Snodgrass Photography Blog

As I walked up to Ernie’s Cafe and Steak House I thought what nice adaptive use of an art deco movie house the cafe had accomplished. I could picture the marque ablaze in the 1930s with the latest Clark Gable and Dick Tracy double feature. That was until Gillian, who has been on the staff for over six years, informed me that Ernie opened the building and his cafe in 1934. It’s been a fixture in this college town ever since serving generous portions of classic American fare for breakfast and lunch.

Dick Tracy and the Drawing on the Wall

Located in the center of Columbia’s North Village Arts District, it’s appropriate that the cafe’s walls are lined with original art, much of it personalized for Ernie’s. Jean Gould O’Connell recounted in her biography of Chester Gould, creator of Dick Tracy, how, as a student at Stephens College in the late 1940s, she took her parents to Ernie’s Cafe. Jean particularly enjoyed the cafe’s already legendary “Chopped Cow” burger. Ernie asked Gould if he’d autograph his wall and the result was the original poster sized sketch of the iconic 1930s sleuth that graces the entrance and this article’s opening photo.

The old juke box in the booth may not be working but the menu is pure American home made diner favorites. The #8 breakfast is quality ingredients, generous in size yet modest in price. For $6.95 it includes a Boone County ham steak, two eggs, hash browns, toast and coffee. Boone County Ham is cured, slow smoked, slightly salty with a deep bacon flavor. For $.30 more substitute two pork chops for the ham or for an additional $4.00 substitute a 5 oz filet mignon. Three large pancakes with pure maple syrup runs $3.25 and add pecans, strawberries or blueberries for just $.95 more.

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