Maple Leaf Diner Offers Spring Menu - Focus Daily News

Maple Leaf Diner has a new Spring menu that includes a Corned Beef Poutine (celebrating St. Patrick’s Day) plus a Lent-friendly fish sandwich. Exclusive drink offers for the season include a green Pine-apple Mimosa, plus a rich and creamy Muddy Bunny Mocha. The MLD spring menu is available for a limited time only, so be sure to plan your visit before they end on April 20.

We tried (most of) the spring menu items at a recent lunch tasting, and were especially impressed by the Corned Beef Poutine. It’s available in two sizes: X-tra full size for $8.99 and full size for $14.99. After my first introduction to this unfamiliar Canadian dish (a year ago at Maple Leaf Diner), I’ve yet to meet a poutine I don’t like. It’s the perfect side dish, but can easily serve as the main dish when it’s made with chicken or beef.

The Corned beef poutine is extra yummy, with bell peppers, banana peppers, onions, cream gravy, Corned beef, fries, cheese, and green onions all melded together in a savory blend of flavors. I’d like to see Maple Leaf keep the Corned Beef poutine on the menu year-round.

A fish sandwich ($14.99) featuring MLD’s lightly battered crispy fish is also on the spring menu. The fish sandwich is served with two sauce options: Reel Dill (dill sauce with extra relish for more crunch); and Olive My Fish (a Mediterranean inspired Olive tapenade). Crispy fish and chips, always on the MLD menu, are also very popular with diners.

LTO Spring drink offers feature a Pine-apple Mimosa ($7.50), made with Champagne, green apple syrup, pineapple juice with a sugar rim and fresh pineapple garnish. The Irish Tequila Sunrise ($9) is composed of tequ9ila, orange juice, and green apple syrup adorned with a maraschino cherry and a lemon. The Bloody Caeser ($8) features Clamato juice Worchester, vodka, Tapatio, with a celery salt rim and garnished with a lemon and a skewer of pickles and olives.

Non-alcoholic hot drinks include the festive Muddy Bunny Mocha ($8); a Mocha Latte with whipped cream, Nutella, and a graham cracker rim adorned with an adorable pink peep bunny. The Hot Chick Chocolate ($6) is sure to appeal to the younger members of the family, featuring Hot Chocolate with whipped cream and Hershey’s Syrup, plus a graham cracker rim and topped with a yellow peep chick.

During our lunch visit, my friend KAT and I were lucky to spend a few minutes chatting with MLD founder Mike Delaurier. The transplanted restaurateur from Windsor, Ontario in Canada was inspired to open Maple Leaf Diner because he missed his favorite Canadian foods. MLD has been very successful at its location in Preston Valley Center in North Dallas. On holidays and weekends they often have lengthy waiting-list crowds.

Their food is uniformly good, featuring scratch-made diner dishes from fresh ingredients, and with a Canadian twist. They serve breakfast all day, with Canadian dishes like poutine, cheese curds, and real Canadian bacon sprinkled throughout the menu. Delaurier says the diner will host a big 10th anniversary celebration later this year. He’s also been busy scouting locations to expand Maple Leaf Diner “somewhere to the North, maybe Frisco.”

Maple Leaf Diner is open from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday-Friday: and 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. For more information, including how to join a waiting list during peak hours, visit mldiner.com or call 214-434-1626.