Excellent | Worth a Detour
Marcy’s Diner
Review by: Michael Stern
It isn’t likely anyone would mistake Marcy’s diner for a temple of haute cuisine. Decor in this unabashed hash house includes a collection of hot sauce bottles and T-shirts with goofy sayings. On weekdays, the well-worn counter is occupied mostly by a blue-collar crowd drinking coffee from thick mugs and plowing into hearty plates of corned beef hash, pancakes, and chili cheese omelets.
Among all the omelet choices, chili-cheese is the best bet. Rib-sticking Yankee chili is blended with creamy melted cheese inside an envelope of egg that is thin as a crepe. Morning luxury!
Fried potatoes that come on the side of egg dishes are especially good. They are a mixture of crisp chunks scraped right off the griddle and pieces that are nearly as soft as mashed potatoes. “Sometimes our potatoes are from Canada,” proprietor Joely Sparks explained. “But the Maine ones are best. We boil and cut them every day. And we cook them in a butter/margarine mix. No oil.”
As is Portland custom, when you order an egg dish, the choice of toasts to go with it includes not only white, rye, and whole wheat, but also Italian toast. Buttered and grilled, it’s a tender slice of comfort food. When we ordered our chili cheese omelet and hesitated about what kind of toast to have with it, the waitress explained to us, “You will be having Italian toast. I don’t know why, but Italian toast goes with that. It’s the only choice.” In addition to good toast, Marcy’s offers fresh-baked muffins every morning.
Note: Marcy’s is closed Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.
Directions & Hours
Information
| Price | $ |
| Seasons | All |
| Meals Served | Breakfast, Lunch |
| Credit Cards Accepted | No |
| Alcohol Served | No |
| Outdoor Seating | No |
What To Eat
Marcy’s Diner Recipes
Discuss
What do you think of Marcy’s Diner?
One Response to “Marcy’s Diner”
Mark Weisberg
October 13th, 2012
Having visited on both a Sunday and Monday morning we did not feel that Marcy’s caters to a mostly working class clientele. Indeed, it was a mix of college kids, office workers, foodie tourists, and others. Presiding was Darla, making sure everyone was happy as she worked the grill in the back. Her husband, sporting his NY Giants football cap, took names, estimated the waiting time, and encouraged us to sit in the back where we could annoy Darla. It is well worth the wait and I cannot see why anyone would annoy Darla.
The fluffiness of the scrambled eggs have a simple but revelatory secret to them. Go and see for yourself. The pancakes, which are truly delicious, are made on a separate side grill reserved for them and French toast, etc. That way the temperature and cooking time is kept uniform, producing a substantial, malty pancake that should not be missed. Home fries are constantly worked over on the side of the main grill and Darla does a masterful job keeping some of the moisture intact while crisping your portion on the outside. We had the blueberry muffin that was, to say the least, memorable. Get it grilled.
There are lunch specials that seem to be favored by local office workers as well as a brisk take-out business. On Sunday the soundtrack was the Traveling Wilburys and Roy Orbison. On Monday they programmed something else. All in all, great fun and great food.