After swinging a sharp left into the tiny parking lot of Anthony’s Diner, 10 West 9th Street in Eudora, I was underwhelmed by the restaurant’s appearance. I expected it to be small, but it was really small. The front of the restaurant was completely flat and the width of the four parking spaces. The bottom two feet of the wall were brick with the rest a deep blue siding that gave it a quaint appearance.

The menu on the other hand was not quaint. With a name like Anthony’s Diner I expected cheeseburgers, fries and maybe some pot roast. While there were chicken strips, the menu largely consisted of Italian dishes like pasta primavera and mostaccioli with red cream sauce.  After debating over ordering the shrimp scampi pasta, I decided on the meatball grinder with a side of French fries.

I ordered and began to take in surroundings. The floor was covered in a black carpet that appeared overall dirty and had a few suspect stains, that I decided were probably blood. I leaned over the back of my booth to look at the rest of the restaurant and discovered that the seat of the booth behind me was largely made of black duck tape.

I was just about to inspect the silver when Anthony himself emerged from the kitchen. He sat down at a table, commented on the weather and than began complaining to the waitress about the air conditioning. He appeared to be genuinely nice, a little eccentric and just my kind of person. After messing with the thermostat for a few seconds, he disappeared back into the kitchen and my grinder appeared a few minutes later.

The grinder was about 10 inches long and filled to the brim with meat. However, I was greatly disappointed because there was no visible cheese. Since cheese makes up about 70 percent of my diet, I believe that no sandwich or meal is complete without cheese.  Yet, I decided to eat it anyhow and give the grinder a fair chance.

I first inspected the bread, which was thick and white. It was toasted just a tiny bit, so it was not mushy but also not too crisp. I then poked at the meatballs because they appeared to have fallen apart on the way from the kitchen. After I was done examining the grinder, I finally took a bite and to my surprise, found a mountain of cheese. It was pure white mozzarella that was melted to perfection. The taste of the meatballs was overall really good. The meat seemed to be of a high quality, but it was just too meaty. I realize that is probably impossible for meatballs to be too meaty, but I wanted more seasoning.

The French fries were the traditional crinkle cut fries from a bag in the freezer, but they were warm and well cooked.

Overall Anthony’s Diner is a place to go and eat. You do not go for the décor or the convenience. You go to eat a lot of food in peace. It is worth the trip for a little rest, relaxation and stress eating.