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Photographs by Kevin A. Roberts
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There’s a place right across the street offering cross-stitching and chiropractic services—which is a pretty intriguing combination, you must admit. Down a couple of doors on the other side is Mac’s Come On Inn—which is, you must also admit, a pretty clever name for a place.
In between: Allin’s Diner. Allin’s is close enough to Lindenwood University that students can probably catch a whiff of the pancakes on the griddle when one of the diner’s waitresses props open the side door, which they do now that the weather’s warming. It’s also close enough to the heart of old St. Charles that it draws a crowd from those who live or work nearby. The clientele is mostly locals, in fact; it’s the sort of place where the waitresses are on a first name basis with a lot of the customers. In short, Allin’s may be the most perfect diner in St. Charles, if not the area in general.
The size is just right. Maybe a dozen tables, none large enough to hold any parties bigger than four. There’s a counter, with half a dozen of those vinyl-topped, stainless steel stools that spin. The décor is mostly wall to wall photos of customers, with some high school and college sports teams schedules posted.
The menu begins with breakfast, which is an excellent introduction to Allin’s. Skim it and you’ll find the usual: omelets, pancakes, eggs. Look a little closer and some intriguing choices emerge. How about an omelet stuffed with spicy andouille and sharp Cheddar? How about chunks of that same andouille loaded into pancakes? French toast made with five slices of a baguette? (Or another, French toast made with cranberry bread.)
If you’re not in the mood for something that unusual, there are biscuits slathered with gravy, crispy salty hash browns, a two-egg sandwich and of course, Allin’s version of that perfect meal to start your morning and stop your heart, the slinger. Concocted by Dave, the chef and owner here, Allin’s slinger is a stacked high Tribute to Cholesterol: fried eggs, hamburger, and hash browns, with a dressing of the place’s famous chili and Cheddar cheese. For the petite eater, there’s a half-portion, though one wonders why anyone would, so to speak, come to Shinnecock to lay up.
Lunch and dinner offers sandwiches: A reuben is piled high with pastrami, loaded between slices of marble rye, and is claimed to be the best in town. It isn’t. But it is pretty good. Grilled onions and Swiss cheese enliven a patty melt; even better is a weird take on the Philly cheesesteak, made with grilled chicken, onions, and green peppers, all packed into a baguette with melty Provolone dripping off it. Tuna melts, BLT's, and chili mac will all seem deliciously familiar. Start making Allin’s a regular stop and you’ll soon be off on strange tangents of discovery, like the tilapia Caesar salad. Or the baguette loaded with andouille and grilled onions and dressed with spicy, grainy brown mustard.
And oh yeah, the chef here, Dave, has a thing for soup. He even offers soup-making classes. The menu lists four dozen varieties, all made in the kitchen. Everything from black bean with chorizo soup to carrot and dill, to cream of wild mushroom, to a Yukon Gold potato and leek soup, to his chicken tortilla soup (below). Be sure to check the soup board behind the counter to see which are available when you visit.
The classic diner is, we all know, an endangered species. St. Charles is blessed to have one in its midst, especially one that takes a culinary adventure or two along the way. And if you’re in need of some cross-stitching supplies and a chiropractic treatment as well, it’d be damned hard to find a better place to put it all together.
130 North Kingshighway Street
St. Charles
636-946-5556
Breakfast and lunch daily, plus early dinner Fri and Sat
