Midnite Express.

Shortly before I left to attend the week-long National Model United Nations Conference, Roomie's younger brother MS and his girlfriend C came to visit and stay over for a week while I was going to be away. After they arrived, Roomie, Mic, and I took them out to a late dinner after they got settled. We decided to go to a local diner called Midnite Express for some hearty and quick food. Quick was needed because I was busy packing to leave early the next morning.

First, with our dishes, came a small cup of cole slaw, typical of any diner in the city and elsewhere. This cold slaw was only mediocre; the mayonnaise was way to heavy and liberal and that was the only thing you can taste. It was left unfinished, as seen here.

Fresh pickles also came with our dishes. These were kosher dill and had a fresh snap to them, with the sour, but also garlicky taste permeating your mouth. A great, refreshing New York taste.

C, because she was not that hungry, got a whole wheat bagel, toasted, with butter. She wanted to taste a New York bagel and had nothing to complain about as she ate the crispy bagels.

MS, who can probably eat more than Roomie, got a Beef Burger Deluxe, a regular burger with lettuce and tomato and a side of fries, cooked medium-well. The burger was made to his satisfaction and the whole plate was consumed within minutes. I never saw someone eat so fast before.

Mic got the Turkey Burger Deluxe, a turkey burger with comes with lettuce and tomato and a side of shoestring fries. She complained that the turkey patty was too charred, but overall, the burger wasn't bad.

I got the Texas Burger Deluxe, a hamburger that comes with a fried egg, lettuce and tomato, and shoestring fries, cooked medium. The burger was fine, with a nice and moist pink center, with the egg adding an interesting flavor to the burger. This was the first time that I've ever eating a burger with an egg as a topping and I was pleasantly surprised at how powerfully the taste of the egg came through, complementing the beefiness of the burger. I would venture again to have an egg on my burger someday in the future. The roll that was used to sandwich the burger was also fresh and soft, slightly toasted so that the edges had a tiny bit of crispness. The fries were also very good. They crispy and fresh, without any strong oil flavoring, and it came in great quantity.

Roomie, dieting for future eating competitions, got the Grilled Chicken Salad, a bed of mainly romaine lettuce with some sliced tomato and sliced grilled chicken placed on top. Roomie asked for oil and balsamic vinegar dressing to finish it up. Though the chicken looked dry, Roomie seemed satisfied and scarfed down his plate almost as fast as his brother did.

Overall, the service was pretty fast and the food was what it was. It was simple and decent for one of the only 24-hour joints in the neighborhood. The prices weren't too bad, but I was quite surprised at how expensive Roomie's salad was. It was nothing oversized and was just a typical salad, although the piece of chicken that they used was pretty big. They also placed us in the very back of the restaurant and it was kind of chilly. It was on the side where they have this semi-outdoor covered extension to the restaurant. There was a hole in the window there and we were kind of cold. If you want a diner, then this one is authentic, I guess.

Price: <3<3<3<

Taste: <3<3<3

Atmosphere: <3<3<3<

Opinion: OK to try