Just up the street from the California Clipper, FLYING SAUCER owners Rebecca Gleason and Atha Moe have given an artistic makeover to the space formerly occupied by Mary’s diner. To make the room a little less gritty, they’ve torn. out a dropped ceiling, ripped down paneling to reveal two arched windows, and painted the walls teal and pistachio. Chairs upholstered in a patchwork of pastels and Gleason’s huge grainy photos of roadside Americana counter the harsh iron grids covering the front windows, and they’ve kept some of the more charming old fixtures: the milk shake machine, a Kellogg’s cereal rack. Weekend breakfast is the most popular meal here, though the menu offers. mostly standards: eggs, pancakes, and sides, plus a few Mexican-inflected contenders like the huevos volando–eggs with tortillas, black beans, cheese, ancho chili sauce, and salsa. The lunch and dinner menus aim slightly higher, with salads, sandwiches, and several vegetarian and vegan options- (they’ll also gladly substitute tofu for meat in many dishes). Home-cooked nightly specials include meat loaf with tomato chutney;. tamarind-and-chili-basted chicken; and the -disappointing Bob’s Big Bowl, consisting of chunks of tofu coated in a salty powder (tasting a bit like soup mix), then fried and served with spinach and brown rice. (You can add vegetables for $2 or cheddar cheese for a buck.) Baked goods may be the highlight; it’s worth saving room for scrumptious sweets like apple cranberry pie or chocolate bread pudding with caramel sauce alongside a French press pot of loose leaf tea. Flying Saucer is at 1123 N. California, 773-342-9076.
