A part of me finds great satisfaction when dining in a somewhat stuffy, upscale restaurant where, between courses, servers use crumbers to tidy starched linen tablecloths and napkins are folded into pope hats and swans. But another part of me loves sitting on a spinny stool at the counter of a casual burger joint or diner where the waiter or waitress also acts as a line cook (and sometimes a bouncer). This month we visit five of the latter, places where you come for the food, and sometimes in spite of or in search of that gritty and utilitarian atmosphere. Here are some of the most delicious options under ten dollars that you will find at places where style is nil but the substance is everything.
1. Double Cheeseburger, Onion Rings and Small Root Beer Float at Carl’s Drive In
Photography by Holly Fann
You probably remember the first time you went to Carl’s Drive In. You probably were a little kid and you probably remember watching someone prepare your food as you watched from the other side of the counter, perched on a tall stool. One thing you certainly remember is the thin, crispy edged burger you ate and the root beer served in the frosty mug which flowed from a magical barrel sitting in the middle of the tiny restaurant. Now that you’re an adult with a little ordering autonomy, you can enjoy a feast at Carl’s that is not only the ideal balance of flavors, textures and temperatures, but costs under ten bucks. The perfectly paired meal at Carl’s includes (but should not be not limited to) a small root beer float for $3, a double cheeseburger with lettuce and tomato and mustard for $5.05 and an order of onion rings for $1.75. There are few places that can make you feel the warm nostalgia of your best childhood moments but Carl’s delivers every time.
2. The Yin-Yang Slinger at Tiffany’s Original Diner
Photography by Holly Fann
Slingers are a standard must-order when you visit a St. Louis diner. Many food-centric folks measure and rate diners on the quality of their slingers alone. Tiffany’s Diner on Manchester in Maplewood often finds itself ranked at the top of the sloppy pile of slingers served locally. Traditionally, the slinger is a mess of a dish piled with potato, chili, a protein, sometimes cheese and onions and always sunny side up eggs. Tiffany’s certainly serves up their fair share of traditional slingers, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. About ten years ago, born from customer requests, they began offering two variations on the slinger. The Toby, which substitutes sausage gravy for the chili and the Yin Yang, which is a traditional slinger with equal parts chili and sausage gravy. The hash browns at Tiffany’s are hand cut from fresh potatoes and the chili and sausage gravy is homemade. Made with hamburger patties and topped with onions, the Yin Yang is something not to ponder or contemplate but rather demolish with careless abandon. The Yin Yang at Tiffany’s comes with a side of toast and cost $7.35.
3. The Bibimbap at U-City Grill
Photography by Holly Fann
Having grown up only a few blocks from the magnificent lions flanking Delmar, I have been a regular visitor to the many businesses in the Loop since childhood. I was in high school when I first began going to U-City Grill on Enright. Opening in 1987, then chef Mrs. Sim, would deftly compose beautiful bowls of bibimbap and a limited menu of other Korean dishes like bulgogi and kimbap in what seemed like seconds in the small, painfully simple, counter seat only diner. Many years later, after I moved back to St. Louis, I was thrilled to see that, unlike many businesses I had grown up within the Loop, U-City Grill was still operating. When I visited I learned that Mrs. Sim had passed and Mr. Sim had taken over as chef. Cooking with what appeared to be a broken heart and spirit, he was completely dismissive of customers and would not engage with them except to ask for their order and to give change. To this day he often closes his eyes and, with a small heave of his shoulders, will sigh deeply while cooking. The menu selection and prices have remained the same since the beginning and the quality of the food remained remarkable and complex. Mr. Sim may have little-to-no concern for customers but his skill in preparing and his respect for Korean cuisine has kept the food at U-City Grill as delicious as when Mrs. Sim was preparing it. A bowl of Mr. Sim’s bibimbap costs $5.95.
Photography by Holly Fann
4. The Meatloaf Dinner Platter at Golden Pancake
Besides having the most appealing name ever for a diner, Golden Pancake on Natural Bridge near the airport also has some delightful and skillfully prepared dinner platters and specials. Open for over 15 years, the diner has served standards like breakfasts and lunch sandwiches and salads, pie, ice cream, malts, and shakes. The magic hour begins at 4 PM when they serve their homemade dinner platters including a comforting country fried steak and gravy and a meatloaf that tastes of perfectly browned onions, a little red wine and a good dose of love. At places like Golden Pancake where the large majority of the menu is made up from items procured from food distributors, I’m always thrilled to try the menu specials or homemade items which the chef and cooks have prepared from scratch. This is their opportunity to flex some creativity and flaunt their cooking acumen, and the dishes they turn out are cooked with a great amount of care. The meatloaf dinner platter at Golden Pancake is just that. Served with your choice of two sides and topped with brown gravy with cracked black pepper, this satisfying portion of pure comfort food cost a mere $9.99.
Photography by Holly Fann
5. The Chili-Mac and Large Chocolate Malt at Chuck-A-Burger Drive-In Restaurant
If you visit Chuck-A-Burger on the Rock Road in Overland, make sure you park in the appropriate place. There is designated parking for those eating inside and for carhop service which they’ve been offering since the ’50s. I prefer to eat inside at the counter with the revolving vinyl stools. The menu is filled with burgers and fries (curly or straight) hot dogs and sandwiches. The chili at Chuck-A-Burger tops many items on the menu and for good reason. Cooked long and slow, the beans and meat have broken down to such a soft consistency it’s hard to tell what is a legume and what is beef. While this may sound unappetizing, it is actually delightfully comforting. When ladled over spaghetti, the chili becomes a meal that is as soothing as sinking your heavy head into your pillow at night. And it does not matter if it seems like a good match or not, ordering one of Chuck-A-Burgers malts with your meal is an absolute must. The chocolate malt, tasting like an ice-cold, soft and creamy version of the best hot cocoa, is so delicious that downing the fishbowl glass serving is effortless and so very enjoyable. A plate of chili-mac will cost you $5.45 and a large malt $3.45.
