Gotta say, I do enjoy a late breakfast or lunch at a great diner.

“Let’s Go To Ruby’s!” In the early 90's, when I still ate meat, I used to live on the hamburgers at Ruby’s Diner on Thayer Street (not the commercial end with all the retail stores , it was further down where it's more residential with dorms and the like).

It's long gone now (I’d heard that Brown bought the owner out and she moved to St. Louis or something), and I also don't have any pictures because it was the time before smart phones were ubiquitous and we were all living online.

Well, there are still plenty of amazing diners in Lil Rhody, you just have to know where to look. With that in mind, I have three (3) terrific ones you’ll want to visit this season and beyond.

Jefferson Diner — Besides the autographed pic of Sherman Hemsley on the wall (if you're 50+ no doubt you watched The Jeffersons on CBS on Sunday nights…also Roxy Roker who played Helen Willis was Lenny Kravitz’s mom), I have to give mad props to them for their coffee (not weak and watered down) and the home fries. True story: I've motored over to diners because they were supposed to have outstanding home fries, only to find undercooked, burnt, or super greasy ones. Not the case there. The staff at the Jefferson was also genuinely friendly and attentive. Regulars adore their pancakes, omelets, cornbread, and lunch specials.

We originally stumbled on the Blue Plate in Middletown after driving for almost a half hour, desperately in search of caffeine and a real, not-from-a-chain-restaurant, meal in the area. None of the plates are blue, but the interior is retro American classic cool (like a denim jacket…lots of chrome, a jukebox, and a swell lunch counter) and super clean. The service was marvelous, which I applaud vigorously. As for the drink and food, the coffee is fantastic (think I had 3 cups my first visit) and our eats there have consistently been fresh and delish. No grease whatsoever, which is one of the possible pitfalls of diner eats. I've also heard others raving about their burgers, pies, and cakes.

West Side Diner — Before Ogie's and Pizza J, there was the West Side Diner on Westminster on the West Side of PVD or what I like to call the Brooklyn of PVD, Rhode Island. When I took an informal poll among people I know in real life, lots of them cited WSD as their top pick. One of my 20-something friends even said she'd go there in sweatpants, which I assure she meant as a major compliment. It can be a challenge to get a table during peak breakfast and lunch hours, so (wink) you’ll have to figure out a strategy to get around that.

As always, if you lunch or breakfast at any of these Patty J Picks, please let them know you found out about them here on PattyJ.com.