Florissant Diner
831-4375 1060 St Francois, Florissant Missouri
I do not know whether it is well documented but I have a long standing lack of comfort in North County. Perhaps it is because it is where my wife grew up...perhaps it is the proximity to Alton and perhaps it is so close to something called “The Confluence” but one way or another, I do not wander there a lot. Recently I had occasion to be assisting in the dispensing of justice (and truth) at Florissant City Hall and I saw, right across the street, the Florissant Diner.
It is at the end of a small strip mall and has a great “curb appeal” diner wise with a nice neon sign and a big picture window you can look in and see the grill and everyone who is working and eating there. Seating is limited with three 4 top tables and a deuce and then (oddly) bar stools up against the counter facing the grill. there is nothing “bar” like about the place. They do not serve booze and it is very well lit. The over all impression is that it is small and there are a couple of refrigerators out in the area where customers are
On a Saturday morning the tables were full and I needed to sit at the counter with one of my diner aficionado companions (all good people). The place was being run and were served by a delightful Brazilian women who was very pleasant and full of conversation. She introduced us to her husband (a turk) who was doing the cooking. Over all it was one of the more welcoming places i have had breakfast at which makes me deeply suspicious.
The menu is unremarkable but in an “un-dinerlike” way there is an emphasis on “skillets” (which are conflagrations of ingredients with eggs thrown in) and omelets. It seems a little frou frou for this diner but I am happy to report that all my fears were over come by plain and simple exc ellent diner food. Although the chile was not sampled it is available (in season whatever that means) but there was no slinger on the menu. The hash browns were “breakfast potatoes” but DO NOT FEAR! They were mashed down flat into a delightfully browned (on both sides) potato patty that covered a good section of the plate. The sausage was flavorful and the cream gravy (though served in a styrofoam bowl) was hot and had some zesty pepper to it. My companion got the omelet which he reported as excellent and also was favorably impressed by the house hot sauce which was the lip smacking “Franks”.
As i said earlier, this diner is WAY off my beaten path. If the address confuses you it is directly across from that last bastion of law and order in north county, the Florissant City Hall. I get a nose bleed north of highway 40 that gets progressively worse as i head north. By highway 70 I am disoriented and north of 270 where this lies I can go into full on stroke mode. Still...I will come back to this place. If I could get one of the tables and be waited on again by the friendly Brazilian girl...it would all be worth it. Come for the hash browns and the conversation. 7 Slingers on the 10 scale.
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