Sip and Bite

In terms of diner/dives the Sip and Bite exemplifies what I think of when I think of a dive- counter and booth service, somewhat shabby interior, decent, inexpensive food.

I went on a Sunday, and it seemed pretty crowded with an after- church contingent. There was a short wait- there’s no real waiting area there, but it took a few minutes to be acknowledged by the staff and to get seated, which was somewhat annoying. Once seated at the counter (I was by myself) I took a look at the menu- pretty sparse, but covered all of the diner-breakfast basics.

I ordered the “steamed” eggs, which turned out to be poached eggs, with home fries, and rye toast. The eggs were poached well, and the home fries were solid, if a little underseasoned. My toast was delayed until the very end of my breakfast (not sure why) and was cold by the time it reached me.

The Sip and Bite is open 24 hours, and if I lived in Canton, I’m sure it would be a great place to hit at midnight after a movie, or after going out, but as a breakfast place, is just okay. The prices however, was more than just okay- very reasonable!

$
3 Stars

Sip and Bite
2200 Boston Street
Baltimore, MD

Frank's Diner

I had breakfast solo this week, due to JA's mishap with an alarm clock. Since we weren't meeting, I decided to forgo the Sip 'n Bite (our planned location) and head somewhere I've been meaning to go for ages. Every morning when I travel to work, the sign for Frank's Diner in Jessup calls out to me. The nagging feeling that I may be missing a great diner experience that was right on my way to work every day finally got the best of me.



I needn't have worried. Frank's is okay, but based on my breakfast there, I will not be rushing back anytime soon. The outside is standard diner-looking, with my favorite aspect- the line of newspaper boxes standing next to each other, side by side. I picked up my Washington Post, and headed in. The interior is a combination of booths and stools, and looks a little dated. Service was okay, if a little slower than average, for most diners (I went after what would be a normal breakfast rush)



Coffee was hot and strong, which I appreciated, and was served just after I sat down at the booth. I broke out of my standard order at a diner, and went with the sweet potato pancakes with two eggs and bacon. The pancakes were good, and a 'healthy' notation sat next to them on the menu- They were made with whole wheat flour. The health factor was somewhat negated by the giant amount of butter on them, and the carafe of syrup that went over them as well. The pancakes were tasty, the sweet potato, as well as cinnamon and nutmeg flavor really shone through. As for the other items in the breakfast, the less said about is probably better. the eggs were cool, and one of them was definitely overcooked, and the bacon was crispy (my favorite way) but were definitely on the cooler side as well.

Frank's is someplace that I would try again- because of it's close proximity to work, and the decent coffee, It's somewhere I'm sure I'll return to at least one more time, to see if any of the other choices fare better.

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3 Stars

Frank's Diner
7395 Cedar Ave
Jessup, MD 20794
Phone: (410) 799-8198