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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Wednesday, November 10, 2021
The 814: Gem City Dinor By Libby Bullinger Copy editor
If you are looking for a cozy spot to grab breakfast within the heart of the Erie community, look no further than Gem City Dinor. The restaurant is located at 3545 W. 12th Street, only about a 15-minute drive from the Mercyhurst campus, and is open Tuesday- Sunday from 7a.m. to 3p.m. When I went to the diner on Sunday morning, it was the first time I had ever visited. Although I had driven past many times, I never noticed the restaurant tucked away in a lot off of 12th Street along with a music shop and realty office. At first glance, there is room for outdoor seating in the warmer months, but since my visit was in November the outside option was not available. Walking into Gem City Dinor was nothing short of overwhelming. The place was buzzing with customers and employees alike, everyone engaging in lively conversation with one another and across the large dining room. While waiting to be seated, I observed my surroundings. The diner is quite unique in it’s design with bright yellow walls
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The inside of Gem City Dinor with its earthy color tones.
offset by an earthy green, industrial style ceiling. The walls are lined with comfy booths, each with their own individually designed cloth coverings. Perhaps the most unique aspect
of the diner is the variety of different décor that is placed in every nook and cranny. Stained glass artwork pieces are hung on the walls alongside beautiful photographs of the Lake Erie
Bayfront and Presque Isle park. There were all different kinds of artwork including images of coffee, ships and young children hugging and laughing. Different figurines are scattered around the restaurant giving patrons lots to look at while they wait for a meal. I was seated at the large u-shaped bar and was immediately provided with a menu and a list of specials. According to the Gem City Dinor Facebook page, the restaurant has a unique list of specials that changes for each weekend brunch. For Nov. 6 and 7 some of the specials were grilled Hawaiian bread pudding, eggs benedict and a huevos rancheros with burnt salsa and smoked jalapeño cream. After looking over the menu, I decided to go with a Gem City Dinor classic, the #5 breakfast bundle that includes eggs, a meat of choice, toast and the signature “smashbrowns,” which is essentially a baked potato smashed and served with a choice of condiments. The food was all steaming hot when it arrived and was a wonderful way to begin my Sunday. While at my seat I noticed a framed dollar bill with the date March 11, 2019. After asking my
waitress about the significance, she explained that was Gem City Dinor’s opening date and the framed bill was the first dollar they ever made. Being a fairly new restaurant in town, I was overwhelmed by the number of regulars that were coming in. Nearly every party that entered while I was eating was greeted by name and quickly pointed to their preferred table. My waitress noted that although the restaurant was just a year old when the pandemic hit, they were fueled by their wonderful customer based that continued to support them by ordering takeout through the months of lockdown. If you are looking for a tasty meal for breakfast, lunch or brunch off campus, check out Gem City Dinor for an experience you won’t soon forget. If you are lucky, maybe you’ll get a table with uniquely shaped salt and pepper shakers such as roosters, bears, pigs and more. Novelties and delicious food are both in great supply at Gem City Dinor.
Hurst Hot Take: “Fire Emblem: Three Houses” By Bella Lee Staff writer
I am not lying when I say I am not a hardcore gamer. As the only girl with three brothers, I have been more than exposed to video games, but I would not say I am an extreme gamer or anything along those lines. I am typically more of a casual gamer, limiting myself to playing Just Dance on the Wii (yes, my family still owns a Wii) or playing “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” on the Nintendo Switch with my brothers. However, over the course of my time in college, that has changed a little bit. My boyfriend and I have a running joke that whenever he gets stuck on a game, I come to the rescue and manage to get him unstuck. This began last spring when he got stuck on a game called “Jump Force” (similar to “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” but with anime characters). I offered to try out the game, and, within 4 days, I defeated the final boss. This has since occurred with a few other games, so I am glad I can be of service. Just a few days ago, my boyfriend got a game called “Fire Emblem: Three Houses.” “Fire Emblem” is a video game franchise stylized as an RPG
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The main characters featured in the video game “Fire Emblem: Three Houses.”
(role-playing game) that has been running for over 30 years, with “Three Houses,” the sixteenth and newest installment, coming out in 2019. “Three Houses” centers around the protagonist, named Byleth, who lives on the continent of Fódlan. You can change Byleth’s name in the game as you wish, and Byleth can be played in a male or female “form”, as the game puts it.
Byleth has a type of conscience character, named Sothis, who appears as a youthful, sprite-like girl. Sothis helps Byleth learn about the ways of the world they live in, from daily life to combat. In this iteration of the game, Byleth has been hired as a professor at the Garreg Mach Monastery, home of the Church of Seiros and the Officers Academy. Lady Rhea, the archbishop of the church, lets Byleth choose
to teach one of three classes, or “houses” as the game implies. These include the Black Eagles, consisting of students from the Adrestian Empire and led by Edelgard, the princess of the Empire; the Blue Lions, consisting of students from the Kingdom of Faerghus and led by Dimitri, the prince of the Kingdom and the Golden Deer, consisting of students from Leicester Alliance and led by Claude, the heir of the
main house within the Alliance. Since my boyfriend has not had this game for long, this is about as much as we know. However, it is a very fun game so far, even for someone like me who is not the one usually playing the game (until he gets stuck that is) and is also not much into RPGs (bring out the pitchforks and torches, but I have never been interested in learning Dungeons & Dragons). We have been jokingly calling the game another version of “Harry Potter” since characters within the game are placed into different houses. I feel like the “Fire Emblem” series is deeply underappreciated, as most people only know the series from characters that can be played in the “Super Smash Bros.” franchise (Byleth, alongside Marth, Roy, Ike, Chrom, Lucina, Robin, and Corrin, are all playable characters in “Super Smash Bros.” that originate from “Fire Emblem” games). The best thing about the “Fire Emblem” games, additionally, are that they do not have to be played in a certain order. This is my first exposure to any of their games, and I can not wait to find out what happens later on in the game. This game has great storylines and is very engaging; you could play for hours without noticing. Have fun, and happy gaming!
