A Landmark Is Reborn

Landmark Diner Executive Chef Chris Palmer, Holding the Miracle Mile Salad.

I know Chris Palmer and Chris Palmer knows comfort food. He brought it to new heights at his eponymous Palmer’s in Plainview and at the Brooklyn Diner in Manhattan. At the new Landmark Diner in Roslyn—re-sited and rebuilt, sitting like a double-decker club sandwich on the Miracle Mile—he makes it into what it really is: upscale diner eats. The very reason Long Island has never really cottoned to the comfort food thing is due to one of our emblematic dining choices—the “Greek” diner. We have all the comfort food we need on those massive menus. But at the Landmark, Palmer has stripped that menu down to the bare essentials, trumped up the ingredients and whimsically crafted possibly the first ever Greek/Diner fusion. Chris is the only chef on LI that I know personally and I’ve followed his career trajectory closely, since the days he upgraded pub grub at the Long Island Brewing Company. It seems almost inevitable that he would find this perfect position as executive chef here.

North Carolina Fried Chicken Salad

This beautifully manufactured two-story diner has a retro look outside and a glass enclosed elevator to the second floor with a full bar. By now, the crowds at lunch have taken in the murals with depictions of classic diners past: Modern, Central, Phil’s.

Palmer’s take on the classics is impressive. The Landmark BLT ($5.50) is immense, stacked with thick-cut smoky bacon and the skin-on fries are spot on. Matzoh Ball Soup ($4.50) is loaded with shredded chicken and vegetables. The ball is perfectly light. Texas Chili Beef Stew ($5.50) is chunky but mild, covered with onion and cheddar. Landmark Sliced Steak ($21) piled on top of creamed spinach and graced with fried onions satisfies the meat lovers. Chicken Pot Pie ($18) served in a large bowl covered with a crispy pie crust is a straight ahead version, but like some dishes I sampled, bland enough to need the salt shaker. Perhaps this is a health-conscious choice for the North Shore population that fills the tables.)

Meatloaf

I loved the riffs on the familiar: a massive Southern Fried Chicken Salad ($15) filled with apples, pecans and cheeses; Southern Fried Chicken ($18) made with chicken breast, amazingly moist inside with fresh corn striking a blow against overcooked diner vegetables; Irish Egg Rolls ($8), creative and addictive, filled with corn beef, sauerkraut and oozing cheese; Gyro Burger Sliders ($9) made with ground beef and lamb on mini brioche rolls sided with tzatziki sauce are unforgettable.

Applejack Pork Chops

The fun continues with three kinds of Mac ’n’ Cheese ($15), all made with giant macaroni on the stove top. Traditional with ham and cheese is fine and the chili mac is a bit sweeter than I like. But the fusion version that knocks me out is Greek style. Speckled with chopped gyro meat and cucumber, flecked with dill and getting a lot of its flavor from the feta cheese. This is the one I couldn’t stop eating. Another cool fusion found one day on the specials menu is Philly Steak Eggs Benedict ($9.50) perfectly constructed and as awesome as it sounds. Desserts are all homemade. A Chocolate Covered Chocolate Mousse ($3.50) is a nice sweet ending. The twists and turns on the classics and the fusion dishes redefine diner fare. Forsake your local diner for once and check out the Landmark.

Landmark Diner
1027 Northern Blvd., Roslyn
516-627-4830

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