Open Thread: Is Clark’s Really The Best Diner In Brooklyn Heights?

As reported here, Clark’s (80 Clark Street) copped the Brooklyn Heights Association’s first ever “Best Diner” award at Thursday’s annual meeting. The honor was decided by BHA poll and host Tom Stewart read many heartfelt and whimsical musings from members about their experience at Brooklyn Heights diners.

But is Clark’s truly the best? Comment away!

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  • Dean Collins

    Meh….its hardly got much in the way of competition.

    I was out in Fort Greene this weekend and wondered…..hey how come we don’t have a place this good in BH……..can someone explain to me why the caliber of restaurants in BH is pretty average at best….?

  • AEB

    I’ll take that one. Because (1) there’s no ethnic food-culture tradition
    here, as one might in find in a nabe that is or was, say, populated by
    Italian Americans and (2) the BH demographic is older and thus more
    inclined to stay at home and (3) there’s very limited real estate
    availability/reasonably priced real estate, so younger
    would-be restauranteurs can’t or don’t have a chance here.

    I see I haven’t addressed the issue of quality per se, but the lack of it undoubtedly follows the factors mentioned above.

  • jdc

    I’ve heard that you can get real maple syrup for an additional charge if you request it.

  • miriamcb

    Corned beef hash is one of my favorite breakfast meals but multiple times I’ve asked if it’s homemade and they always say yes. It is not – it is definitely from a can. I love that diner, but am not blown away by their corned beef hash actually. I usually end up with a waffle/strawberries and sausage.

  • miriamcb

    You can! It’s not even that much more…

  • Andrew Porter

    Of course it’s home made. Why, the cattle are kept in the basement, and the potatoes are pulled from the earth every morning in Idaho and flown in by jet courier. The eggs are from healthy hens in coops at an undisclosed location in the Heights.

    But watch out for those strawberries: they’re definitely made by machine.

  • miriamcb

    Haha, point taken. My husband noted to me, at least you don’t have to make it. I guess I’ve just had better, homemade corned beef hash and don’t expect it to be the same exact stuff I can dump out of the can.

    The waffles are also machine-made ;)

  • Boerum Bill

    These aren’t diners, they’re coffee shops. Diners are stand-alone train car-looking buildings, of which I’m quite the connoisseur.

  • Prom Gal

    Clark’s Corner is a family favorite. It isn’t a diner, but a Greek Luncheonette run by the same family (yes, there is a Mom and Pop) for decades.
    The best things is the breakfast menu, available all day with no surcharge. Great omelettes, pancakes, eggs, sausage, bacon. The waiters, many there for years and years, are professional, helpful, courteous, and speak English. They almost always get your order right. They remember how you like things done, and are a pleasure to deal with.
    They take pride in their quality, in little things, like purchasing their Belgian Waffle mix from Belgium, for a more authentic, higher quality product. High quality sweet potato fries, standard lunch sandwiches,rice pudding, lemon meringue pie.
    Very unlike the ever downhill Teresa’s where the waitresses, who often speak poor English, have a nasty attitude, and think they are doing you a big favor by serving you. Maybe it’s living under a communist society, but they have no respect for the customer, are argumentative, and get your order wrong, or the food arrives cold, at least half the time.
    It’s a shame because Teresa herself, and her manager, Tommy, are very nice, but the staff is not trained, is pretty transient, and just doesn’t seem to care.

  • Karl Junkersfeld

    AEB, those are very good points. People ask me all the time about lack of good restaurants in the Heights, now I have my answer.

  • Teresa

    And one type of whiskey is made from rye.