Take on the diner

No this isn't about some Paul Reiser flick but rather about the
greatest single concept in culinary history. Although NYC has the
best restaurants in the world with the most variety there is one place
they can never compete Coming from the suburbs, I have long
appreciated the griddle pancakes, bottomless coffee and gyros and
having lived in the city for the last decade, the beauty of the diner
just seems lost upon city-folk.
It's not that there aren't any city diners, it's just that they have a
different feel to them. The food might be similar but between the
health-inspectors and the undocumented workers, there is just
something that is lost. A real diner is manned by an old Greek guy
with a flock of middle aged waitresses, a real diner serves eggs 24
hours per day, a real diner has an old awning, a long counter and a
fridge full of cakes. A real diner has a certain smell, a certain
level of filth and a certain charm, something the city ones often lack