Eddie's Breakfast & Lunch: Newton, MA
So, this place isn't a diner, it's a dinette. But Dharia insists that
since we laid out our definitions, we can review dinettes now.
Anyway, we've been to Eddie's Breakfast & Lunch once before and wanted to get a quick breakfast today, so we headed over to give it another shot even though we weren't blown away the last time.
The dinette has been in the neighborhood for many years. There's
weird office-style stools at the counter, and some pretty hideous wallpaper. Of course, there's also a cool banner on the kitchen hood that says, "My name's Eddie, your breakfast is ready!" Which is pretty neat.
The food, on the other hand, was not really that neat. We got water to drink, and it was served in red solo cups. Dharia ordered Eddie's Highway Special. At $3.75, it's a good deal for an egg and cheese on a bagel/muffin/toast with your choice of meat and a heap of home fries. The eggs were pretty fluffy and the sandwich was decent. My order wasn't so good. At first I asked for a Monte Cristo--but then the waitress asked me what kind of bread I wanted. Uh, isn't a Monte Cristo always served on French toast? The only options were white, wheat, rye, and English muffin. Odd. I immediately switched my order to
The Ivan, which is roast beef, Swiss cheese, and fried onions. Got it on rye, and it was okay. Just okay. I felt kind of cheated for $6.
The people are pretty friendly at Eddie's, but I don't think I'll be going back.
Eddie's Breakfast & Lunch
394 Watertown St.
Newtonville, MA 02458
(617) 964-3277
(
Google Map)
Labels: dinette, Newton, review
Wilson's Diner: Waltham, MA
We tried to like
Wilson's Diner.
Our last apartment was walking distance from the
Boulevard Diner. Life was good.
Two years ago we moved, leaving our favorite diner behind. Imagine the excitement when we discovered that our new place in Waltham was walking distance from another beautifully maintained Worcester Lunch Car!
The atmosphere at Wilson's is great, it has all the characteristics of a great diner: family run, devoted regular patrons, and a small menu featuring greek specialties. The first time we ate there, our food was mediocre. We decided that it was probably just bad luck, we needed to find their 'jewel item', like other diners that have blah egg dishes, but heavenly french toast. There must be some items on the menu that are good, we thought.
We have gone back to Wilson's many times. The fresh baked muffins grilled in butter are pretty good. Unfortunately everything else on the menu is mediocre, or worse. We've tried the egg-y things, the bread-y things and the meat-y things; they were all disappointing. I wouldn't even classify it as "a good greasy spoon" as some people like to describe many diners. A good greasy spoon should still be able to make delicious food.
we've procrastinated on writing this review. We really wanted to like Wilson's, especially since it is our closest diner. We wanted it to be our regular brunch place. Wilson's is a great example of a classic worcester diner, one of the only ones in the metro-west area. The food is fast, the prices low, and the staff friendly. If you want an authentic new england diner without going very far, it is worth checking out. If you want a really great breakfast, keep going.
Wilson's Diner
507 Main St
Waltham, MA 02452
(Google Map)
Labels: review, waltham
Kelly's Diner: Somerville MA
We've heard great things about Kelly's Diner in Somerville. Its Ball Square location makes it convenient, and a favorite, of both students and locals. We picked up our friend James in Cambridge and set out to try it out. A line out the front door is a good sign, but not proof. (People wait in line for bad food, too! Hello, Cheesecake Factory?) While waiting I noticed the cool custom grill work on the stairs with red "K"s. Nice touch.
When we made it to the front of the line, we spent a few minutes standing uncomfortably squeezed between a James Dean statue and an oversized 1950's style jukebox.
Looking around, I noticed the stereotypical Betty Boop and Marilyn paraphernalia as well. While I generally dislike this sort of stuff at diners, I will give Kelly's a little leeway because it is a 1953 O'Mahoney diner. Unlike 50's stuff decorating a diner from the 30's, at least this one is in the right era. I couldn't help but think that they could've fit an extra booth or server station where the jukebox was taking up space.
