great retro diner can be counted upon to offer up both the dependable and the unexpected. Of course we’ll have the faithful, cranky regulars whiling away the day over the morning paper, of course the coffee will always be hot and fairly fresh, of course breakfast-type stuff is served anytime and of course the person pouring the coffee and serving the breakfast is probably a friendly, middle-aged area resident (or who knows, but they really do look very local).

All this goes on at the Molly's Coffee Shop, a classic, pleasantly-lost-in-time diner on Columbia. But what ratchets the place up to greatness are the offbeat menu items - quickly prepared, enormously tasty fare served at prices that won't put you into cardiac arrest. Like the shepherd's pie, Chinese food (cooked in butter!), classic breakfast offerings, greasy and terribly satisfying fries, sausage and scrambled eggs, and of course a signature Molly’s burger. Another super signature staple is the homemade soup.

The place functions as a stay-awhile coffee shop and a vintage diner. On recent visits, the staff, each sporting over-worked, tired, yet still very smiling faces, were so cheerful and homespun that every time I looked at them I expected them to grab a ukulele and burst into song. Other details ring with simple authenticity; the framed '30s prints and ample (but cramped) seating, the smooth vintage setting.

Along with the coffee - served in ultra thick, impossible-to-break diner cups – comes a bowl of a soup so good our group could barely stand it. I'd found the best soup I'd ever had in a diner, and here it was in this small, totally unpretentious, down-to-earth place on Columbia Street. Breakfast all day is proudly proclaimed by Molly's Coffee Shop menu, which also offers a choice of side dishes with every single order. Grab the chance to have breakfast in the middle of the day.

If it’s warm, greasy grub you’re seeking, look no further than Molly's. This is diner classic personified. This place is just that. So take your little cup of coffee, sit down next to the window, and eat your eggs while you watch the pickups and mini-vans idle outside at the traffic light. - R.L.