Charleston Area HDJ Review - Red Line Diner

Located at the mouth of Scary Creek just of the St. Albans exit of I64, this little 50's style diner serves up a good food, friendly service and a heapin' helpin' of nostalgia.

The building is one of those pre-made stainless steel and plastice diner in a boxes. Everything inside is either red naugahyde, chrome, or black and white checkers (did diners in the 1950's really look like this?) A knock-off Rockola juke box dominates the interior, but newfangled flat panel TVs hang at each end of the dining area so you can keep an eye on CNN on your lunch hour. It's a nice little place with friendly service. I think I heard that it changed owners not too long ago.

Funny thing about hot dogs at a diner: The chili is always really meaty and the slaw is always piled high. No exception here. One hot dog was a meal in itself, but the really good onion rings were hard not to finish (I failed).

The chili wasn't just plentiful, it was also pretty tasty. Most of the taste was provided by the beef itself, but a little chili powder snuck through too. It was thick and meaty. The slaw was a little bland and coarse; also a common diner trait. It was OK, but nothing to write home about. Take off points for ketchup as a standard topping, too.

Red Line Diner is a nice little place to eat and enjoy the friendly nostalgia of your surroundings. They have great hamburgers and other diner-type offerings. But as a hot dog joint, I'm afraid it only scores 3 weenies.