Maybe I'm just eating out too much? Pt. 1 of 2: Papermoon Diner

I got rear-ended today! Lucky me. Even luckier that the damage was mostly to my trunk. Even luckier than that, the woman who hit me also belongs to my insurance company. Best of all, I don't have to pay for the damages, or the rental while the repairs are being made. And it could've been worse. It could've been a tractor trailer.

I was just getting back from eating a delicious Greek dinner. I think I am eating out too much again. Not that I've paid too much for doing so these past few days. Two examples of food I've tried in as many days:

Papermoon Diner - My friend from England - well, who lives in England, the same friend whose partner works at the US Embassy - is in town. After meeting up at the Grand Central (yes, I got a Guinness), he suggested the Papermoon Diner on 29th Street. This place has good old American food, which my friend finds very little of in London that's worth eating. Paper Moon's was delicious, and their decor is a fun, brightly-colored, almost Hampdenish kind of decor. Only it's not Hampden, but Charles Village (that's Charles Village, right?). And the outside is just as fun and rainbow-colorful as the inside.

The menus are in old book covers, and show some typical diner food. My friend ordered a large plate of multicolored nachos with guacamole and melted cheese oozing all over the place. Nachos in the UK? Well, London has lots of good dishes, but your typical order of nachos is not among them: Doritos with melted mozzarella. Ick. These, however, were artery-clogging, tough to get out from under all that cheese, salsa, guac, sour cream. OMG, 'twas divine, simply divine.

For dinner, my friend ordered a cheese steak, which he seemed satisfied with. I ordered the patty melt with swiss on rye, medium rare ($8.50), but with sweet (potato) fries instead of the regular (add another $1.50). Again, I was very impressed, satiated, satisfied, what have you. The patty melt was heaven, and the bread slightly salty and buttery. Oh yes, I know I have to go to the gym tomorrow. * And the fries were better if sparser than those from the Golden West Cafe - and came out a helluva lot faster (and hotter).

The whole cost came to about $32, which he covered; he just asked me to get the tip. So in exchange, I bought him a drink at a favorite bar of his, the Phoenix. A two-story gay pub, it's far less seedy than I had thought from stories I've heard. I got two Bud Lights for the price of one - Thursday night special.

* That is, if I can trust that my trunk will not be un-bungeed (it's currently being held "shut" with a bungee cord) by some ass who sees that it's, well, open.