Friday evening we went for dinner at the Empire Diner space on 10th Avenue and 22nd street, which just reopened last week for dinner only (lunch service is coming in a few more weeks). This used to be one of my favorite places in the city, with their blue cheese lentil burger that was so addictive. The menu is different this time around as is the chef (Amanda Freitag) but that turned out to be a great thing once I let go of my disappointment that the new menu had no lentil burger in sight. Instead the menu is peppered with fantastic and interesting twists to old favorites like the jalopeno infused martini and the patty melt, which is like a grilled cheese with a burger. Their brussell sprouts have a tangy vinegar twist, which also acts as a great dipping sauce for the melt. We even had dessert, which involved a salted caramel sauce and donuts.
