I’ve been looking forward to visiting the Crown Diner. Owned
by two professional chefs (Harvey Eade and Moody Fadhil), their early
press release trumpeted an “everything from scratch” menu. I’m
excited.
For a diner, the decor is upscale—definitely not going for a
nostalgic feel here. A few fish-shaped light fixtures are left over
from a previous occupant, while beautiful black and white vintage
prints hang on multicoloured walls. Washrooms are beautifully
appointed.
The menu is nondescript. The generic list of usual starters and
entrees is cheap, though. As our server assures us that everything is
made in the kitchen, I get more thrilled than I was at my first peek at
the menu, so I ask if the fries are handcut. The reply, “No, they’re
frozen,” sets the tone for my inauspicious first visit. This isn’t a
single visit review, because frozen French fries are least of the Crown
Diner’s problems.
The only starter that looks remotely appealing is the most
expensive—the crab and lobster dip ($11.99). Again, it’s “made to
order” our server proudly announces; it must be, as it takes a long
time to appear. It’s worth the wait—the dip smacks of cheese on top,
with chunks of seafood and sundried tomatoes underneath. Soft, warm
pita triangles provide perfect edible utensils and generous portions
make it great for sharing.
We order two diner standards, a hamburger platter and a hot turkey
sandwich. The burger looks fresh, without that pressed patty look. It’s
not bad, though a dose of salt and pepper wouldn’t hurt. The hot turkey
sandwich is akin to the home version with real turkey and gravy,
although the gravy- swaddled turkey still tastes dry.
A striploin steak and potatoes is truly awful. Overpeppered mashed
potatoes set my tongue ablaze and the steak, ordered medium rare, is
medium well. This steak has a mushy texture and is on its very last
legs.
A pan-fried seafood platter consists of a small piece of salmon, two
slightly larger cuts of haddock, shrimp and scallops. Interestingly,
they are all the same colour—gray, flecked with a black. The first
bite of haddock leads to a mouthful of bones, the salmon sports a
strange taste and it all suffers from being dry and overcooked. The
sides are the best thing to be said about both these mains: The frozen
peas and corn niblets are cooked perfectly.
Desserts are courtesy of the Crown’s “very own pastry chef and
they’re really really good!” we’re told. Over a couple of visits, we
try the chocolate marquis, the bread pudding and the lemon mousse
cake.
The mousse cake is the best of the three, a circle of mildly
lemon-flavoured mousse over a graham cracker crust drowning in a red
sauce that might be raspberry. An accomplished, professional pastry
chef is with me when we have the marquis. She is stumped as to what
might be in it—the powdery texture is too dreadful for a chocoholic
like myself to choke back. Bread pudding sports pecans (good), apples
(good) and cheddar cheese (why?).
The service is friendly, but the atmosphere could use some work. Our
server brings us bottles of pop from a cooler, plunks them down and
asks if we need glasses. On our second visit, the floors, table and
cutlery are dirty.
I don’t know how business is here at the Crown, but the food tastes
like a restaurant that’s already given up.
What’s your favourite diner in the city?
Give it a review at thecoast.ca/food.
This article appears in Feb 26 – Mar 4, 2009.
I’ve eaten at The Crown Diner many times and have not been disappointed once. As in the case of most restaurants that have pleasant serving staff you can ask for anything and receive it with a smile. As for the food, I have never walked away from the “Crown” and not been fully satisfied (try the chowder, it’s amazing along with everything else I’ve had there). With my budget the way it is right now I can afford to be full and satisfied with all aspects when I visit The Crown Diner.
You have to be kidding me…….your reviews should be nestled below the comics page, perhaps that would make the comics actually seem interesting, professional,and maybe, just maybe, even comical for once, instead of being the #1 reason why most people jump off the MacDonald bridge.But thats a different story.
