Starlite Restaurant & Diner
The Starlite Restaurant & Diner just recently opened. It occupies the building that was formerly a Perkin’s and more recently a RJ's Metropolitan restaurant.
First Impressions: The décor has changed very little from when it was a Perkin’s. I’d like to have seen a little more effort to set it apart from the past restaurants that occupied this space. For a new restaurant, it sure looked like it had been open for years. The wallpaper was peeling, carpet looked old and worn.
Food: I had the half-rack of baby back ribs with French fries, coleslaw and a side salad. The salad was small but was fresh and tasty. When my main course came, I found it strange that they all came on separate, cheap-looking dishes. There was a laughable garnish of a lettuce leaf with an orange slice on it. How about instead of garnish you just put all my food on one plate.
My ribs were a little over cooked, but the meat good and still easily pulled off the bone. The BBQ sauce was good not great. French fries were done to perfection (but how hard is it to cook French fries). The coleslaw was very soggy and tasted watered down. The cabbage was shredded to the point it looked like dental floss.
Service: I noticed that the wait staff all had different kind of outfits on. I would have liked to see either a dress code or a standard uniform. I have nothing but good things to say about the service I received. My waitress was very cheery and took me through the menu since it was my first time there. She was very attentive without being annoying. My order was correct and did not take long for it to arrive at my table.
Overall: This place looks like it’s trying to save money by not updating its décor or by buying nicer dinnerware. Also, I was seated in a booth right next to a tub that they were using to collect dirty dishes and glasses instead of running them to the kitchen. I would rather they not place this so close to seated customers.
Everything on the menu sounded good to me which made my final decision tough. This is a great place to go if no one can decide on what they’re hungry for. They have everything from hamburgers to seafood to stir fry. I wasn’t overly impressed with the Starlite, but that’s not going to stop me from going back there.
