Profile

Before Denny's sold the diner back to America as a wholesome place to get overpriced, greasy food, diners were neighborhood centers with full bars where all walks of life gathered for a juicy steak and some juicier gossip. This grand old tradition lives on at the 25-plus-year-old Mark Twain Diner in Jackson Heights. The décor is quintessential Queens, with a glitzy chrome entryway and a spacious interior that feels like a cross between an old folks home and a hotel bar. Before you’ve even had a chance to make it through the nine-page menu, home-baked challah bread arrives on the table still warm. It's a good thing, too, since choosing among the array of American, Italian and Mediterranean dishes is not easy. The well-prepared sirloin is an solid standby, though the more adventurous may want to sample the unusual variations on surf 'n turf, like lamb and pork chops matched with a snappy halibut and salmon, and accompanied by an earthy stuffed clam and stuffed mushroom. As with most diners, vegetables are best avoided, with the exception of the savory feta and spinach spanakopita, topped with a fire-kissed layer of crisp philo dough. — Keach Hagey

Chopped sirloin steak with onion rings, $15.95; spanakopita, $9.95