BACKGROUND Freedom Square Diner is a family-owned, family-oriented restaurant that opened last fall in Verona's River Town Shopping Center. Judging from the Saturday noon crowd, the diner is a huge success. Manager Chris Kinzler says business has been terrific since it opened, and father-and-son owners Thomas and Shawn Cross are happy to be so well-received by surrounding residents of Verona, Oakmont and Penn Hills. Freedom Square is the second location for Thomas Cross. The diner is named after the original Cranberry Township location on Freedom Square Road. The food is the same for both locations, but the Verona site closes earlier, Kinzler says. Instead of late dinner hours, the Verona location concentrates on finding a niche with the breakfast and lunch crowds. There are no immediate or active plans to add a third location in the area, but Kinzler says the owners keep their options open. “We've been very happy with the community's reception (to this diner),â€? he says. ATMOSPHERE The large restaurant has two dining rooms filled with tables and booths and plenty of light courtesy of an entire wall of windows. There is a cozy coffee counter at the entrance, too, where we assume you can place or pickup a take-out order. The place has a friendly vibe. We could overhear servers telling other first-time customers about the background of the diner with an upbeat attitude and mentioning the importance of family and explaining that the early closing daily is so that everyone can spend time with family in the evenings. Kinzler said the busiest time is Sundays, when the after-church crowds line up outside waiting for tables. Our crew can vouch that it looks to be a good meeting place to grab a bite and share a cup of coffee. MENU The menu is an enticing color brochure filled with seemingly endless choices for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The same menu is in use for both locations. The signature dish at both restaurants is the Whale of a Fish Sandwich ($8.99 small or $11.59 large). It looked so good on an advertising card on the table that we had to order it. It is indeed a winner with mild hand-breaded haddock on a long hoagie bun with tartar sauce and other fixings. It comes with a side of hand-cut fries. We also had the top breakfast item — the popular Create Your Own Omelette ($7.99), which features three fresh eggs and two or three ingredients of your choice (we selected cheddar, bacon and mushrooms). The large, fluffy egg envelope was packed with bacon and mushrooms and was held together with a generous melting of cheddar cheese. The platter also included toast and lightly seasoned home fries. We can vouch for its popularity, because we noticed omelettes on the plates of many diners throughout the restaurant. The Hungryman Breakfast ($6.89) is a bargain, too, with its two made-to-order eggs, bacon strips, home fries and two pancakes. Similar combos called the Farmer's Breakfast and Homestyle also pile on the choices of options. Our friendly server was correct in suggesting we try a homemade soup. The bowl of homemade clam chowder ($2.69 cup, $3.69 bowl) was a winner. The creamy chowder was some of the best we've had. The Hot Roast Beef Sandwich ($9.99) had thinly sliced roast beef piled high open-face style on fresh Mancini's bread and was topped with savory beef gravy. It comes with a generous serving of mashed potatoes and a side of corn. The Steak Salad ($9.99) blended spring mix and iceberg with carrots and red cabbage. The plate held a hard-boiled egg, shredded cheddar, grape tomatoes, cucumbers and a sprinkling of fries and tender chunks of butter-garlic marinated filet. The Mushroom Swiss Burger ($7.99) was a hefty 1⁄3-pound burger topped with fresh grilled mushrooms and Swiss cheese on a toasted bun. A large serving of fries is served with burgers. Since our server nailed the clam chowder, we took her advice and placed an order to go for Freedom Square's Fresh Cut Chips ($1.99). Turns out they are homemade potato chips, crispy as ever, with a sprinkling of a blend seasoning. Overall, our experience was positive, and we plan to return to sample from a larger swath of the vast menu. Rebecca Killian is a features editor for Trib Total Media. She can be reached at rkillian@tribweb.com or 724-226-4669. Details Freedom Square Diner Cuisine: American Hours: 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays; 7 a.m.-2 p.m. Sundays Entree price range: $10.99-$13.99 Notes: Dining in or take-out available Address: River Town Shopping Center, 148 Allegheny River Blvd., Verona Details: 412-828-8400; www.freedomsquarediner.com Email Newsletters TribLIVE's Daily and Weekly email newsletters deliver the news you want and information you need, right to your inbox.