The menu had a nice selection, I decided to go with my standard Veggie & Cheese Omelet. Feeling decadent, I added a grilled bagel. The first thing i noticed when the food arrived was the home fries. Were they actually hash browns? (A regional debate that we need to write up on its own someday soon.) Sadly, they turned out to me massively overcooked home fries; left in the steam pan so long that they were bland, chunky mashed potatoes. I don't remember any details about the omelet except that it was bland. Grilled bagel = always delicious.
Darius ordered a Monte Christo from the lunch menu, so it came with potato salad and a pickle. Even though it came with lots of meat, there was nothing memorable about the taste of the sandwich, and the potato salad was "ok". James ordered a Mexican Omelet from the specials board, and really enjoyed it. I believe it had salsa, cheese, and probably some type of meat in it.
People who live near it claim that Kelly's in the best breakfast in the area. I was a waitress for many years, so I know full well that our bland food may have been anomaly of a busy Sunday, short staff, or new cook. We will certainly try it again before forming our final opinion of this place.
(
google map)
674 Broadway
Somerville, MA 02144
(617) 623-8102
Labels: Kelly's Diner, review, Somerville
Yankee Diner: Charlton, MA
Dharia and I used to see Chris and Deb's Yankee Diner driving down Route 20 all the time, but we were always either too busy to stop or the place was closed. But a few months ago, we were cutting around holiday traffic coming back from VA, and we noticed that the place was open for lunch! We took the opportunity to stretch our legs and get a bite to eat.
The diner itself is gorgeous on the outside despite the rather ugly protrusion of the front waiting area. For some reason I just love green diners.
The inside is neat, too. There are actual porcelain panels on the inside of the diner, which is kind of a rarity. Also, there's a strange back room that kind of cuts into the diner space which used to be the tiny kitchen, but is now an office for the owner. According to the owner (I can only assume we were speaking to Deb), that room had been there since the beginning and was not a modification as we'd originally suspected.
The menu was actually pretty small. There wasn't much on the menu in the way of vegetarian food, but Dharia ordered a grilled cheese and tomato with french fries. Deb suggested she try it on seeded rye, which turned out to be a good suggestion. The fries were tasty, and Dharia liked her sandwich, which was crispy and had just the right amount of melting on the cheese (which is sometimes hard to do when there's tomato in there.
I ordered a chili bowl and a cheeseburger club. I was not planning on ordering the chili, but the smell from behind the counter coerced me. I was not disappointed: the chili was great! And I'm picky about my chili. It didn't hurt that they added big chunks of fresh chopped onions to my bowl. Man oh man, do I like fresh onions with my chili.
The cheeseburger club was also pretty good, although less remarkable than the chili. Overall, I was very happy with my meal.
The other great thing about the diner was that the lunch crowd really seemed to have a rapport with all of the employees. It was fun just listening to them banter back and forth. All of the staff was very friendly and we had a great time talking to them about the history of the diner.
Speaking of history: the Yankee Diner is a 1947 Worcester Diner, originally located in Southbridge. I can't remember when it moved to Charlton. Sorry I don't know more!
They're open for breakfast and lunch on weekdays, breakfast only on weekends.
You can check out the rest of our photos of the Yankee Diner
here.
Chris and Deb's Yankee Diner
23 Worcester Rd (Route 20)
Charlton, MA 01507
508-248-7370
(
Google map)
Labels: review
Bad Experience at the Deluxe
A few weeks ago, a friend of ours mentioned that they'd had a bad experience eating breakfast at the Deluxe Town Diner here in Watertown, MA. They said that the food was pretty bad. This surprised us a lot, because it's quite possibly our
favorite local diner! We surmised that there must have been a staff change.
We had dinner there shortly afterwards, and everything was fine. The food and service were as good as usual, so we just assumed our friend had caught the diner on an off day.
