then. Still, I guess it’s technically a “landing.”
The Brooks Landing Diner is located in a small strip mall on Genesee Street. Off-street parking is available, and is clutch, because the the streets at this hour are riddled with school buses, with their red stop signs alight, just begging you to drive through them, thereby violating the Vehicle and Traffic Law, and the D.A.’s office hasn’t been plea bargaining those charges lately, so, good luck with those five points you just got on your license!
There’s a counter straight ahead. Tables to the right. We picked a table all the way down at the end so the rest of the patrons couldn’t hear Dave and Bo’s continued vehement debate over what actually constitutes “fresh fruit.” An inernal and eternal argument.
There’s a Korean twist to this diner menu! (front page of menu, right side, 6th item down). We all got a cup of coffee right away; Dave and Aaron, black; Bo and Pat, mit half & half. Bo was about to stir in his half & half when Pat stopped him, “Don’t touch it!” He was glancing down at Bo’s coffee cup and spoon. The waitress/possible owner had done something to marvel over:
“The spoon. She didn’t put it on the table,” Pat observed. “I like that.”
Dave ordered the Korean home-made beef hash. Pat ordered the corn beef hash with eggs and home [fries], and he sprung, as always, for an English muffin. Aaron got pancakes with egg and beef sausage. Bo got pancakes with egg and bacon. Bo brought, as always, his real maple syrup.
There was a steady stream of folk coming in and getting to-go orders. The counter was full, too. The place was pretty hoppin’! Some of the tables started filling up, but mostly this was only at the end, as we were preparing to leave. A strange metal-on-metal chopping sound was coming from the kitchen area. Could it be-? It just might have been- We figured this was the sound of Dave’s Korean hash being hashed.
The waitress was a little overwhelmed with the influx of customers. Pat, who has prior waitressing experience, snuck up to the coffee machine and served us.
The food arrived, and boy, did it arrive! There were forks flyin’ at Dave’s plate from every which way to get a tasting of his Korean hash! The Korean hash was unlike anything the Xonuts crew has ever encountered. The unique blend of Korean flavorings cuddled every piece of hash, ensuring an incredibly tasty experience. Dave smiled knowingly as he pondered (not for the first time) how he always manages to pick the best item on the menu.
The eggs were just to Pat’s liking: playfully runny, the yolk sneaking around to places where perhaps it shouldn’t be peeking, but not brashly trespassing where it knows it shouldn’t. The potatoes were flavorful and weren’t overcooked. The corn beef hash was excellent. The name is derived from the French verb hacher (to chop).
Very tasty pancakes, flavorful sausage, and well cooked eggs. Brooks Landing delivered when it came to serving up delicious diner staples. Aaron poured on some syrup:
It took like twice as many shots to get a photo of anything that was near Aaron, because, like the brave captured crewmen of the U.S.S. Pueblo, he kept “communicating.” …
If you’re sitting at a table, you don’t order at the counter, but you pay at the counter.
The tab for Bo, Dave, and Aaron was just under $30. Brooks Landing Diner is a good place to go if you want traditional greasy spoon diner food (except for that one breakfast menu item that’s not traditional greasy spoon diner food). You could keep the prices very reasonable, if you so chose.
Pro Tip: Prepare your olfactory receptors for aromatic overload. You’ll never walk into a diner with a finer diner fragrance.
Don’t Miss: The Korean beef hash
Except Pat.
Pat’s Potato Pondering: They offer peppers and onions in the home fries as an option. That’s awesome because you know they are made to order. Don’t be fooled when ordering your potatoes with the corned beef hash, while it says “Home Friest” you’re still getting those good old home fries.