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    Restaurant Review: Stav’s Diner

    Right up next to the Bexley Centre Panera, a brand new eatery opened this summer in a neighboring strip mall. Stav’s Diner is right out of the pages of a story book, filled with crowds of eaters bellied up to the counter, and run by a clean-cut, two-man grill team with one bustling server. The joint opens every day for breakfast, and closes in the mid-afternoons.

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    It might be hard to find a place to sit in the crowded joint, but a staffer will welcome you and steer you in the right direction to find a seat. There are tables, but counter seats are actually optimal: they let diners watch the entire cooking process, so you know the whereabouts of your order at all times.

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    Breakfast is served all day, and that includes pancakes. The cakes are about perfect, not the goofy, spongy sort, but ones with a crispy griddle finish that blends nicely with syrup and butter. They’re served with a sprinkle of powdered sugar, for fanciness. Served with a breakfast meat, dense sausage patties in traditional fried rounds make a good choice ($7.50).

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    Being a diner, Stav’s serves eggs too. Omelets are on the menu, as is a straightforward order of Two Eggs, Hash Browns and Toast ($6), and it’s executed to order in fine diner style: savory fried eggs centered with golden, soft yolks along with crisp-crusted clots of hash browns, and the obligatory toast triangles on the side.

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    The diner makes a solid burger. It’s good sized quarter-pound, and topped with a slab of crunchy lettuce, a couple tomato slices and onion. The Bacon Burger ($7.50) adds a melted slice of cheese and two long strips of crunchy bacon to the mix. It’s old-school, but with fresher, quality ingredients. For an upcharge ($2.25), you can score some crinkle-cut fries on the side, they’ll come hot out of the fryer with a delicate, crisped surface.

    You’ll find a few Greek options on the menu: gyros, for example. The Chicken Gyro ($7.25) features a chopped whole, fresh-grilled chicken breast (thanks to the joy of counter seats, you can watch the entire gyro-making process as well as all the ingredients). It shares the folds of a soft pita with lettuce, tomato, crumbled feta and the requisite briny tzatziki sauce that holds it all together. Again, it’s an appealing mix of fresh and familiar diner fare. The gyros come with a pile of potato chips.

    Another Greek option, the Kotosoupa Soup ($4), was less lovable. It’s not bad, but it’s nothing particularly special either: rice, chunked chicken and a vaguely lemonish broth. Stick with the gyro instead.

    Or, grab a piece of the house Baklava ($3). Its whisper-thin layers hold mega-hits of honey and ground nuts. One piece might look small, but it delivers big, robust flavors and surprising sustenance.

    Stav’s Diner isn’t trying to re-invent the diner scene. It will give a joint like its neighbor Panera a run-for-its money for the breakfast and lunch crowd. Both have familiar fare, but Stav’s feels less processed and more like home. You can find it at 2932 East Broad Street, just outside Bexley in the Eastmoor neighborhood.

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    Miriam Bowers Abbott
    Miriam Bowers Abbotthttps://columbusunderground.com
    Miriam Bowers Abbott is a freelancer contributor to Columbus Underground who reviews restaurants, writes food-centric featurettes and occasionally pens other community journalism pieces.
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