Juniors Diner (DOG EAR)
Juniors Diner (DOG EAR)
e used to love going to Juniors Diner, a little hole-in-the-wall place just around the corner from us. When I was working, we’d go in on Sunday and try to time it between the church rushes. Still, once it got discovered by the swells of Baldwin Park it really crowded up – there could be a forty-five minute wait for a table.
Still worth it. We loved eating omelets slowly, drinking coffee and reading our books.
Once I retired, we shifted to Thursday mornings. That made it a walk in for us, right over to our favorite booth. With lighter crowds we could linger at our table with our books and really make a morning out of it without glares from the waiting line.
Then the pandemic and them closing, seemingly for good. Alas.
But then they reopened with outdoor seating.
That’s critical for us. See, while Juniors has great food, their air circulation has never been good. It gets muggy in the joint in the summer months and I can’t imagine that their anemic blowers are getting that covid out of the air. So we were a bit reluctant. But today we decided to go over and just check it out. Like when I landed an airplane the thought was that if we felt that it was at all unsafe, we’d abort the landing and leave.
However, outside on the sidewalk there were a couple of unoccupied tables. Since it’s at the end of the strip mall, there isn’t a lot of foot traffic (i.e. none) outside. So we took a table, gave a wave to our waitress and opened our books on the table.
Just like old times. Got a nice cheesy omelet with sausage bits in it and a side of tator-tots (perfect for absently spearing while reading a good passage). And this is great. It’s just as good as it was. Oh, I’d rather sit inside – crummy AC is better than no AC. But the breeze kept things manageable and at the end, we chatted about what we’d read and enjoyed each other’s company. And that’s what Juniors is about – a special morning out every week.
Glad they are back. And happy we are, too.
But stay safe.