Local and Healthy at the Silver Diner
Mango Vegetarian Stir Fry is one of the new 600 calorie options on the Silver Diner's new menu. Pictured is a family style serving not actually offered on the menu.
DCist stopped by Silver's Clarendon location last week for a blogger tasting event to see how executive chef and co-founder Ype Von Hengst has freshened up the kinds of food that are more often associated with grease and Sysco than Greenberry coffee and Maryland strawberries.
Where the Silver Diner changes really shine is between the buns. Co-founder and CEO Robert Giaimo spent time polling diners to see if they would pay a buck extra for hormone-free ground chuck, or 50 cents more for their omelets. "The answer was yes, and it was the first time we got that yes," Giaimo said. The updated ingredients show up in the thick, massive burgers cooked to a perfect medium, or miniaturized as sliders. Large fillets of teriyaki salmon on whole grain bread are worthy appetizers or meals unto themselves, while a tomato-mozzarella combo with pesto on ciabatta is a light yet hearty sandwich.
Diners with wheat allergies will appreciate several wheat-free choices, and those with celiac disease will find several menu items specifically prepared and designated as gluten free. A shrimp scampi is made with a brown rice flour penne, for example. I've always thought it wise at diners to stick with the classics and leave the pasta to a night at an Italian restaurant or your own kitchen, and that advice holds to an extent. The kitchen can be a bit heavy handed with the sauce and salt.
I find the same to be true with the 600 calorie veggie and noodle stir fry, and smothered BBQ meatloaf (both with gluten). But my gluten free dining companion couldn't get enough of the pasta, thrilled to be catered to for a change. Its nicely sautéed shrimp and bits of fresh asparagus do make for a satisfying enough plate. A black bean quesadilla is a dish everyone can love, hearty like an overstuffed hot pocket and made with a corn tortilla instead of the usual flour variety.
The words “local” and “healthy” at first seem oxymoronic when coupled with “diner.” But Von Hengst points out that the Silver Diner was one of the first around to serve low carb and low cal menu items decades ago, and to adopt zero trans-fats in the last few years.
Despite the hike in prices to accommodate local eggs, better beef, and local produce, nearly every menu item is priced under $10, with the entrees far below $15.