BUD

DAN

Main Dish

Butter Milk Brined Fried Chicken Sandwich

This is an interesting sandwich. The menu calls it “butter milk brined fried chicken,” and while I do not doubt that it was brined and I do not doubt that buttermilk was the brining medium, it really just reads as a crispy chicken sandwich. And there’s nothing wrong with that. The chicken was beautifully done, except that perhaps the crust was a bit bland—sometimes these wacky diner chefs will bread their chicken with something a bit spicy or salty, but I didn’t detect anything like that here.

The interesting part is the toppings: spicy mayo and—get this—jalapeño slaw. Now, cole slaw is my sworn enemy. (I realize that I operate a diner blog, and the dissonance of hating cole slaw is not lost on me.) But one of Dan’s and my greatest culinary disagreements is that I appreciate a good kick of spiciness, so I happily welcomed some jalapeño. In reality, it was hardly spicy at all, neither the slaw nor the mayo. But the slaw added such a terrific crunch. It was reminiscent of some kind of pickled vegetable that I can’t put my finger on, both in taste and texture. (I don’t actually know what “slaw” is, so maybe that’s exactly what it was.) I did find that the ratio of ingredients was off, and the slaw tended to overpower the chicken. There was too much of it in proportion, and its flavor was more aggressive. But these are just nitpicks, and overall I liked it a lot.

Main Dish

Turkey, Brie and Cranberry Panini

So I decided to be adventurous this time around. Instead of a typical burger or panini, this wonderful Thanksgiving-themed sandwich stood out and I had to get it. When I saw this bad boy on the menu, I figured that it was anywhere near as good as “The Gobbler” from Ted’s Deli* then I’d be in for a treat. Well…it wasn’t as good. Wasn’t nearly as good. My main problem is that brie cheese didn’t work. I feel like there are several other cheeses that could have been used in its stead that would have worked better…melted nicer. It just wasn’t the right cheese choice. My second problem is that this sandwich was made on wheat toast, which is great…what wasn’t great is that 90 percent of the sandwich filling was focused on 10 percent of the bread. Everything was clumped in the middle. You either were eating a huge mouthful, or the corners of plain, dry, bread. Also…the turkey wasn’t nearly as moist as it should have been.

I will note, though, that I’ve been to this diner before, a few years ago, and I remember getting the “bananas foster waffle” and it was an out-of-body experience. I guess…just because I didn’t love my sandwich this time, I’m willing to give Candlewyck the benefit of the doubt. Bud, this place deserves a do-over.

*The Gobbler is seasonal but is absolutely delicious. It’s a monster of a sandwich that consists of roasted turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mozzarella, and gravy. I HIGHLY recommend it.

Fries

This may be the fabled French fry, once thought impossible, that both Dan and I can agree on. Sure they were softer than I prefer, but they’re presented with the skin on, a touch of grease, and good salt. They very closely resemble Five Guys fries, actually, which Dan and I both love. Five burgs.

Fries

They reminded me of Five Guys fries too, Bud! These fries were bananas awesome. I saw some pictures of them on Yelp and knew I was going to go for the classic as opposed to waffle fries (or any other types. they have an entire fry section on their menu!). These fries were those “rustic” types that still have bits of skin on the ends. Man they were so good I didn’t even ask for honey mustard or use ketchup or anything. These fries were the best part of my diner experience by far (next to being with my beloved Buddy, of course).

Dessert

Caramel Tart
Chocolate Caramel Tart

Candlewyck’s dessert case is a spectacle to behold. They offer the usual standards (cheesecake, pie) but also an entire half devoted to single-portion cakes, tarts, and pastries. For some bizarre reason, diners rarely label these things, so we needed to steal away the host for a minute to walk us through all the options. I know Dan had been preparing herself all day for the chocolate espresso tart, but they were sold out, so we went for a chocolate and a caramel instead. (I don’t remember exactly what they were called, and the receipt didn’t say.)

Dan’s not a caramel gal, but she graciously let me choose that one for myself and just took a taste. It had some intriguing features: notably, a potato-chip-shaped disc of dark chocolate wedged into the top and a skirt of sliced almonds ringing the bottom. The caramel itself was super gooey, like thick honey, and it just clings to the sides of the pastry. When I first saw it in the dessert case, I thought it was crème brulee. I couldn’t tell exactly what flavor the cake was and, frankly, I didn’t love it, but the caramel, chocolate, and almonds were a pleasant diversion.

The chocolate tart wasn’t the one we intended to order but, like I said, the stuff wasn’t labeled, so there was something lost in translation between what the host told us upfront and what the waitress thought we meant. Regardless, it was an interesting option. I think I’d call it a tart, though my knowledge of pastry nomenclature is really basic. The crust is hard and brittle, not cakey. The interior is filled with what I think was a thick caramel, though we couldn’t agree. And the top is bathed generously in dark chocolate shavings. It wasn’t what I was hankering for, so I worry I didn’t appreciate it as much as it deserved.

