Second Feature #OrionDiner Since 2012 by #AstrinosVoumvourakis Spring 2025 #395SecondAvenue at #23rdStreet Open 24 Hours
Brothers Mike and Astrinos Voumvourakis from Crete, Greece
It's never been who you know, it's WHOM YOU KNOW and we know a lot of Greek people and a lot of diners, however, there's only one diner that has been featured TWICE in 2025 so far on Whom You Know and that's Orion. Astrinos earned his first feature shortly after we visited in the nasty wintertime weather! This time he brought his stellar sidekick, little brother by one year, Mike~! Life is all rainbows and sunshine at Orion when you step into the breakfast part of the menu, particularly the pancakes. For someone that on purpose never orders pancakes because she doesn't like 99 percent of them, Peachy found these pancakes absolutely delicious. They're made from scratch with buttermilk and are fluffy and not from a mix at all like lesser, poor quality diners can resort to that can be all flash and zero substance. Orion Diner is committed to quality at all levels in our experience thus far and we liked the pancakes with fresh berries and maple syrup. We did not know Dickenson because Peachy of course is from New England and is used to Vermont maple syrup, but it seems like this brand is part of Smuckers.
If pancakes are your thing, sprint here now.
If you think you are not a pancake lover, see if you too can turn the tide like Peachy!
As you might expect, the menu at Orion is vast and extensive and we have barely scratched the surface. We count eleven omelette choices, and the California Omelette we chose is a winner! Mushrooms, avocado and cheddar form a perfectly shaped omelette. Your plate is also emblazoned with comforting home fries enhanced with bell peppers. AND THEY HAVE RYE! Rye is Peachy's favorite toast, regular or marble. If you are not like Peachy, you should know they also have toast of white, wheat, multigrain and gluten-free to choose from. Also you can apply the butter which we like. We like to apply all sauces, dressings and garnishes ourselves unless it is a Caesar salad. We love eggs and have future egg ambitions here, especially bacon, egg and cheese which Peachy has a close relationship with.
So, is Peachy's mouth this big? Maybe her X mouth.
You have to have a great burger to be a top restaurant in Manhattan, casual or formal spot.
This Char-Broiled Beef Burger is among the best we've had at any diner, and we chose to add Pepperjack Cheese and we also asked for onions. The deluxe version is automatically served with Lettuce, Tomato and Fries. The juiciness of the burger itself is commendable and it was properly medium rare as ordered. Right this second we count fifteen burger choices at Orion and note their menu is evolving and improving as we type! Even better than the standard burger was the Louisiana Burger!
The ooziness of the swiss cheese is luxurious in tandem with the carnivorous wonder of burger, all nine ounces of it perfectly medium rare as you can see here. All Burgers are Char-Broiled and are nine ounces of Angus Prime Beef yielding the perfect all-American flavor we are looking for in a quintessential cheeseburger. Pictures are always unedited! The truth is this exact burger was Peachy's favorite edible this visit and it lived a very short life indeed. Fried onions and peppers came to the party with lettuce and tomato and their signature sesame seed bun. It also comes with BBQ sauce so depending on how you feel about that, you can indicate whether you want it applied or on the side. You know what Ms. Pretty Picky wants to do....
For a serious dinner, try the Herb-Crusted Chicken that is ravishing in a light tomato butter sauce. You have the choice of linguine, rice or vegetables and you know we picked the veggies! Then you even have a veggie choice and we chose broccoli, peas and carrots. This is on the lighter side nutritionally and it is substantial as well as sublime in flavor.
Diners absolutely must have amazing salads.
This time, we started with the Caesar Salad with grilled chicken, and it was exactly what we were looking for. We like the carrot highlights and we bet the Easter Bunny would have liked it too. Naturally, cheese made it even better.
The Orion Salad is their signature, above.
Sliced Grilled Chicken Breast, Walnuts, Dried Cranberries and Sliced Apples all party on Mesclun Greens in a terrifically balanced number that will brighten your springtime! Honey mustard vinaigrette is the dressing and they were happy to put it on the side as we asked. The apple and cranberry combination is particularly winning any time of year and we think this would be especially fabulous in the fall. However, we did not know them last fall and did not want to wait that long to try their signature salad!
Mirror mirror on the wall the salad Peachy liked most of all this visit was the Classic Greek Salad.
This should come as no surprise because she likes the classic version of most things and when you are eating a Greek Salad, obviously it's better when the person making it is FROM GREECE. You know, like Crete! We have yet to see a Connecticut Salad anywhere but maybe Peachy should invent it. Imported Feta Cheese in commanding cubed stripes, Kalamata Olives, Enchanted Grape Leaves, and Fresh Cucumbers and Sliced Red Onion team up for a festive winner with Garden Greens. We chose to add jumbo shrimp and note there are other protein addition choices including: chicken, turkey, avocado, feta and salmon. The balsamic and olive oil are from Greece. Also we liked the perfect dusting of oregano on the salad.
Does your salad smile at you like this?!?!
They suggested we try their homemade Cream of Spinach soup and it indeed hits the spot. It's best for a brisk spring day. Finally, under Panini please meet the Chicken Fajita! As you might imagine, there are beaucoup de sandwiches all over this multipage menu so we had to pick one! Grilled chicken sings in a chorus of cheddar, roasted peppers, caramelized onions and salsa all neatly pressed in a perfect panini. It's served with crisp fries and bien sur mes amis there's ketchup on the table, obviously a must for fries.
Orion Diner continues to impress us and we look forward to seeing what they do next!
We have heard some promising goals from them so stay tuned readers!
Orion Diner
