Kailyn’s Diner
Coffee
Biscuits
High Roller Tots – Kalbi, Cheddar, Green Onions
Blueberry Pancakes – Daily Special
Strawberry Loaded French toast with cream cheese and whipped cream
Deep Fried Cookie Dough with Bacon
Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Cinnamon Caramel Sauce
Thus far missed for breakfast due to its distant location, an 8am table for three at Kailyn’s Diner was selected this Saturday largely because its owner, Robert, decided to suggest his business during a conversation about ‘best off strip breakfasts’ on Yelp – a non-promotional, non-‘comped’ move that seemed bold enough to justify the twenty-two minute drive to 3430 East Tropicana. Small in size and cute in décor with Robert manning the griddle while his wife, Carolyn, acted as the restaurant’s lone server it was from a large menu full of breakfast standards tinged in whimsy along with a few specials that we made our selections, and opting to dine in three courses while sipping hot coffee the results were mostly impressive while prices trended low.
Admittedly lamenting the lack of sweeteners aside from Sweet-n-Low or granulated sugar to improve somewhat acrid brew our first round came as a duo and while the High Roller Tots were golden-crisp beneath a balanced blend of cheese, beef, and onion the more impressive plate was a duo of biscuits sans country gravy, a buttery base permeating the rich crumb for $1.95 – a veritable bargain in a city where good biscuits are for lack and often $2 each.
Progressing to things more ‘breakfasty,’ our second round arrived piping hot from the griddle and although ‘loaded’ French Toast was underwhelming with doughy bread quickly becoming soggy from strawberry cream cheese, glaze, and Redi-whip the ‘daily special’ pancakes showed far better with bursting blueberries in plethora amidst airy buttermilk batter, the use of artificial syrup always a pet-peeve, though perhaps understandable at the low cost of $5.95 for a full stack.
Moving last to ‘dessert,’ obviously a must at any breakfast, our meal concluded with vegetarian-Carolyn’s deep-fried cookie dough with bacon alongside a steamy slab of pumpkin bread pudding and while the cookie dough was perhaps a bit too sweet with little added by chopped pork the bread pudding was faultless, a dense custard base with plenty of spice and enough nuance to the intensely sweet prevent it from being heavy-handed – a perfect taste of fall, no matter how ‘played’ the pumpkin spice trend has become.
THREE STARS: Every bit the ‘mom n’ pop’ operation, with daughter (and restaurant namesake) Kailyn busying herself with a computer at a table in back, Kailyn’s Diner is the sort of place unlikely to attract the typical tourist but with surprisingly large menu of options running the gamut of breakfast and lunch it is also the sort of place where regulars are the rule, a good sign of consistency and customer service often lacking at any number of spots on The Strip.
RECOMMENDED: Biscuits, High Roller Tots, Bread Pudding.
AVOID: Loaded French Toast.
TIP: Frequently offering discounts through social media those interested in checking out Kailyn’s at an even bigger bargain than that offered by their already affordable menu would be well advised to check facebook or LivingSocial.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor
http://www.kailynskitchen.com/
