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Above: A hearty breakfast at the Goody Goody Diner in north St. Louis is a great way to begin your day. Ann Lemons Pollack photo
Below: The Cozy Dog Drive-In in Springfield, Ill., is famous for its hot dog on a stick. . . Springfield Illinois Convention & Visitors Bureau photo |
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For many years, diners inhabited spaces that looked like old railroad or trolley cars, with a counter that stretched from one end to the other, a cooking area behind it on one side, and booths on the other facing the highway, the street or the parking lot.
Most diners look different today, but the counters, compassionate servers and fry cooks are still here providing basic American fare and inspiring those who expanded our country’s culinary borders.
We visited four diners over the last few months, including one that opened in 1907, another that I first patronized as a Mizzou (University of Missouri) freshman in 1947, a north St. Louis classic since 1948, and an Illinois spot alongside what once was Route 66.
Kirby’s Sandwich Shop
This diner has been a part of Sikeston in southern Missouri for 102 years. Kirby’s displays a large number of Coca-Cola signs and a well-worn grill that looks–in the country expression–as if it has cooked more meals than Carter has pills.
Jim Kirby opened the shop in 1907, selling nickel hamburgers. Don and Bonnie Newton own it today. Located just off Sikeston’s main thoroughfare–W. Malone Avenue–Kirby’s has a counter plus friendly, no-nonsense waitresses who double as fry cooks at busy times.
With few exceptions, they know the customers who come in for breakfast, lunch or just a cup of coffee, and they share town commentary. They work with a sure hand; at slow times, one will carve a ham, slicing most for lunchtime sandwiches, saving trimmings to pair with beans for a side dish or to join a stockpot.
Some of the raw materials, like okra that’s pre-breaded and potatoes sliced for French fries, come from bags, but eggs gleam as they are cracked on the edge of the grill. The aroma of bacon rises from a stack pushed to the rear of the grill to keep warm.
Kirby’s other breakfast special is the classic biscuits and gravy. Soft, fresh biscuits are paired with hot and bubbly gravy that contains tangy bits of sausage for a true stick-to-the-ribs dish.
And then there’s the signature Kirbyburger. As the hamburger mutters happily on the grill, the cook slices onions on top, squishing them into the meat. When it’s flipped, the onions are under the burger, adding extra flavor to this real diner dish.
You’ll find Kirby’s at 109 N. Kingshighway; call (573) 471-1318.
Ernie’s
In 1931, detective Dick Tracy, drawn by artist Chester Gould, made his newspaper comic strip debut. Three years later, Ernie’s opened as a classic college town diner in Columbia, Mo. A decade after that, Gould’s daughter attended nearby Stephens College. They ate at Ernie’s and Gould drew an extra-large cartoon of Tracy and his young sidekick, Junior, discussing the joys of the restaurant’s “chopped cow.” It still hangs in a prominent position.
When Ernie’s was open late enough to serve dinner, its steaks were a special occasion for young students, but breakfast always was reasonable and tasty. We gathered with friends to discuss the previous night or the one ahead.
Today, Ernie’s is strictly a breakfast-and-lunch stop, but the hamburger–properly cooked and with all the trimmings–remains a treat. With excellent hash browns and eggs properly prepared by a staff that is quick to refill a coffee cup, Ernie’s still is my prime breakfast source when I visit Columbia. Ernie’s Café is at 1005 E. Walnut St. Call (573) 874-7804 or click on http://ernies.cafe.googlepages.com.
Goody Goody Diner
The site for this St. Louis diner was an A&W Root Beer stand in 1931 and was transformed into Goody Goody Drive-in in 1948. Herb and Viola Connelly bought it in 1954. Their son, Richard, bought the business in the late 1960s and he and his wife, Laura, run the diner today.
By 1980, the restaurant–like the neighborhood–needed work, and the Connelly’s made a commitment to it and their future. Major remodeling and expansion brightened the diner. The customer base grew and the parking lot remained crowded.
The counter remains, along with a menu that defines almost every possible way to cook an egg. Choose from an almost endless list of things to put alongside the breakfast staple. There are biscuits, silver dollar-sized pancakes, potatoes, grits and other items on the breakfast menu.
Breakfast meats include sausage in links or patties, mild or Polish-hot, pork or turkey. Salmon patties are tasty and a splendid choice to sop up egg yolk. And there’s catfish, too, along with steak (strip or chicken-fried), hamburger, pork chops and homemade corned beef hash.
Omelets like the signature Wilbur–filled with hash browns, green peppers, onions and tomatoes, then covered in chili and cheese–can satisfy the hungriest patron. Not into eggs? How about fried chicken and waffles? And we almost forgot the rich, wonderful biscuits and gravy.
Breakfast is available all day; lunch includes standards, specials, homemade soups and chili. Follow your nose to 5900 Natural Bridge, call (314) 383-3333 or click www.goodygoodydiner.com.
Cozy Dog Drive-in
This Route 66 icon in Springfield, Ill., was the bright idea of Ed Waldmire, Jr., a child of the Great Depression, who used his undergraduate days at Knox College and his World War II service as springboards to success.
Waldmire grew up on a farm and planned to join his father as a farmer. However, Waldmire discovered his knack for selling food while at Knox College, and he operated a successful sandwich business.
He learned about corn dogs, he once said, from an Oklahoman while he was in service in Amarillo, Tex., and carried the idea home. There were corn dogs called Pronto Pups in Minnesota in 1941, but Waldmire had a different, spicy batter, and he named his creation Cozy Dogs. He also cooked them to order for better flavor. After World War II, Waldmire opened the original Cozy Dog on Route 66.
Today, the little restaurant is next door to the original site and still is family owned. In addition to the dog-on-a-stick, patrons enjoy fine French fries and excellent breakfasts here.
Cozy Dog also is an unofficial historical repository for Route 66 with books from Waldmire’s library, souvenirs, license plates, memorabilia and tributes. On the front of the bookshelves is a sign reminding readers to wash their hands before handling the books. Look for the Cozy Dog sign off Business Interstate 55 and you’ll find the diner at 2935 S. Sixth St., or call (217) 525-1992.
Joe Pollack is a contributor from St. Louis, Mo.
