The true mettle of any diner lies in its breakfast service.
For the recently reopened Main Street Diner in Sayville, it functioned as a main- stay of weekend brunch.
My husband and I, avid breakfast/ brunchers who knew every unlimited mimosa place in western Queens before we moved back to my husband’s hometown of Bayport, were excited to see the newly renovated diner.
With their grand opening on Saturday, July 25, the Main Street Diner started their new presence auspiciously, as there had been quite the social media buzz about the commissioned “Sayville” mural along the diner parking lot’s west wall.
A week later, my husband and I sat down to our first meal at the diner not only since the renovation and new ownership, but since it had shuttered due to COVID-19.
The décor was impeccable. Originally, the diner had a standard Long Island-24- hour-eats vibe, but working with a designer, new owner Marino Frangomihalos offered patrons a decidedly refreshing, almost urban farmhouse feel to the interior. With high-end black-and-white and rich reds, the color palette lent itself to one of Joanna Gaines’s designs.
The light fixtures were perhaps the most incredible new interior feature, with trendy Edison bulbs filling each nook and cranny booth, as well as the large, open dining space on the east side of the building.
For our visit, the diner was filled to capacity (under coronavirus restrictions) both inside and outside, but the waitstaff held together and methodically filled and carried orders, even with full trays and a heavy glass door leading to the outside.
For those who used to frequent the diner before renovation, you’ll be happy to see familiar faces as many of the waiters have remained onboard with the new owner.
The menu, a strikingly nuanced interpretation of breakfast and brunch favorites, was the idea of Frangomihalos. “Young people are tired of the old diner food. We wanted to show them we had new, fresher ideas for the menu,” he said.
Our game plan was to try a standard brunch dish and an inventive one, so, respectively, I got the corned beef hash with eggs over-easy and an English muffin, while my husband went for the more adventurous chimichurri steak and eggs.
My eggs were perfectly runny, but well-cooked to soak my English muffin, while still keeping the yolk off my dress. The corned beef hash, albeit not home- made, was crisped delightfully, and the home fries were tender and seasoned.
Admittedly, I did steal some of my hus- band’s chimichurri sauce for the home fries as it was just the right amount of spice and freshness to complement the robust helping of potatoes.
Asking for medium rare, my husband’s steak was perfectly pink in the center and tender, even for a breakfast cut of beef, and paired well with his yolk-soaked eggs.
Service was prompt and friendly, both at the table and the counter.
The dessert fridge, which we unfortu- nately did not get to sample on this visit, was filled with gorgeous, magazine-worthy cakes and pies, which will certainly be on our plates for the next time we come.
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