I’ve dined there countless of times and both service and food were exactly what I was hoping for each and every time.Giving a restaurant a bad review because the burger needs alittle salt and pepper is bogus, although I do agree with your fresh cut fry statement.
I urge all readers of this farce to try the Crown for themselves. It is obviuos this review came from someone who had a bad day at the Walmart Pharmacy checkout.
I frequent the Crown Diner and I love it! The servers are always friendly and attentive and I think the food is great. I agree with Batman and urge everyone to go check it out for themselves, I think they will have a much different experience.
I have been reading Liz’s articles for quite some time and as usual she is not on the mark with this one. As a government employee who has finally found a quick and affordable place to lunch, I am amazed she can stand behind her statements. I eat the burger at least 2 times a week and my coworker always get the chowder. The servers always recognize us and make us feel like ‘regular diners’, not just another sale. Check it out on any lunch hour and you will see that the Crown has not given up but has just gotten started!
I’m confused?? Your complaint is that the diner looks upscale??? That they went though the trouble of painting the walls, and keep there bathrooms clean?? Your ridiculous!! I mean, I much perfer visiting a place where i’m not worried about catching scabbies of the toilet seat. or finding a pubic hair in my sandwhich.
I think the ‘Crown’…a place I frequent often is a beautifully decorated venue. I have never been disspointed in the food or the service. I love that I am treated as a regular and feel welcome. It’s also afforable, and I know everyone could use a little extra cash right now.
Okay I have to wonder what Liz’s “food & beverage” background is. I have enjoy the Crown no less than 8 times and as a former Catering Manager for a huge five star resort chain … she missed the point of a diner. Okay here is another city diner Kempsters … decor far below the Crown, menu all over the place. One minute the decor is upscale at the Crown and the washrooms are beautiful but she didn’t like the fish lights, give me a break, you are overlooking the harbour ohhh but wait she missed the beautiful view and the upbeat staff. And if she wants top of the line steak … go to the Keg! And if I was going to trust a review it would not be one that was in the Coast!
Liz Feltham you must be out to lunch. How dare you put out a bad review at a time where the whole halifax food service industry is hurting so bad.Especially at consistent and respectable place like The Crown diner.
I have been on numerous occations and it’s been good food and good times everytime. It’s the perfect place to go for a quick great lunch.
p.s- The chocolate marquis is king
Liz Feltham you must be out to lunch. How dare you put out a bad review at a time where the whole halifax food service industry is hurting so bad.Especially at consistent and respectable place like The Crown diner.
I have been on numerous occations and it’s been good food and good times everytime. It’s the perfect place to go for a quick great lunch.
p.s- The chocolate marquis is king
To Queenie:
You’re the former catering manager of a huge five-star resort chain….and your recommendation about where to go for a great steak in Halifax is not Cut, Ryan Duffy’s or Jon Allan’s, but the Keg?
Fascinating.
To jc-kc:
Whether you agree or disagree with Liz Feltham’s reviews, they are, in fact, “reviews”. If it wasn’t in her mandate to give a negative review, they would be known as “advertorials”.
To the rest of you:
While everyone is certainly entitled to their opinion, I haven’t heard one person argue with her assessment that the fish was dry, overcooked, and tasted funny, or that the steak was mushy and overcooked.
Or the dirty floors, table, and cutlery.
If I had the same experiences she seems to have had, I’d give the place a negative review, too.
When I read Liz’s “preofessional” (try spell check!)review the day before I had planned on going to the Crown with 17 of my coworkers I was shocked! What she wrote is off the mark from each experience I have had at this diner.
Each time I have been more than pleased with the atmosphere, the cleanines, the staff and above all the food.
The fish is cooked to perfection and the steak each time ordered a perfect meduim rare and never mushy! The deserts are to die for and honestly who cares if they don’t hand cut fries! The fries they serve are delish!
I find hard to believe the words of Liz when each of the 17 people in our group can have nothing but great things to say about the starters, main dishes and deserts when we all ordered different things!
