Diner 437
Located at 437 Central Avenue
St. Petersburg, Fl 33701
727.822.4370
www.diner437.com
Located at 437 Central Avenue
St. Petersburg, Fl 33701
727.822.4370
www.diner437.com
I'll start by saying that I wasn't sure what to expect a couple of Fridays ago when we decided to try "Diner 437" but I must say that it was something that I really enjoyed. Not that we thought it wouldn't be good, but I had no idea that it would excite me so much. Sometimes when a place touts 'comfort' or 'diner' food I'm weary of being underwhelmed, but at 'Diner 437' they played every hand to win. "It's not your momma's meatloaf" is their slogan that first caught my attention, it was fun and catchy, yet a little edgy because they don't know my momma and they might have been sorely mistaken... but they were right (and I'm glad!). Meatloaf wasn't one of my mom's stronger suits, but don't mess with her cube steak and gravy, or we will have words). But seriously, it was a treat being in the care of people who obviously know how to cook hip-diner food with comforting southern highlights. Fortunatly they didn't limit themselves to one stye of fare, the menu speaks well of the creativity and culinary background of the chefs. They also offer "breakfast all day," something that is too rare and quite an exciting prospect.
The atmosephere is cool and laid back. The open kitchen provides a well needed visceral connection to the chefs and the service staff. There is chatter between the servers and chefs, good communication is a must for success. The lighting is mellow and the music is good, a great canvas on which to paint a casual and tasty night out.
We started by talking to our server Joey about the food, and she was happy to explain in detail anything on the menu. Joey is a cool lady from Georgia who became a great host and guide through our first experience at 'Diner'. Chef's Carlos and Stu were just feet away moving with skill and purpose prepairing great food for all their guests. Choosing only a couple of items from the menu was hard because everything looked like something we would want to try. Joey suggested for dinner special-homemade meatloaf stuffed with gorganzola and spinach, green beans, mashed potatoes, and mushroom gravy- I was sold. We also ordered chicken liver pate, and duck fat fries (yes fries fried in duck fat!) to share before the entrees came. The liver pate was smooth, silky and flavorful. It takes quite a craftsman to make a beautiful pate, and they succeeded in bringing the ingredients together perfectly. Served with buttery toasted brioche, this was a real treat. The fries were hot and crisp and the duck fat application added a richness that one doesn't get to enjoy with regular frying oil. Creamy garlic aioli came with the fries and Joey brought us a side of jalapeno dressing and said mixing the two sauces to dip the fries in was a secret fetish of the restaurant staff..it was glorious. Thanks for the inside tip Joey! See that's the kind of thing that made our 'Diner' experience something special, she shared with us and wanted to give us the best tastes possable. Its cool when the staff wants to get involved on a personal level and give you something neat and unexpected.
Our appatizers were great but it was time to move on to the main course. We ordered the meatloaf special and pan seared jumbo shrimp. Both were really good. The meatloaf was moist, juicy, and filled with lots of flavor from the gorganzola and spinach. No ketchup topping here mom! The pan gravy with mushrooms was obviusly made from scratch and was seasoned really well; I ordered extra 'cause i'm a sauce junky. The green beans and mashed potatoes were flavorful and well seasoned. I was getting a warm safe feeling with every bite, nice. The shrimp were prepaired with great skill-not to easy- they had a great "snap" when chewed and thats a sign of proper technique in the shrimp world. The sauce with the shrimp was a nice suprise, worcestershire and lemon juice, who would have guessed it was a fitting flavor combo for shrimp, but it was outstanding. At this point, I needed a couch or a hammock to sleep off this lovely meal, but we couldn't leave without trying something sweet from 'Diner's' humble but very tempting dessert menu. We chose the warm jelly donut, vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, and crushed berries, with a hot chocolate. All I can say is wow and thank you for this decadent offering. We spilled over with joyous smiles and laughter at the sight of this naughty creation. It was awesome. Simple in concept but so delicuios in taste and texture. A great ending to a super enjoyable meal and experience.
I want to personally thank Joey, Chef Carlos, Chef Stu, Chef Matt (who was off that night but Joey sang his praises and credited him with many of the concepts we enjoyed), and the owners Kelly and Greg Pugh for doing it with love. Please check this place out because you're missing something special if you don't. We here at 'Fork and Tongue' will defenitly be back and will keep 'Diner' close to our hearts.
The atmosephere is cool and laid back. The open kitchen provides a well needed visceral connection to the chefs and the service staff. There is chatter between the servers and chefs, good communication is a must for success. The lighting is mellow and the music is good, a great canvas on which to paint a casual and tasty night out.
We started by talking to our server Joey about the food, and she was happy to explain in detail anything on the menu. Joey is a cool lady from Georgia who became a great host and guide through our first experience at 'Diner'. Chef's Carlos and Stu were just feet away moving with skill and purpose prepairing great food for all their guests. Choosing only a couple of items from the menu was hard because everything looked like something we would want to try. Joey suggested for dinner special-homemade meatloaf stuffed with gorganzola and spinach, green beans, mashed potatoes, and mushroom gravy- I was sold. We also ordered chicken liver pate, and duck fat fries (yes fries fried in duck fat!) to share before the entrees came. The liver pate was smooth, silky and flavorful. It takes quite a craftsman to make a beautiful pate, and they succeeded in bringing the ingredients together perfectly. Served with buttery toasted brioche, this was a real treat. The fries were hot and crisp and the duck fat application added a richness that one doesn't get to enjoy with regular frying oil. Creamy garlic aioli came with the fries and Joey brought us a side of jalapeno dressing and said mixing the two sauces to dip the fries in was a secret fetish of the restaurant staff..it was glorious. Thanks for the inside tip Joey! See that's the kind of thing that made our 'Diner' experience something special, she shared with us and wanted to give us the best tastes possable. Its cool when the staff wants to get involved on a personal level and give you something neat and unexpected.
Our appatizers were great but it was time to move on to the main course. We ordered the meatloaf special and pan seared jumbo shrimp. Both were really good. The meatloaf was moist, juicy, and filled with lots of flavor from the gorganzola and spinach. No ketchup topping here mom! The pan gravy with mushrooms was obviusly made from scratch and was seasoned really well; I ordered extra 'cause i'm a sauce junky. The green beans and mashed potatoes were flavorful and well seasoned. I was getting a warm safe feeling with every bite, nice. The shrimp were prepaired with great skill-not to easy- they had a great "snap" when chewed and thats a sign of proper technique in the shrimp world. The sauce with the shrimp was a nice suprise, worcestershire and lemon juice, who would have guessed it was a fitting flavor combo for shrimp, but it was outstanding. At this point, I needed a couch or a hammock to sleep off this lovely meal, but we couldn't leave without trying something sweet from 'Diner's' humble but very tempting dessert menu. We chose the warm jelly donut, vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, and crushed berries, with a hot chocolate. All I can say is wow and thank you for this decadent offering. We spilled over with joyous smiles and laughter at the sight of this naughty creation. It was awesome. Simple in concept but so delicuios in taste and texture. A great ending to a super enjoyable meal and experience.
I want to personally thank Joey, Chef Carlos, Chef Stu, Chef Matt (who was off that night but Joey sang his praises and credited him with many of the concepts we enjoyed), and the owners Kelly and Greg Pugh for doing it with love. Please check this place out because you're missing something special if you don't. We here at 'Fork and Tongue' will defenitly be back and will keep 'Diner' close to our hearts.
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