Directory of Diners: Missouri

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Missouri

The South City Diner

The corner of South Grand and Arsenal, St. Louis.
3/25/00:The South City Diner is located in the center of one the hipper neighborhoods in St. Louis. The first thing that impressed me about the South City diner was the woman who lead me to my booth-- when I did not proclaim a smoking preference, she ordered me to choose, and then coarsely instructed the busboy to clear a booth. "That's the owner's son," she told me. "We take out all of our aggression on him." Then she called over a very young girl who was also clearing tables, and told me that this was the owner's daughter, and a great deal of aggression was taken out on her, as well. This kind of open hostility is rare in the gentle (aka: passive aggressive) midwest. I was quite delighted.

The South City Diner carries regular diner fare, along with some more hoity-toity selections such as pasta entrees, crab cakes, and chicken caeser salads. They have an impressive array of sandwiches, and a significant breakfast menu which is, of course, served all day.

I had a cheese omlette, which arrived with ample servings of cubed fried potato thingies and toast. There were free refills on the absolutely teriffic coffee. The service was timely, even for the midwest.

I went there with a hankering for breakfast fare, therefore strayed from my standard diner test foods --grilled cheese, fries, and a milkshake-- but did note that they serve both milk shakes and malteds.

My companion's "Philly Steak and Cheese" was quite good, but bore a resemblance to an actual Philly Cheesesteak only in that it was a sandwich.

The only flaw of the South City Diner is that it is a bit impressed with itself. I could have done without some of the 50s memorobilia on the walls, although I was quite delighted to be seated under a poster for "Attack of the Bikini Women."

The South City Diner has a nice looking lunch counter, the food is tasty and relatively cheap (the two of us had just enough food and unlimited coffee for under fourteen dollars), and the clientele is about as broad a range as you're going to get in St. Louis. A nice place-- worth a stop if you're in the midwest. And, it's conveniently located just minutes from Interstates 44 and 64. -- Review by Lauren Flax