To the casual observer, much has remained the same in Rick’s Dessert Diner since it opened in the 1980s.
The floors are still a black-and-white checkerboard. The walls sport trim of pastel pink and aqua. The faces of classic Hollywood stars line the walls, and time is told on neon clocks. Recipes created by the eponymous baker who managed Rick’s in its early years are still on the menu, with some ingredients adjusted here and there.
In its nearly 40 years of existence, the midtown diner survived two relocations and three changes of ownership to become a stalwart on the corner of 24th and J streets…