Metro 29 Diner: Ooey Gooey French Toast

Metro 29 Diner: French Toast

A craving for french toast last Sunday left us stumped, but multiple google searches--validated by a friend's recommendation--revealed that Metro 29 Diner is known for its Challah bread varietal.  Recently visited by the bleach-blonde, brash, Food Network Guy Fieri on his Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, Metro 29 is a classic no-frills Greek diner on Arlington's Lee Highway.  Its penguin-suited waitstaff  promptly serve up grub behind a bar backed by cases full of towering cakes.

Despite the Internet accolades, I was slightly hesitant to go back to Metro 29. Past brunch visits disappointed with heavy, heavy, heavy options, including an egg white omelet that practically necessitated a nap...I could not imagine the side effects of the whole egg varietal. On another trip, some forgettable pancakes were accompanied by the environmentally unfriendly and wholly unorganic Smucker's individual serving syrup.  And then there was the time we asked about the fresh squeezed orange juice, labeled as such on the menu, and saw a waiter pouring a glass of "not-from-concentrate" orange juice right out of a Tropicana carton.  This claim is a stretch at best and blatant false advertising at worst.

But despite these flaws, the french toast lived up to the hype and is worth the trip.  The indulgent slices of housemade challah are dipped in an egg bath and served hot off the grill.  The crispy exterior yields to a warm, gooey center with hints of custard, cinnamon, and vanilla.  For $9, two slices come topped with a mountain of your favorite breakfast meat, which in my case is crispy, greasy bacon. 

The crowds on weekends can be overwhelming, but if you are a party of one or two, you can usually snag a seat at the small counter to the left side of the hostess stand without having to wait.  Service is brisk, efficient, and at some junctures friendly.  And like any good diner experience, you have to pay at the counter following your meal.