OK...so it has been brought to my attention rather forcefully...by "readers" if they can indeed read, from as far away as California...that...well...there just have not been many Diner reviews. Mea Culpa. I have taken a LOT of great Diner pics and started strong with discourses regarding definitions of a DINER and the imprtance of shredded hashbrowns but a hark and alas...I have strayed...lacking purpose and focus and as such I must return, as it were, to the fold. (tortured sentence structure?)Big Ed's Chile Mac Diner is indeed a lion among the St. Louis Diner elite. It is one of the former O.T. Hodges Chile Parlous which suffered a rather disasterous family break up causing the chain to disappear...forever under the St. Louis landscape...never to return....at least to the city of St. Louis. One hollow shell of the old place exists. If you hit the O.T. Hodge web site where they use to have 6 or 7 St. Louis locations they now tell you:
"O.T. Hodge Chile Parlors®, founded at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904, is enjoying its 103rd continuous year of operation in 2007. Our acclaimed Chile formula, our unique menu, and our affordable pricing have made O.T. Hodge one of the favorite restaurant operations in St. Louis. We are continually rated number one for Chile in St. Louis, and just as consistently rate among the top local restaurant chains for take-out and fast-food popularity.
Our customers represent a wide range. Executives, secretaries, service people, public servants, production workers, judges and families meet at Hodges for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Our wide, affordable menu, prompt table service and clean looks have made us a leader in our field for a century. Come visit us at our new Ferguson, MO location, 250 South Florissant Road. This is 1.25 miles north of Interstate 70 on Florissant Road. It is near the St. Louis Airport."
This Diner reviewer says..."whatever."
Big Ed's keep the tradition with the location on Pine right across the street from Metropolitan Square. There is another one with the same name on North Broadway but this reviewer has not been there and they are...on information and belief...owned by different people. At the end of the day you judge a diner by it's "regulars." Along with my "Artist In Residence" status at the afor reviewed Courtesy on Hampton I am a regular at Big Ed's because it is...after all...right across the street from work. And they have a lot regulars that they take good care of and know by name.
Big Ed's on Pine open at 5:30 every day. For breakfast Charlotte mans the grill and Donna serves customers. A lot of customers. They pack them in and know the orders of their regulars. tehre are several business men and woman, several service companies (elevators and electricians) seem to have work group meetings there. There are always two huge black men sitting at the counter at 7:30 every morning. I mean huge. At that time of morning along with Charlotte and Donna is Lamont who...as near as I can figre does...nothing. But he is a really nice guy as he putters around and smokes. Big Ed's has classic Diner configuration with a counter running the length of it and 5 groupsings of tables each of which seat 6. If you are a table person (and I am) staking out your position and discouraging other people from disturbing your newspaper reading is a sport similar to blocking out under the boards and playing for position ion the paint. On most mornings it is not a problem but things become dicey when a really big convention hits town. Especially if it is one that comes back every year because people look forward to coming back to good diners and then...sometimes...you throw up your hands as the line extends out the door.
They have great and perfect breakfasts... Charlotte does an awesome job on the grill with the eggs and they have a certain sausage I have not found anywhere else that is simply an excellent breakfast country sausage. They of course have the slinger and serve Edmunds Chile with or without beans. They serve chile, chile mac, chile three ways, they have tamales for the top one... and on information and belief they have an awesome slinger. The Bacon report is...average to poor. It is a weak spot on the menu and my theory is that because their sausage is so good there is not the volume of bacon needed on the grill to make a good consistent product. Additionally...and sadly their hashborwns are not hash browns but the dreaded "breakfast potatoes." I have had the discussion with them many times regarding this egregious shortcoming but for one reason or another (they say these potatoes stand up better to chile) they are not going to change. Of more import to me they have a really thick cream gravy (though a little light on sausage chunks) which i can get with some patties and their breakfast potatoes and make an excellent heavy breakfast. They also do a very nice sausage sandwich...with or without onions...always with American cheese...like God intended.
There are some serious questions regarding their Diner "bonafides" primarily because of their hours. They open early and are closed by 2...or 2:30 though I have been known to get an iced tea there as late as 3. Additionally and showing how beholden they are to the 9-5 crowd and how St. louis rolls up it's streets downtown on the weekend...they are CLOSED. So the hours suck..but the food is good and the service is GREAT. If you don't get the slinger get the biscuits and gravy with a side of sausage. 8 Slingers out of 10 for the rating.
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