Diner 437 Restaurant Review

Last night, I wrangled together a group from the Tweetup to go to a local place to eat that I had a restaurant.com coupon for. We ended up at Diner 437 (437 Central Ave, St. Petersburg 727-822-4370), a restaurant that was in the address of the place I was trying to find (Grillside Central) that had recently gone out of business. Since my coupon was worthless, I decided to make the most out of where we landed.

Diner 437 is a mix of elements, both simple and refined. A long bar lined with bar stools makes for easy come and go dining. Tables line the opposing wall and are planted throughout the back, where we sat. The menus are simple, neat and feature a mish-mash of foods that very well could fit into a higher end restaurant. The prices were reasonably low, and matched the portion sizes.

Our waitress was friendly, even though she looked irritated by my insistant banter. We arrived just a bit before closing time and ended up hanging out way past final call, so I can’t blame her for that.

The food came out pretty quickly, and was better than I expected. I ordered the Grilled Skirt Steak with mashed potatoes and sauteed spinach. The steak itself marinated with an interesting and unexpected glaze, a bit sweet and a bit sour. It had overtones of citrus in it. The meat was exceptionally tender for skirt steak and pre-cut into strips. It was overall enjoyable, though I wish I had a larger cut. What can I complain about for $12?

With the steak came some of the best cooked spinach that I have ever had. It was cooked, but not overcooked. No wilting, no frayed or mushy edges and no bunching of leaves. There was a buttery essence to them and they were warm throughout while still maintaining the structure that spinach should have. The potatoes were uninspiring, but fulfilling.

While I can’t speak for everyone else, they all seemed to enjoy themselves. The overall sentiment was, “This is good.” Hopefully, Diner 437 sticks around long enough for me to go back and give it a second try.

American Cuisine diner 437