Restaurant Spotlight of the Week:

Charley Horse Grill

Charley Horse Grill

5731 Lee Highway Pike, Arlington, VA • (703) 379-7777

Hours: Sun - Thurs: 7:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.

Fri - Sat: 7:00 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.

The diner as it has become in America is a place of both intense allure and profound sadness. It calls to you from the days of yore when people didn't concern themselves with the health implications of eating three servings of red meat a day, finishing the meal off with a coke and a thick slice of pie. Ahh, the days of real butter.

But so too, has it become an institution in memoriam of bygone days. Rather than a living, breathing eating establishment, full of genuine personality, the diner is now a replication of what it once was, as only Madam Tussaud could make it. All the classic dishes are there, but it's like ordering a burger in the 1950's America wing of Epcott Center. Just a memory.

But there are still some places where the diner isn't a novelty or museum piece. At Charley Horse Grill, just north of Falls Church, in Arlington along Route 29, the archetype of the diner isn't the theme of the restaurant, it's just what it is.

The pictures on the walls aren't shots of classic diners or 1950s clichés, they're a mish-mash of quaint art deco prints, vintage concert posters, and funny sayings about proper behavior in the restaurant, including, "Harassing the cook will definitely result in smaller portions," and "If you're smoking in this house you'd better be on fire."

Even more interesting, though, is behind the cashier, where dozens of crayon drawings and coloring book pages are pasted to the wall, completed by the younger patrons of the restaurant. The drawings make the restaurant come alive as a genuine independently owned eatery, rather than a franchised establishment.

Even the requisite juke box in the corner is a pleasant departure from the cliché music boxes of other diners. Rather than being exclusively made up of golden oldies pop icons, the selection ranges from classic rock to contemporary pop. Albums by The Beatles, Bon Jovi, and J Lo, all coexist together. Scanning the pages is like looking through the musical collection of a friend who has been only paying marginal attention to the music scene for the past 40 years and yet has still managed to capture musical vignettes of the passing years.

Even my waitress is a contemporary reproduction. No longer in uniform, she still goes from table to table, humming along to the music, and sharing the occasional comment with customers. With regulars she shares jokes and brings coffee, telling them that if it's not as fresh as they like, there's already another pot brewing.

Like the restaurant, the menu contains many of the old favorites, but doesn't force the issue. There are burgers, grilled chicken sandwiches and BLTs, but there are also some additional unusual choices that many diners would hesitate to serve for fear of breaking the rules. Among those items are sweet potato fries and the turkey burger. Mildly sweet and salted the fries are a specialty, that by themselves draw customers. The turkey burger, a healthier and lighter option than the standard burger, can be made to order with anything from mushrooms to guacamole.

The blue plate specials, available all day, every day, includes pork chops, country fried steak, and fried chicken, for only $8.99. Other traditional choices include the simple and tasty BLT and the savory grilled chicken sandwich. For those willing to get fully into the diner spirit, any meal can be topped off with a thick slice of pie, a shake, or a sundae.