St Clair Broiler (St Paul)

The St Clair Broiler is a local diner that's been around for a long time, over 50 years.  We stopped by for dinner, looking for something relatively light and quick.

With some help from the waitress, I went with the California BLT.   It's a BLT with avocado and sprouts.  I think both of them qualify as "Californian".  The bacon was very crispy, the avocado was creamy, the wheat bread I chose (there were three choices, and wheat seemed best) was toasted but not dry - this was possibly one of the better BLTs I've ever had. It was supposed to have a garlic aioli, but I couldn't taste that; I'm kind of glad it didn't, because the garlic might have overpowered the rest.  It came with either chips, beans, slaw, fries, or tater tots.. and I chose the tater tots.  These were also cooked almost perfectly - crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, and hot when they came to the table.

The wife chose the beef medallions, which came with a mushroom sauce and garlic mashed potatoes.  She said the sauce could have used some salt, but the mashed potatoes were very garlicky, which makes sense for garlic mashed potatoes.

We discussed dessert, and decided to pass on a shake, since we couldn't agree on the flavor.  We decided to share a stuffed chocolate chip cookie.  Two chocolate chip cookies, with ice cream in between, drizzled with chocalate sauce, and a little bit of whipped cream.  The ice cream was very good, but one of the cookies was burnt a bit.  Not charred, but overbaked which detracted from the overall flavor.  They advertised 'home-made', and since that occasionally happens to home-made cookies, I think I can forgive them for that.

Prices were very reasonable for what we got.  The decor...well, it is a 50's diner-style restaurant.  There was a poster for Lord of the Rings on the wall, and some random artwork, but the lighting was rather dim, the carpet was faded; in essence, the place really hasn't been updated in years.  Well, to be fair, the front has been recently renovated, but that doesn't help when you sit in the back. :)  However, I don't think people come for the decor - they come for the food and a place to chat, meet with friends, and just generally hang out.  This is that neighborhood diner you always hear about, but is hard to find.  We'll definitely return!