This inviting corner spot is bound to pull business away from the always-jammed Golden Nugget right across the intersection. The first-time restaurant owners spent more than a year renovating the inside, creating a cozy, done-up version of your grandma's kitchen.

Take note of the small details: Strong coffee comes out in a mini black coffee carafe, classed up with a dose of heavy whipping cream (instead of the old standby half-and-half), while every butter and ketchup side is presented freshly scooped or squeezed into a tiny ramekin.

The food (best enjoyed while watching the news on the suspended flat-screen TV) is a notch above standard diner fare. Breakfast plates include oven-baked omelets, made-to-order oatmeal and fluffy silver-dollar pancakes. Every few minutes, you'll hear "Gimme a two-by-two-by-two," insider verbiage for two eggs, two flapjacks and two pieces of bacon.

The lunch portion of the menu sticks to essentials like toasted tuna melts, gooey cheeseburgers, hulking salads (sadly, the ranch isn't homemade) and grilled chicken. It comes as no surprise to us that the owners have done no advertising, but they know the drill: If you have good food and there is parking available, all you really need to do is unlock the door. Which is precisely what they did.

Centerstage Reviewer: Misty Tosh