Beach Rewind Wrapup - Elmo's Diner

Wow, I guess the Dessert post, was the last food from the beach that I have photos of. This next post will conclude the Beach Rewind.
Before Lauren and I left for the Beach, we decided to hit up our favorite Diner in Chapel Hill/Carrboro, in Elmo's. Elmo's isn't your typical diner. Sure they have killer pies, good food throughout the day, and Diner booths, but they are nestled in a corner of a refurbished warehouse, with beautiful photography on the walls, outdoor (heated) seating, and they serve a fantastic breakfast, good enough to not be expected at a Diner.

After a short wait, we had a jumbo booth large enough for 4 adults. We each grabbed a water with a lemon wedge floating in it and delved into the menu. Lauren had come for one thing and one thing only, the Blueberry pancakes.Me, I needed some more time to peruse the menu. I have been here several times and have never disliked my experience, yet I usually try to switch it up and get something different.

The restaurant does attract the granola crowd, complete with crying babies, however, that is just another component of the atmosphere. After all, the website says it's kid friendly.
After a little debate over getting a Waffle, one of their 8 specials of the day, Peach Pancakes with eggs, or something else, I decided to make my own omelet. I added Spinach, Mushrooms, Bacon, and Feta. What a great combination of ingredients. The omelet was cooked well, and had the Feta all gooey inside, their home fries, or quartered red potatoes, left a little to be desired. Only about half of them were cooked all the way. The others were a little bit on the raw side of al dente. The sourdough toast was light and crispy. Especially after I applied a mixture of Strawberry Jam and Apple Cinnamon Jelly from their Jelly caddy.
Lauren's blueberry pancakes, were as always delicious and worth returning for.

I guess it doesn't matter what you get, Elmo's is always hopping, and worth a-stoppin'. Next time you can make it to Carrboro or Chapel Hill, get over there to eat any meal of the day.
(There is also a rumored Elmo's in Durham, although I have never been, and don't recommend it as it is probably filled with Dook students/fans)

Elmo's Diner
200 N Greensboro St
Carrboro, NC
919.929.2909

Fred - 62

If you know anybody who lives in Los Feliz, or frequents this East-side neighborhood in Los Angeles, they can all tell you about the diner that is open late, and serves all kinds of foods. From goat cheese egg sandwiches, to south of the boarder items, everything categorized as traditional and non-traditional diner fare can be found at Fred - 62

The above photo, shows a smattering of options, from a sandwich, to an egg sandwich with sidecake, to a burrito/wrap off of their south of the border menu. The only thing missing is a hand scooped milk shake.


As it was around brunch time, I went with a giant sandwich, known as the Tower of Babel. This vegetarian option, uses avocado, Lettuce and Tomato to make up for it's lack of meat. With Cheddar, and fried onion strings on a grilled sourdough bun, you won't be leaving hungry.
They even throw in a side kick of fries, salad, fruit or potato salad.
The things I were impressed with: The avocado, perfectly ripe. The fried onion strings, works on the sandwich without meat. The tomato, it made it on the sandwich.

A few things I was not impressed with: The lettuce, they could have used a higher quality lettuce than iceberg. The cheese, super cold, nowhere near a melting point, tasted like it was only out of the freezer for an hour or so. The sandwich itself, it needed lots of mayo, and mustard in order to get it down, very very dry. The price: $11 without a drink. I won't be getting this sandwich again.

Looking back on Fred-62's menu, all that came to mind was overpriced diner fare. Sure you can't get some of their unique creations anywhere else, and sure most of it tastes great, but I was a little underwhelmed in the price to quantity of delicious food ratio. It therefore goes into my average diner category with a C+. The sandwich wasn't amazing, but it wasn't terribly either. A little too expensive and dry for my tastes.

I think I will stay home and try to make a better sandwich next time. I will see what I can come up with that is similar yet still full of flavor.

1850 N Vermont Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90027-4215
Phone: (323) 667-0062