As for the last line in this off the mark review, No Liz, I don’t think the Crown is giving up I think they are here for the long haul offering customers great food, great service, a great atmosphere at prices which allow us to eat out in times we are saving our pennies.
I urge everyone who has not yet experienced the Crown to check it out and see the truth!
Your comments about the Crown Diner are ridiculous! I have dined there many times and have always left satisfied in every way possible. Twice I have gone with large groups and everyone has loved it. The staff are friendly and on top of things and the food is great. Seafood chowder – amazing! Greek bruchetta – to die for! I recommend Crown Diner to all my friends and will continue to do so.
I too have brunched many a time at Crown diner with friends. It has been a regular Sunday outing for us. However my issue with the Crown Diner is with some of the staff. Apparently, “Harvey” the chef is not a fan of children. He finds them too noisy and messy. So although you might think of the Crown Diner as a family restaurant, I would urge anyone with children to try elsewhere! AFter spending over a hundred dollars between us, we were met with a snide remark from the chef as we were leaving, and when we questioned him about it, he said he had only ever owned fine dining restaurants before so “kids” were new for him. He did however say he would love to have us back provided we could keep our children quiet. Thanks Harvey, but I think we’ll just take our business elsewhere. I could see if we had really rowdy children or something but they’re not. They’re good kids who get excited talking to each other etc, and since they had to wait 45 minutes to be served, I think that’s pretty good!
I’m with Bruncher on this one. Definitely not a welcoming environment for families. Co-owner Harvey told us to “GET OUT” (to our backs as we were on our way out the door, no less) and made a “shoo-ing” gesture one Sunday morning after brunch. I believe our toddlers were quite well behaved and if he had an issue with our kids I would have appreciated if he could have confronted us to our face. We’ll never be back of course, which is a shame because despite the rather unremarkable decor and food, it has a nice view, decent prices and there’s always lots of room for us and the kids (I guess that tells you something). Go back to snooty fine dining and stop giving family diners a bad name Harvey. PS- the rice pudding sucks
I actually wasn’t planning on ever setting foot in the place, but I’ve changed my mind.
I think I might drop by for lunch next week with a half-dozen cranky toddlers.
Anyone know where I can get a half-dozen cranky toddlers?
My experiences at the Crown Diner have been extremely enjoyable. I believe your reviewer must have been at another restaurant. I tasted the seafood chowder, spinach salad and seafood platter. All consisted of large portions served with in 30 minutes, piping hot and delivered by very friendly waitresses. The view is spectacular and the restaurant clean.
I hope you will find better things to say about these entrepreneurs who are trying to add diversity to the Halifax restaurant scene.
Chiyo
I see members of Grafton Conner have already commented all over here already! Funny how only 1 of the comenters had ever commented on the site until this article came out, hmmmm, interesting… that you obviously think we are retarded, funny. Anyway, I will say, I have never been there, but if I know anything about Moody, this place is garbage. I’ll give it one try and give my rating on the Readers Restaraunt Reviews with no bias.
The coast should show what dates these posters were created, I’m guess all on the 26th and 27th, aside from the poster with a picture who looks to actually be who she says she is.
I only saw the first page and left that comment, geez, there are more grafton conner con-posters than I thought. Notice how every good comment was made by someone who has never before or since commented on anyhting on the site and every negative one was made by people who have and do. This is a good indication they are making up posters to try and discredit the shitty and probably well deserved reveiw they got. Pretty sad guys, maybe a carrer as con-men would be a better profession for you, as obviously this chef thing isnt working out.
Sadly I was giving the Crown one LAST chance as I sat reading your review. The wings were okay, but the twin filets were HORRIFYING. They had not been grilled or charbroiled. They were pasty gray and the bacon was limp and soggy. The meat tasted…funny…I don’t want to think about it. Potatoes too peppery and salty! Never again, sorry guys, nice concept but you cut way too many corners!