The T-Bone Diner on Queens Boulevard at Continental Avenue in Forest Hills has been serving delicious, home-style food to a bustling community for an uninterrupted 68 years. On any given day or night, this diminutive corner diner serves faithful clientele who have been coming here for years for Peter Plevrites’ hospitality, tasty American and Continental cooking, all at reasonable prices. The T-Bone Diner offers fresh, simply prepared meals, including wonderful fish, seafood, steaks, pasta and sandwiches, seven days a week, 24 hours a day.

In the evening, the best bet for the buck is the Complete Dinner Special, served Monday through Friday. For a modest $9.95, the complete dinner includes soup (always homemade), salad, entrée, dessert and beverage. Even a family on a budget could afford to eat out at these prices. There are lots of entrees to choose among, such as homemade moussaka, layered with eggplant and whipped potatoes, broiled fresh bluefish, crisp fried chicken and juicy broiled pork chops. Another winner is the old fashioned, baked meatloaf with mashed potatoes and gravy. All the soups are homemade and delicious. The Manhattan clam chowder, for example, is chock full of chunky potatoes, carrots and tender clams. A basket of warm breads includes their fluffy homemade biscuits, perfect for dunking in the soup.

Chef’s specials are offered every night of the week and include such favorites as old-fashioned beef stew on Monday, tender lamb shanks or chicken pot pie on Wednesday, or veal roast on Thursday. Fridays beef goulash is soul satisfying. The weekend brings savory, slow-roasted leg of lamb and roast loin of pork, each with all the trimmings, to the table. Every night is a great night to try the T-Bone Special—a hefty, sizzling T-bone steak, cooked to order with crunchy onion rings and mushroom caps on the side. I also love the stuffed cabbage, filled with tasty chopped meat and rice with a tangy sauce ($7.95). Many dinner specials come with a complimentary glass of wine, making dinner here even more economical and enjoyable.

The T-Bone Diner also serves fresh fish and seafood, one of my favorites being the very fresh broiled Boston scrod. This delicious, flaky, white fish was beautifully presented on a glass platter shaped like a fish. The side of freshly steamed broccoli made this dish a light and healthy choice for summer. Other seafood entrees include shrimp served any way you like, including jumbo shrimp stuffed with crabmeat and shrimp Florentine, stuffed with spinach. Broiled salmon steak with lemon butter sauce is another delectable option. Lobster tails are also prepared to the diner’s preference.

Fettuccine with shrimp, scallops and garden vegetables is a popular pasta choice, as is spinach fettuccine with garlic, oil and fresh parsley. Sauteed dishes such as savory chicken cordon bleu include so much food that there’s more than enough to take home for lunch the next day.

Roast top sirloin au jus, served with a crunchy salad, vegetable and choice of potato is a great meal for just $9.95. Cooked to order loin pork chops with apple sauce or tender lamb chops are also excellent.

Inside a sparkling glass case the T-Bone’s homemade desserts slowly revolve. Their chocolate cheesecake is among the best to be found, as is their traditional New York style cheesecake. Mousse cake, lemon meringue pie and napoleons also top my list of favorites, so do try one.

The T-Bone Diner does a brisk lunch business, due to the fast, friendly service and great $5.95 lunch specials. Choose among roast beef, turkey or corned beef sandwiches, a variety of healthy wrap sandwiches such as the Mediterranean, stuffed with feta cheese, tomato and lettuce, and triple deckers. The $5.95 specials come with a cup of soup and coffee or tea. Try a tantalizing garlic chicken melt, with grilled chicken breast and tomato under melted mozzarella cheese, piled on a toasted garlic roll for $4.75. For the health conscious, the T-Bone Diner features low-fat buffalo burgers and turkey burgers as well.

Breakfast at the T-Bone can be anything from two eggs over easy to a stack of flapjacks with syrup. They make great egg sandwiches for take-out to home, school or office, and their coffee is top notch. The subway entrance is right in front of the diner, so take-out business is always brisk.

The T-Bone Diner is open seven days a week, 24 hours a day, so any time is a good time to visit. Service is fast and the food is always fresh. A minimum purchase of $10 gets you free parking in nearby garages. At such great prices, it doesn’t pay to cook at home.

T-Bone Diner

107-48 Queens Blvd.

Forest Hills

(718) 261-7744