Gold standard

It was a Friday evening with friends and family, and we were craving Italian food. Upon arrival at my first restaurant choice, we discovered the joint closed, so I moved on to Plan B and was quoted a 90-minute wait. I called Plan C and was quoted a similar wait. I told the crew to meet me at Plan D, only to find it also packed. As we stood on the sidewalk in the cold December air, my son noted our unintentional quasi-reenactment of the Christmas story, i.e., he and his pregnant wife seeking shelter and sustenance without success. My buddy piped up, “There’s always GNS.” So, off we went to the Gold ’N Silver Inn, open 24 hours a day since 1956.

The place was busy, but at this inn there is always room for more. Service was efficient, and we were made to feel quite welcome. Pizza isn’t the first thing I associate with a greasy spoon diner, but the restaurant’s 10-inch pies are actually quite decent. My pal’s cheese pie ($10.25) included red sauce with just enough oregano and garlic on a reasonably crispy crust, topped with a ton of mozzarella, provolone and cheddar. My grandson loves tomatoes and pineapple, so we ordered a margherita ($11.75) with olive oil, white cheese blend, split grape tomatoes, fresh basil, salt and pepper, and pineapple added with no extra charge. He seemed pretty pleased with it.

Where there’s pizza, there are often chicken wings—and our shared order of large and meaty wings ($12.55) was even better than the pizza. We chose to have the 1.5-pound order doused in spicy mahogany sauce, and it came with garlic bread and veggies. Mahogany sauce that’s often served with tri-tip and barbecue items is a mix of ketchup, onion, bacon, liquid smoke and grape jelly. My son loves the stuff, but I’ve never been a fan. This spicy version was an improvement, though I still punched it up with some additional hot sauce.

My daughter’s basic order of two over medium eggs with a huge serving of golden, crispy hash browns ($6.90) was about as perfect an example as could be asked for. Her sister-in-law’s bacon and egg croissant ($11.60) was a similar success—a large croissant split and stuffed with crispy bacon, fluffy scrambled eggs and melted American cheese. The garlic fries she ordered as her side were crispy, with plenty of garlic punch.

You can’t get more diner classic than a Reuben sandwich with fries ($11.95), and my son’s pile of corned beef, sauerkraut and Swiss cheese on grilled swirl rye was a great example. The sandwich doesn’t come with spread, which my boy and I both appreciate. We’re bigger fans of mustard than dressing.

My surprisingly good 14-ounce ribeye steak dinner ($20.95) was cooked medium rare. The meat was tender and required nothing extra in the way or sauce or seasoning. Asparagus spears were perfect, and my side of mac and cheese hit the guilty pleasure spot. As it was Friday, I, of course, went with clam chowder over salad; it was neither the best nor worst I’ve had.

Though pies and other desserts beckoned, we just didn’t have room. Our server brought us a giant vanilla shake ($5.95) with six juice glasses to split and extra whipped cream for the toddler. It was just right. While I love seeking out new flavors in our biggest little food scene, it’s comforting to know some things never change.