The Elkton Diner by Apryl Parcher

Whether you stop in for coffee or lunch, or sit down to a home-style dinner, you’re almost sure to see someone you know at the Elkton Diner. Perhaps it’s the convenient location in Elkton with entrances from Route 40 and from the Big Elk Mall, or the convenience of 24-hour service every day of the week, or maybe it’s simply because at The Elkton Diner you always get great food and service with a smile— the 10-year-old diner is always bustling, and just about everyone I know goes there on a regular basis.

One of the things I like best about Elkton Diner is that the employees seem genuinely happy to be there, and they are always friendly and smiling—even cracking jokes with regular patrons. I had breakfast there once with my boss (you might know him—his name is Ed—the guy who publishes this magazine), and he couldn’t resist giving our server a rough time:

“What can I get for you, Hon?” our server asked.

“I would like two eggs, scrapple and home fries,” said Ed. “Over-easy on the eggs…and I want them nestled on top of the scrapple—not next to it, ok? Oh…and please make the scrapple crispy on top, but soft in the middle. Can you do that for me?”

“You want the eggs on top of the scrapple?”

“Yeah…you know, just nestled nicely right on top.”

She stopped writing in her pad and gave Ed a dubious look.

“I’m not sure I can get cook to do that—he’s pretty particular about the eggs…“

“Aw, c’mon…can’t I just get ‘em on top, please? Please?”

I was about to get embarrassed until I realized they were both grinning at each other. She said she would “try” to convince the cook to do it differently just this once, but when our breakfast came, there were Ed’s eggs nestled on top of the scrapple.

The friendly atmosphere makes it a great place to eat any time of day, as my husband Ken and I found out when we went for dinner. Our host, Gem, greeted us at the door with a ready smile, and we were seated by one of the owners, Kemal Karakuloukcu (pronounced kara-ko-look-choo).

Originally from Turkey, Kemal co-owns Elkton Diner with his wife, Mary, whom he met when he worked there as a cook and she was the manager. The diner was started originally by Mary’s cousin Kathleen and her husband Kumas Nevzat in April of 1997, but Kathleen sold it to Kemal and Mary, after her husband passed away in 1999.

Mary later told me that she not only met Kemal at the diner, but they were married there as well!

“We were going to get married in Las Vegas,” she said, “But it was 2001 and 911 happened, so we decided to get married here instead.” Mary brought three children from a previous marriage, and with ownership of two restaurants (Elkton Diner and JoJo’s Hotdogs), she says life for the Karakuloukcu family is very busy.

Ken and I asked Kemal which was the busiest period for the Diner, and he replied that it was busy all day, but that breakfast seems to be especially popular. However, being open 24 hours has its advantages (or disadvantages, depending on your outlook). “Sometimes we’re busy at midnight,” he added with a wry smile.

“Rice, salt and pepper, mint, citric acid and sunflower oil,” he replied. The leaves were steamed to perfection—a great Turkish treat that I recommend highly.

Kemal is also the chef, and we asked him about the menu (which is huge). He said that there are over 300 items on the menu, and that it is always a work in progress. As chef, he creates some of the dishes with a flair from his homeland, such as kebobs (chicken or beef), Istanbul-style Bluefish, Baklava and his ever-popular cheesecake.

We decided to try the Chef Special (baked pork chops) and beef kabobs. Both were recommended by our server, Tony, who is fairly new to the diner (7 months). He certainly seemed to know his job—he rattled off all 20 drinks on the menu from memory, and was at our elbow frequently during dinner to ask how things were.

While Ken sampled a hearty Beef Vegetable Soup for starters, I went to the well-stocked salad bar to see what I could find. Among the various vegetable delicacies, I found what looked like stuffed grape leaves. They were delicious, and I later asked Kemal what was in them.

“Rice, salt and pepper, mint, citric acid and sunflower oil,” he replied. The leaves were steamed to perfection—a great Turkish treat that I recommend highly.

When Ken’s chops came, they filled the plate to overflowing. Baked in a tomato sauce with celery and onions, they were falling-off-the-bone tender, as were my beef kabobs—tender tips broiled with onions, peppers and mushrooms on a bed of rice, with baked green beans and a whole, peeled tomato broiled and topped with melted cheese. Both meals were too huge to finish in one sitting, but we managed to top them with Kemal’s famous cheesecake, which looks irresistibly rich and buttery, and has a light, fluffy texture.

The many patrons seated around us seemed quite pleased with their meals as well, and happy banter passed back and forth—much like any pleasant dinner conversation at home. We even saw some old friends having dinner there too, who said they also visit Elkton Diner on a regular basis.

While the establishment can pride itself on good quality food at very reasonable prices, Mary also attributes much of the diner’s success to hard work and a family atmosphere among the staff.

“We have 35 employees, and some have been with us for seven to nine years,” she said. “We have rules that we expect people to follow, but there isn’t much politics involved in working here, and our employees tend to stay with us a long time. Most of us have been together so long we feel like a big family.”

The staff at Elkton Diner will treat you like family too, no matter how long they’ve been there. Stop in for any meal, and you’re sure to find smiles and pleasant conversation, good food and great service; Ken and I give it four thumbs up!