It could be – and probably has been – argued that the Kingside Diner isn't truly a diner. The mere presence of the word quinoa on the menu allegedly proves it, let alone things like the use of cloth napkins. (I do admit that they're quite sturdy ones, rather like dish towels, homey rather than elegant.) And the interior, the sidewalk tables and the east-facing sort of sunroom, all don't feel diner-ish. In much of the last century, this would have simply been the Kingside Restaurant, restaurant being a perfectly honorable and historic word, coming from the French restaurer, which originally meant "to restore", and morphed into "to provide food for".
On the other side of the coin and a heavy imprint it is, they open early – 6 a.m. – and stay open late on Friday and Saturday nights. Such a public service is not to be sneezed at; ballast for late-night
drinkers is an essential element in a civilized society. Even more important is their availabilty for folks coming off the night shift. Nights, I learned the hard way many years ago, can create havoc with the most cooperative stomachs. The availability of good food at the end of a night shift can be the oasis that isn't a mirage.
Another marker of diner-ism is another laudable habit, breakfast available at any hour. Good for any meal, though, is their take on the slinger. It begins with the expected hash browns and ends with the traditional eggs. But in between, there's the house pulled pork, the melange doused with the chorizo-black bean chili that's also available by the bowl. The only thing that keeps this from being nirvana is that the pork's sweetness unbalances the dish. The chili-egg-potato-cheese game is superb, a little different but delightfully so. And the green onions chopped on top only add to the fun. That quinoa makes an appearance as the flour in gluten-free pancakes, which are perhaps slightly stodgier than one might like, but nothing deeply offensive, especially if one is in need of the GF alternative. And, yes, the maple syrup is warm. Next visit, I'm investigating the cheddar biscuits with chorizo-sage gravy.
A number of options can be had as fillings for either burritos or omelets, or as toppings for flatbreads. The latter is essentially a 12-inch pizza, very thin-crusted. The flatbread listed with the hot entrees, mainly sandwiches, sported portabella mushrooms, bacon, pepperoni and a 3-cheese blend. It was sprinkled with rosemary, although the rosemary didn't run roughshod over everything else, and the pepperoni crisped up nicely.
Grilled cheese at Kingside comes on sourdough, with mozzarella, basil pesto, a reduction of balsamic vinegar and tomato. Very gooey, and the pesto and balsamico added nice notes, but at this time of year, the tomato should have been quite a bit riper, although slicing it so thinly would have been more difficult in a riper tomato.
Another first-rate choice was the smoked trout salad. Officially the greens are tossed with a horseradish aioli, but the dressing seemed flavored far more by the smoked trout, not that there's anything at all wrong with that. The flesh of the fish had been shredded and moistened with the dressing and some of it tossed with the greens. It's a delicious dish, served with warm pita points, creamy and rich and satisfying.
Apologies for getting no farther with dessert than a large, warm chocolate chip cookie. That, too, will have to wait for another time.
Pleasant service, lots of casual business meetings going on at off hours, and much activity (and decor) from the chess club next door, who use the sun porch on the east side, at least some of the time. There's also a small glassed-in private room available.
Kingside Diner
4651 Maryland Ave.
314-454-3957
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner daily
Credit cards: Yes
Wheelchair access: Fair
Smoking: No
Sandwiches and Entrees: $8-$15