St. Petersburg, Florida USA
Cuisine Style: Diner
Average Price: $
Overall Rating: 2/5
Dined in July 2017
Dined in July 2017
By Sean Overpeck (CFE)
**A full article and index glossary of restaurants, wines, recipes and travel for
Wine Dine and Play are in the pages section above, or by following these links:
Executive Chef:
Chef Mark Davoli
A diner, drive, or dive as Guy Fieri likes to call them is an American Icon that cannot be ignored for a simple and relaxing atmosphere. to get away from the fuss of fine dining and stigma of the typical chain restaurant. Metro Diner is just such a place, and though a small chain with a few stores around Florida it fits the bill. This was my wife and I’s second visit to this St Petersburg location. Our first visit saw us enjoying a combination of the breakfast and the lunch menu. This visit was a relaxing lunch.
The Monte Cristo Sandwich is always an enjoyable selection, and in some ways partially a breakfast item, but 100% a true diner item. The fried sourdough bread was stuffed with turkey, ham, cheddar and American cheese, then once golden brown from the hot frying oils, it was topped with powdered sugar for garnish. On the side of the plate were selections raspberry preserves and a dish side of your choice, to which we went with the macaroni and cheese. My wife tells me that if she would not have married me, she would have married mac and cheese, so that is some very hearty competition indeed.
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| Monte Cristo |
Next was the Big Bern’s fried pork tenderloin sandwich. Yes, indeed calories did not matter today as we were enjoying an American past time - fried foods. And they wonder why America has diabetes, heart condition, and obesity problem. Today we contributed to those statistics. The sandwich was topped with Provel cheese, wilted spinach, caramelized red onions, sautéed bacon, fried jalapeños, sliced tomatoes and a fine drizzle of garlic aioli on grilled Italian bread. Damn, that was a sandwich. Nothing against Mel’s diner, but Metro has you beat ten weeks from Sunday. Another excellent meal, and more to come in the future.
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| Big Bern |
Other Noteworthy Breakfast or diner Articles & Restaurants:
The Jungle Junction Zimbabwe & International tastings buffet at the Victoria Falls Hotel in Zimbabwe
Café du Monde Iconic café & coffeehouse serving beignets since 1862 in New Orleans, Louisiana
Stella’s Restaurant Southern-inspired comfort eats and diner in Gulfport, Florida
Paradise Grille Beachside joint offering casual American eats in Pass-A-Grille, Florida
Al Fanar Restaurant and Café Authentic Emirati Cuisine, Festival City, Dubai, UAE
Food 101 Farm-to-table eatery offering Southern classics in Sandy Springs, Georgia
See the whole list by visiting “The Wine Dine and Play Article Glossary””
Other St Petersburg restaurants and articles on Wine Dine and Play:
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Colonial Portuguese Fusion with tapas
St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
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Traditional and classic Italian plates
St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
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New American, Southern Twist
St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
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A Few Florida Favorites:
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Bar foods and casual eats
Gulfport, Florida, USA
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A Star Trek Music Experience with dinner
Clearwater / Beach, Florida USA
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The “Last Local Beach Club”
Panama City Beach, Florida, USA
|
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Chain eatery for creative pies
Tampa, Florida, USA
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A casual BBQ joint
Bradenton Beach, Florida, USA
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Casual Floribbean and American pub chain
Brandon, Florida USA
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Final notes, review basics, and observations:
Most reviews are subjective, depending on the writer; but they should also be responsible, and respectfully written, upholding the truth, and accurately conveying the experience to the best of the writer's knowledge, even if it includes metaphors the restaurant may not like to read about. My ratings are by the stars I award (from 0 to 5). The rating is calculated on a point accumulation of six separate factors based on individual experience. They include wine and other beverage selections, plate presentation, customer service, restaurant or café ambiance, food quality, and wow factor. To see more details of this rating list, read this article:
Scores are detailed in the chart below
Formula Factor Conclusions and Overall Ratings
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Max Points Possible:
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Total Points Awarded:
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Total Points deducted:
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Ambiance
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10
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7
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0
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Food quality
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10
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7
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0
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Plate presentation
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10
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6
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0
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Customer service
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10
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8
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0
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Alcohol and other beverages
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0
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0
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0
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Total regular points awarded
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40
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28
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0
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Total percentage — less the Bonus
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0.7
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“Wow” factor BONUS
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5
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2
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0
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Total bonus percentage
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0.05
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Total percentage and bonus for a final star rating
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0.75
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Stars Awarded (see chart below)
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0 - 5
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2
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**A full break down and explanation of the observations and point disbursement is available in the linked article above. To receive a detailed copy of your score, feel free to contact me at any time and I will provide it to you.**
Overall Star Rating:
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2 of 5 Stars:
75% Rating with a 2 point “wow” bonus
Far Above the Average Experience
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Restaurant style:
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Casual dining
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Cuisine style:
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American Breakfast, Chain,
Allergen or dietary accommodations:
Low Carb, Vegetarian
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Reservations:
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Not Required
Walk-Ins:
Accepted
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Dress code:
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Casual attire
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Child policy:
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The Restaurants reviewed on this site may have a kids menu or cater to them; however, for full enjoyment of food and wine, it is recommended that kids not to be in attendance, unless they have been trained in proper etiquette.
If not then:
Hire a Babysitter!
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Experiences:
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Contemporary, Hotspot, Rustic, Tourist grabber, and a Neighborhood Gem.
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Payments:
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Cash, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express
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Parking:
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Private lot
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Wifi
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The restaurants reviewed on this site may have Wi-Fi, but do not require you to go online, because the excitement of the food and wine alone will keep you too entertained instead of checking your social media and emails.
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Noise level:
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Medium
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Smoking:
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Nonsmoking restaurant
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Patio or terrace:
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No
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Food Prices
(excludes, alcohol, taxes & 20% gratuity’s)
$£€¥ - Under 50.00 (inexpensive)
$£€¥ x 2 - 51.00- 99.00 (moderate)
$£€¥ x 3 - Over 100.00 (pricy)
$£€¥ x 4 - Over 200.00 (expensive)
$£€¥ x 5 - Over 400.00 (very expensive)
**Currencies reflect the world’s major travelers, restaurant, or wine connoisseur’s**
Currency:
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Price
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United States Dollar (USD)
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$
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Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)
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£
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Canadian Dollar (CAN)
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$$
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Chinese Yuan (CNY)
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¥¥¥¥
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European Union (EUR)
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€
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The Metro Diner:
5250 4th Street N
St. Petersburg, FL 33703
Contact Information:
Restaurant website:
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Maître d or host:
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+1 727 324 6088
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Website contact:
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Serving hours:
Eastern Standard Time
(GMT, Zulu, or UTC - 5:00)
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Sun-Thur
7:00 am - 8:00 pm
Fri-Sat
7:00 am - 9:00 pm
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Social Media
&
Accolades:
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****
The worlds best restaurants is a subjective list of who is writing it and changes on a regular basis. The Wine Dine and Play best experiences are based on my highest rated stared restaurants, meaning that the visit was an outstanding or extraordinary experience. From cafés, chains, mom + pops, hole in the walls, to fine dining including a few Michelin spots. Visit the Top 100 page to see the entire list.
A few to tease you with…
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Highly creative new American molecular gastronomy tasting menus
Chicago, Illinois, USA
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Contemporary-Authentic Mexican Cuisine
St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
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A Re:Start business at “Little High Eatery”
Christchurch, New Zealand
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Other Pictures:
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| Picture courtesy of Metro Diner |
Who is John Galt?
TTFN
