Paula and I travel to Charlotte about 5-6 times a year. We both grew up in the North (d**n Yankees!) and we've bemoaned the lack of *real* diners in the South since we moved here in 1998. All too often, we will drive up to a place that calls itself a diner, only to find that it is nothing more than a glorified soda shop and hamburger joint - not that there is anything wrong with that, mind you, it's just that we have always had high hopes of finding something like what we remembered back home, and come away feeling empty.\n\nSo when we saw the Landmark featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, we decided to give it a shot. Getting there was definitely NOT half the fun - it's in one of the least attractive parts of Charlotte, and you can't see the sign until you are nearly past the entrance to the parking lot. If you are coming up Central Avenue from Eastway Drive - which you probably will be if you are coming from I-85 or from the south side of town - you want to turn left just at the end of the median, right after you pass Kilborne Drive. Parking is shared with a small strip shopping center, and there's not a whole lot of it, but every time we have gone the place has been packed.\n\nOnce you get there, you will realize as soon as you walk in that this is, indeed, a diner. The menu for both breakfast and dinner is huge, with many classic diner favorites and an array of specials. Prices are about as reasonable as you could ask, with many choices under $10. Portion sizes are large - we wonder sometimes how they make money given what they charge and the amount of food you get.\n\nRecommendations:\n\n1. Any meal with stuffing as a side dish. I've had the pork and stuffing, and Paula's had the turkey dinner. The proteins are cooked perfectly, and the stuffing is just like Mom (or Grandma) used to make.\n2. Pot pies. These are HUGE! We're not talking some small Swanson-sized tin here, we're talking a full-size tureen!\n3. The French toast made with Challah bread. Go lightly on the butter and syrup, and savor the bread; trust me, you will be glad that you did.\n\nI was mildly disappointed in the omelets, but that's mostly because I am a cheese-a-holic and the omelet was *very* light on filling.\n\nIf you're missing diners, this is the place to go. Now if we can just teleport a clone to Raleigh...