Review: Junior's, Brooklyn

Today Evan declared, "Tonight is Date Night!" The place, Junior's in Brooklyn. Since I work in the armpit of NYC (Times Square), I'd been to the Manhattan location, but never the original. Evan, and his parents, and his grandparents, all spent lots of time at Junior's through the years, so we hopped on the Q, and away we went.

First off, I'm super impressed with the guys who seat you there. They've got one at the front door telling you where to go, another who asks you how many and then hands you off to another guy who walks you part of the way, and then hands you off to another who gets you to your table. It was like a wonderfully choreographed dance just to get you to sit down. Seriously, awesome. And no wait on a Saturday night! Double awesome.

Secondly, the menu at Junior's....awesomely overwhelming. After eating lots of homemade crap at home (and at the Wing Wagon) and feeling like a greasy pig, I'd decided that I need to get a salad or something remotely healthy. HA! That resolve quickly when out the window. Evan ordered the goulash with egg noodles (he'd been talking about this dish from the very moment we decided earlier in the day where we were going to eat) and a salad. I got a roasted half chicken, stuffed with rice, with some collard greens, baked potato, and a salad. We each got a couple of beers, which were fantastically priced at about $4 a pop. We decided right away that after we were done with our meals, we'd order a cheesecake.

Well folks, that slice of cheesecake never happened. We were STUFFED. After the delicious cornbread they give you, plus my meal (which was so giant I could only eat half of), I was not into dessert. Evan finished all of his meal and looked green in the face, but happy. Super fantastic awesome homecooked style food. The collard greens get a special mention because they were just that good. Steamed and fresh looking, not all gross and mashed like faux-southern restaurants usually do. My leftovers got packed up for dinner tomorrow, and it will honestly probably be able to feed both of us.

I really don't feel like I need to go into our experience at Junior's any more. The place is a legend. Everyone knows what it is. It's survived this long for a reason. So just go there! 4 out of 4 stars.

Junior's
386 Flatbush Avenue Extension at Dekalb Avenue
Brooklyn, New York 11201
718.852.5257

www.juniorscheesecake.com