But we just had breakfast there this morning, and I'm sad to report that the food was in fact, really pretty bad. Dharia and I each ordered an omelet. First of all, the omelets were not folded on a big grill, but rather they looked like they were cooked in a small pan. They came out with a funny circular shape. Second, the omelets were not even omelets at all! They tasted like overcooked frittatas (here's an article about
the difference between an omelet and a frittata). It was a rubbery egg disk, not the big, light, fluffy omelet we usually get served. The goat cheese in Dharia's omelet was like a small-curd, non-goat cheese. The French toast was also disappointingly overcooked. The poached eggs, however, were good, and the Nashoba Bakery bread was as tasty as ever.
It looks like the morning staff has some people who literally don't know how to make an omelet, while the evening staff is still great. So, I have to revise my recommendation on the Deluxe Town Diner: go there in the evenings, but not in the mornings. At least you can still get breakfast at night, done right.
Labels: review
Deluxe Town Diner: Watertown MA
I've been composing this in my head for almost a year now. We keep eating at
this diner, and I keep not writing this review. I want to write something more than drooling praise, but that seems to be all the comes to mind.
Update 2/11/07: we've had to revise our recommendation on the diner. Everything you read here still applies if you eat in the evenings, but the morning staff has apparently changed, and there are some serious problems.
Read more about it here.The food is great. I've ordered something different every time we've gone and it just gets better every time. They are open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They have a really diverse array of food options, including wonderful vegetarian dishes. Not just a veggie burger or pasta, but real meals made with vegetarians in mind. Last time we went I figured I'd give the "tofu burger" a try... its not something I would normally order, but I was feeling adventurous. The waitress answered honestly when I asked her about it, "Tofu isn't really my thing, but customers seem to like it." I was surprised at how good it was. I should mention that the servers are always friendly and give good suggestions if you can't decide.
The menu is not geared just towards vegetarians or "health nuts", though. They have standard comfort foods that are sure to please - like mashed potatoes with
just the right amount lumps and garlic. Their meat-burgers are fantastic, too, and while the value of having American Kobe beef in burger form is dubious at best, they offer turkey, buffalo, and other alterna-meats as well. Darius has never had one of their burgers he didn't like. You also get a choice of regular fries or sweet potato fries. Their regular fries are nothing to write home about, but their sweet potato fries are excellent.
They even offer sweet potato waffles! Their breakfast menu (which can be ordered from at any time) is expansive, and includes many different kinds of waffles and pancakes. Not just "kinds" as in "toppings" but rather "different starch bases," including bulgur wheat.
Deluxe Town Diner is also a bakery, and they offer fresh, exotic breads, including flavors like jalepeno jack. You can get any of their great breads on any sandwich. They also have these amazing-looking spiny cupcakes. Like little, delicious porcupines they are.
Rounding out all this is a great beverage selection, from unusal sodas like Doc Brown's, to scary neon green lime rickeys, to a selection of over a dozen teas.
The downfall of many New Jersey diners (in my admittedly skewed opinion) is that they offer way too many options. They have novel sized menus with so many options that the ingredients can't possibly be fresh. I also have my doubts as to whether or not a short order cook would know how to make many of the things offered on their menus. This is why the large menu as Deluxe Town Diner was so surprising. A wide range of options, and yet they are always cooked well. And they pride themselves on having fresh, local, and/or organic ingredients. We recently went for dinner and sat next to a gorgeous dessert stand full of heirloom tomatoes.
I could go on, but instead I'll sum it up. I once heard a friend comment that "it was cheaper when it was just the Town Diner". I didn't live here then, but I don't want it to ever go back. Sure, its not the dirt cheap diner fair that some people expect, but the portions and quality are worth the price. I think that they have managed to successfully create a contemporary diner experience. I do not mean "modernized" they way people often mean it - this is not haute cuisine gussied up inside an old diner shell. I know that everytime I go to the Deluxe Town Diner, I'll get food I endjoy in a comfortable atmosphere. Isn't that the essence of diners? I think so.
Deluxe Town Diner
(
google map)
627 Mt Auburn St
Watertown MA
617-926-8400
7 am - 10 pm every day
Labels: review
