If you read this column regularly, you’ll soon discover that there is little I will not consume. And so, when I was headed to St. Louis soul-food classic Del Monico Diner, I was excited for one simple reason: pork neck bones. I’d never had them.
From the outside, the restaurant doesn’t look like much. Venture in, however, and you’ll be overwhelmed by the cafeteria-style dining room that easily seats 200. The whole place has a homey, lived-in vibe, and, though I received record-scratch-style stares from regulars, who each looked as though I’d walked into their home unannounced, I found it instantly welcoming thanks to the cashier’s lively “hello!”
I grabbed a tray and took my spot in the line for the buffet, which included a selection of 15 soul-food hits ranging from the familiar meatloaf and fried chicken to the more exotic salmon croquettes and, of course, the coveted pork neck bones. Each dish is available à la carte as a side order or as a dinner with your choice of two sides and bread.
On my first visit, unable to visually identify half of what was on the buffet, I decided to play it safe and went with meatloaf. It had a nice texture, starting off a touch firm before yielding to the bread crumbs within, but I found it underseasoned and it lacked any specific meat flavor.
Fortunately, I also picked up a pork chop that was excellent. At other soul-food spots I’ve been to, pork chops often sit soggily beneath a smothering of greasy gravy as they slowly turn an unappetizing shade of gray. At Del Monico, they have an incredible crunch thanks to a thick golden breading speckled with a “secret” seasoning that tasted similar to Lawry’s. Although a bit dry, the most important factor of a good pork chop is pork flavor, and on that Del Monico delivered.
Fried chicken was extremely moist, but where the pork chop had a crispy exterior, the chicken, though seasoned similarly, had only a thin coating that resulted in it having neither the coveted crunch nor the flavor-packed seasoning.
And what about those pork neck bones? They were, unequivocally, the best thing I tried.
What Del Monico calls “stewed,” I call “braised,” and a good braise requires considerable skill. Here, the neck bones are browned with care to bring out their full flavor before they’re cooked until just tender, stopping short of the mushiness of an overcooked braise. Texturally, I would liken them to a good pot roast or the other item I tried that day: oxtail. Both had a similar unctuous quality because of the fat they contain, but where the oxtail was a bit greasy and gelatinous, the fat of the neck bones had melted down, creating a richness that proved once again how luxurious pork fat can be in its simplicity.
Sides were mostly average. Of the best, a sort of home fry mash was topped with rich gravy and, thanks to few minutes on the griddle, crisp bits added a textural contrast as well as a hint of caramelization. Cooked cabbage, however, was my favorite. Many restaurants undercook it, but at Del Monico this is a nonissue; extremely tender, the cabbage possessed a heartiness in part because of a light smokiness that complemented the other foods nicely.
For bread, the obvious choice is cornbread. It’s a tricky thing to keep moist, and on each visit I found it different, ranging from tediously dry to beautifully moist. Either way, margarine and cranberry sauce are the only available spreads, and the one thing I couldn’t help but want for was real butter to liven up the otherwise boring bread.
Desserts at Del Monico are homemade, and not adding one to your plate would be a mistake. Pecan pie was my favorite. Instead of the saccharine taste of corn syrup, brown sugar gave it a complex sweetness and turned the pecans on top into a sticky toffee-esque mixture. Butter pound cake was also excellent. Moist without being gooey, its billowy texture seemed light after my heavy meal.
Overall, one thing about Del Monico is clear: There are no sad faces among the regulars because everyone is eating well.
This article appears in Feb 1-29, 2008.