Memphis Nosh: E's 24 Hour Cafe

I have a 2004 Kia Optima.

*Which will never be this clean.

**Also, don't stalk me.

It's nothing super fancy, although it does have cup holders, unlike my previous, much beloved 1994 Hyundai Excel, which finally died after about 7 years of me driving it like a bat out of hell, my mom driving it with a lead foot, and who knows what before we got it.

But seriously, this thing was a pimp:

*via wikimedia.

I loved that car, which was a gift from my mom for my high school graduation. But it did have some quirks. And when I got a "new" car, I expected similar quirks and strange things. 

(And by quirks I mean no cupholders, eventually no glove box, and the weirdest seat belts ever. Like the ones that go back when you get in the car, but always attached at the top of the door, with a separate lap belt. And my drivers side one was sewn back together with fishing line. Safety first people.)

I just attract weirdos. 

Anyway. 

A few months ago I went to Gateway Tire on Poplar to get a squeaky noise fixed. Turned out it was my tensioner pulley, they fixed it, I was poor, whatever. 

And then it started squeaking again. 

I love Gateway, and they realized it was a bad part and offered to fix it for free right away and it was a great experience. 

See my Yelp review on them. 

I love those guys. 

But sometimes things take awhile. And I was starving while waiting for my car. 

So I decided to walk down to E's 24 Hour Cafe.

I love diners, and I'd heard good things about this one, which replaced all of the CK's in my area. 

*From their Facebook, before the Poplar location was finished. There don't seem to be any pics on the internet, and it was way to cold to stop and snap one. 

When you walk into the Poplar location, it's a little confusing for a second - I assume there's usually a waitress or hostess around, but it was such an odd time (after the lunch rush) that the cook was the only one there. He asked me if I wanted food to go kind of like it was the only option, and I said I wanted a table. He was really nice, and a waitress came out right after that and told me to sit anywhere. 

So it's a diner. Like Waffle House or like CK's was. You're not going for the five star service. 

My waitress was super nice, though, and gave me suggestions. I decided on a coke, the patty melt, and as many refills of coffee as she felt morally comfortable giving me. 

She suggested the patty melt with bacon and jalapenos. I'm a traditionalist, so I went with just the regular thin patty, cheese (American), and grilled onions on wheat toast. 

Holy burger. 

It was fantastic!

*Greasy, oniony, cheesy, excellent. 

You can get breakfast, lunch, and dinner all day, which meant I could get hashbrowns with my patty melt: 

*With cheese, of course. 

Okay, so I know I need to embrace my inner Russian judge more sometimes and not gush about how much I love this thing or that thing. 

I'm the Marshall Eriksen of approving things sometimes. 

But I have a special place in my heart for patty melts. When I'm back home, my dad and I make them on occasion, usually at midnight while in the middle of a Twilight Zone or Worst Cooks in America or Star Trek: The Next Generation marathon. It's our thing. 

So I'm picky. 

And I'm being serious. 

Outside of the ones my dad and I make, this is the best patty melt I've ever had. 

I also got endless refills of my coke and my coffee, which was the perfect diner coffee - dark, strong, and constantly kept warm: 

E's is definitely a winner. And this entire meal, with drinks, was like $9. 

Plus they let me sit there for 4 and a half hours reading my book while my car was getting worked on. 

Outstanding.