A friend took me to lunch yesterday at the Lakeside Diner, and what a pleasant surprise. From the outside, the place is unremarkable; the sort of place you'd easily pass by. Walk inside, though, and you see a warm, homey (crowded) diner with a wall of windows overlooking a small lake.

The food is typical diner food - breakfast and lunch all day - made fresh, served with warmth, and just yummy enough to satisfy. And, don't miss their home-made donuts - the old-fashioned kind, covered in sugar. What a great way to end the meal!

It's just off the Merritt Parkway, at exit 42 (Long Ridge Road), less than a quarter mile north of the parkway. From what people told me, your best bet is to go there a little "off" of peak hours - on the weekends, there are lines to get in for breakfast!