I didn’t love the desserts, but the variety and the general style with which they are designed and presented earns them a solid rating.

Dessert

Caramel Tart
Chocolate Caramel Tart

We really outdid ourselves on dessert this week, you guys. I hope you appreciate our sacrifice. While Bud and I usually get one slice of whatever cake catches our eye, Candlewyck has SUCH an impressive dessert selection that we got two desserts, and mooched off a slice of cheesecake from a generous diner accompanying our party (hi, Buddy’s mom!).

Starting off with the cheesecake…well, I didn’t like it. It tasted weird and had a very different texture. It wasn’t as sweet as you’d expect. It was also very soft, like to the point of being mushy. I didn’t like it and I was glad to have only mooched a few bites.

Bud and I both ventured out and tried a chocolate caramel tart and some sort of caramel cake that we don’t know the name of. I found both selections to be boring and I couldn’t be bothered to eat more than a few bites of either.

Service

There’s plenty good to say about our waitress. She was friendly and attentive, and she was open to some banter. Thanks, waitress. The food took a while, but that’s not her fault, and she disappeared a bit near the end, though the place had become quite crowded so it’s forgivable. The star of the show, though was the host up front. He’s an older guy, and in my internal Candlewyck fanfiction I just assume he’s the retired owner who still comes around because he likes people. Not only did he give us a warm welcome and a warm goodbye, but he held Dan’s hand while telling us about the desserts. Go ahead, ask her about it.

(For the record, the middling score here is for the longish wait for food. I have no other complaints about the service.)

Service

Our waitress was absolutely lovely and looked just like Thandie Newton. She was very friendly and always smiling. I did notice that our food took a little longer than usual to come out, but I’m reluctant to put the blame on our server. All the staff at the restaurant seemed incredible friendly, though. The gentleman (of Buddy’s fanfiction*) who was either the manager or the host stopped everything he was doing so that he could describe every dessert behind the glass case (none of them were labeled and there were SO many!). Also he held my hand. It was adorable.

The longer-than-usual wait for the dinner and dessert are the only thing stopping me from giving this category five burgers.

*Do NOT ever read Buddy’s fanfiction. It is absolutely filthy.

Value

My sandwich and fries was $12.00, which I actually rate highly for this reason: a “butter milk brined” chicken sandwich with jalapeño slaw sounds like the fancy-schmancy nonsense a wannabe upscale place puts on their menu, with a price to match. But here, the food is a notch more creative than average diner fare but without an excessive uptick in price. The desserts are priced similarly. At $5.50 each, they’re not exactly cheap, but they’re more affordable than their fanciness might command. Overall, while I don’t think Candlewyck can compete purely by the metric of low prices, I think its prices are certainly commensurate with the quality.

Value

Though I feel like their average item is priced perfectly in line with your typical diner, I didn’t get their average item. I got an $11 Lunchable sandwich with bad cheese. Ok, maybe I’m being a bit too harsh, but $11 for what’s basically a dressed up turkey sandwich? MMMMNO. I must say, though, there was not one dessert present in their impressive display that was more than $5.50, for which I commend them. Overall, probably a tad more expensive than your average diner, but still cheaper than anything over at Tick Tock, and better quality.

Ambience

I suspect that Dan and I will disagree strongly on this point, but I loved everything about this place. I used to drive past Candlewyck on the way to work but never realized until now how inviting the exterior is. The façade is clean, polished, and looks recently renovated, and there’s a large patio with tables and bright orange umbrellas. Something about the potted plants looks vaguely tropical, and I thought that was fun. Inside is just as good: brightly lit but in warm tones; big windows; crowded without feeling cramped. Believe me, I appreciate and adore an old, run-down diner that’s been operating unchanged since the ‘60s, and I’m generally wary of joints that are newly renovated and have become too fancy for their own good. But I didn’t get that vibe at Candlewyck.

Ambience

Buddy mentioned that as lovely as the diner decor was, it wasn’t very diner-like at all, and I’m going to second his assessment. That being said, I very much liked the look and found it charming in an American-restaurant sort of way. The seating areas were cozy, everything looked clean, and there was the always-necessary dessert display visible as soon as you walked through the door. I’m going to just go ahead and say that Candlewyck was very nicely decorated, BUT, not very diner-like at all.

OVERALL

A fancy menu with only slightly fancy prices, Candlewyck is an upscale diner with a great variety of food options and a fine staff.

OVERALL

This is an awesome diner but I think I just picked the wrong things to eat (except those fries!). I didn’t love my entree or the desserts, but there is SO much on this menu, and it has one of the most expansive dessert selections I’ve seen in a diner so I know my favorite combination is amongst them somewhere. I tried being adventurous with my food selections but it didn’t work out this time. As I mentioned earlier, I remember going here before and loving it, so I’m definitely giving it another enthusiastic chance to blow me away. So, though I left a bit disappointed after our visit, I’m looking forward to trying it out again.