Perkins Family Restaurant and Bakery only has three locations in New York City, all on Staten Island. Since I was enjoying a very nice Saturday by taking the Staten Island Ferry, I figured I'd do something very random and have lunch here. This location is located right by the Old Town SIR station, which is only about a ten-minute ride from the St. George Ferry Terminal.

Long story short it's a chain version of the diners you see all across NYC, but with some perks (no pun intended).

First off, Perkins has a very large desert menu and sells entire pies for takeout by the register. The layout of the restaurant is essentially two mirror-image opposite L-shapes with the register/sales counter and waiting area taking up the center and the bathrooms and kitchen taking up the upper corners.

I was seated immediately and given the extremely large menu (even by diner standards). It actually took me a good ten minutes to choose what to order. What's interesting about the menu is that, since this is a chain, the calorie counts are posted, and, since this is a diner, you can actually find about how many calories you're taking in when you visit the mom-and-pop diners.

Needless to say, the calorie counts scared me away from getting fries (~600cal) with my turkey club sandwich (~800 cal), so instead I chose a side salad (~150 cal).

The service was very friendly (my Diet Coke was refilled twice without asking) and quick. Both the sandwich and salad were very tasty. The turkey club is my usual diner order, so I was able to compare, and Perkins' was a notch above what I'm used to. The salad was also better than expected. Let's face it, at a diners you often get a some old semi-brown salad with very little dark green. Perkins' salad wasn't world-class, but it was fresh.

Just about all the meals will run you about $10 - $11 with a drink and tax. Overall this is a very decent place to have a meal.

The long-awaited "World's Most Beautiful Arby's" opened last Thursday on the Fulton Mall. Aside from the amazing historic interior, this Arby's also features an "Arby's Express" counter by the entrance which is generally line-less and only serves cold sandwiches.

If you want any of the traditional menu items you must queue up along the right wall and place your order at the back counter. You then receive an order number and then wait for your order to the left side.

This Arby's features suburban-style self-serve soda fountains and sauce pumps. There's even a "ring if the service was great" bell by the door on your way out. Ring it and the entire staff will shout "thanks guest you're the best." Cute, but it can get a little ridiculous during the heavy lunch crowd.

Overall I was very satisfied with my Large Beef & Cheddar Combo order on the day after the grand opening.

At first glance Frisby looks like you're average fast food chicken chain: There are brightly-lit signs out front, posters advertising product everywhere, and even a mascot. However, the experience is somewhat different.

I always stand out when I wander into a fast food establishment for the first time. I stand there, neck strained upward, glancing at the menuboard for several minutes. This tradition was interrupted today as the manager handed me a printed out menu.

Frisby's menu consists of fried chicken items and sides. I ordered a combo of chicken wings and fries. However, Frisby's definition of "chicken wings" is not in tune with the common U.S. fast food definition: They are literally big fried wings of chicken.

After placing my order (and paying the $7.99 plus tax) the experience became truly unique. I was given beverage cup and a metal pole with a number attached to it and asked to sit down. I filled up my cup with Diet Pepsi, not even bothering with a lid or straw. I also grabbed some napkins and then sat down at a table.

Almost immediately a member of the staff came over and placed down a placemat, which was essentially a tray liner. I also received three packets of honey, two packets of ketchup, more napkins, a lid, a straw, and, the best part, two plastic gloves! About a minute later the same staff member brought me my food on a tray, which she unloaded onto my placemat.

I was a bit bewildered by the gloves. I obviously recognized their purpose, but the idea of eating with them on seemed very strange to me. I compromised with my inner-anxiety and put one on, leaving my other hand in the more accustomed uncovered state.

The chicken with honey tasted quite great, while the fries were average. I got through the meal rather quickly and cleanly (the glove served its role well). I was not responsible for clearing off my table, something I'm quite used to from my days in  Germany and Austria.

Ultimately, a dinner at Frisby is worth experiencing. I plan on returning again in the near future to try something else off the menu, especially the extensive side dish list.

Traditional fast food chains don't exactly have a great image in New York City. They are generally associates with 1980s decor, overflowing trash bins, dirty tables, long food and bathroom lines, and poor and slow service. This seems to have been the accepted norm for over two decades, but a recent wave of hip (and clean) chains such as Chipotle, Qdoba, and Baja Fresh is starting to shift expectations.