Smartmom is always thrilled to have lunch with Groovy Grandpa. They rarely get together one on one.  Usually, they meet for dinner as a large group with his wife, Mima Cat, Hepcat and the kids.  Sometimes Diaper Diva, Ducky, and Bro-in-Law are dialed into the mix.

But lunch alone with Groovy Grandpa is a rare treat. Except for one thing: he’s got a thing greasy spoon coffee shops.

It’s not that he’s not a gourmand. Groovy Grandpa is always up on the latest Brooklyn and Manhattan restaurants. And MiMa Cat is an incredible cook, who specializes in French and Italian specialties.

But for lunch, he likes to keep it simple. Sandwich. Tap Water. Neat.

This time, wanted to go to the Park Diner on Seventh Avenue, the coffee shop between Berkeley and Union.

But Smartmom suggested they try someplace he’d never been: the diner on Flatbush Avenue across from the Crunch Fitness.

GG liked the look of the place: it has a roomy, vaguely Art Deco feel. They sat in a nice booth.  and the waitress, wearing a Rolling Stones T-shirt, handed GG the gigantic menu. "What is this, Voltaire?" he said handling the gigantic, multi-paged book with full color pictures of everything from Belgium pancakes to Mousakka.

GG is a risky kind of guy: "It’s always dangerous to order chicken salad in Greek Diners," GG told Smartmom. "You never know what kind of mayo they’ll use." Still, something compelled him to order it.

Smartmom, who has been to this diner quite a few times always orders their delicious, small Greek salad with a side of toasted Pita.

While they waited for their lunch choices, GG told Smartmom that MiMa Cat was at home preparing the Brazilian national dish, a stew that has twelve kinds of meats, including organ meats, linguisa, and blood sausage, for a dinner party they’re having on Sunday. MiMa Cat is an adventurous cook, who likes challenging, labor intensive dishes like cassoulet.

When GG’s chicken salad sandwich arrived, he looked dubious. The chicken salad appeared  blenderized, completely smooth. He took one bite. "This is awful," he said. Smartmom advised him to send it back. He decided to order a grilled cheese instead.

Get grilled swiss on rye Smartmom advised. GG waved the waitress over, handed her his sandwich plate and ordered American cheese on white bread.

While he waited for sandwich number two, GG eyed the plates of food the waitress carried to other tables. "Gee, looks like I ordered the wrong thing," he said as he saw milk shakes, fried chicken, and cheeseburger deluxe dance by.

Finally his grilled cheese arrived. GG went straight for the small paper cup of cole slaw. One bite of the grilled cheese later he said, "Yuck. The Amercian cheese is so salty."

What did you expect? Smartmom wondered.

No, but this is really salty.

GG left half a sandwich on his plate. They moved on to other topics. So what if the lunch wasn’t top notch, the food is never the draw.

It’s the conversation. That’s the what it’s all about anyway.