Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Diner Tour 2009- February

So along came February. We did pretty well in January...never missed going to a diner on a Saturday. In February, we weren't as lucky, but we still went to two diners.

2/7/09
Wilson's Diner,
Belmont, MA
Decor: Diner car, yes. Friendly atmosphere, of course. I don't remember too many specifics, but both Clayton and I gave Wilson's a 4.5 in the decor scoring. I just remember leaving the place, feeling like it was a nice, relaxing meal. We went to the place specifically because it was on our way to a snowboarding trip.

Staff: Friendly staff once again! Again, specifics, I don't remember.

Menu Options: Average menu was available. No cool names or assortment of teas to choose from. Just average really.

Taste of Food: We weren't blown away. Average taste of food, but nothing too spectacular.

Gut Feeling: Something about the place was special to me. Although all of the ratings were about average and nothing was too memorable, I left the place feeling very relaxed and content. It was a quick and easy meal. Family oriented. Overall, I gave the place a 4.1 and Clayton gave it a 4.0.

2/21/09
Kelly's Diner,
Somerville, MA
Before I get into the ratings, this is the diner that inspired us to visit other diners. We love Kelly's...always have and always will. The food is spectacular, the location is perfect for us. It has it all, so when we decided to do a diner tour, we used Kelly's as our diner to compare to. That said, we needed to re-visit Kelly's to see if our beloved diner held up to the pedestal we had it sitting on.

Decor: Kelly's is a beautiful diner car for many reasons. First, the color scheme is very diner-ish. The pink and green pastel color combinations just screams diner. Each booth has it's own personal juke box that you can put money in. Also screams diner. There are retro signs all of the place. Betty Boop even makes an appearance.

Staff: Kelly's staff is awesome. They waitresses chat with you. I think we were called "hun" for real. Kelly herself makes the potato salad with her own two hands and the servers remind you of this when you are making your food choices. Call us biased, but the staff at Kelly's make us feel all warm and cozy inside.

Menu Options: There is much to choose from at Kelly's. They have an extensive lunch and breakfast menu. You can pretty much make your own combinations. If you are feeling like you want both French toast and pancakes, you can ask them to give you one of each..and they will be glad to do it.

Taste of Food: Wow, Kelly's has it all. The taste of the food at Kelly's is very very good. Their raspberry pancakes are to die for, that homemade potato salad I mentioned before is the best I have ever had and their French toast is the best that Clayton has ever had as well.

Gut Feeling: We both gave Kelly's a 5.0. We love this place. The good food, staff and experience inspired our diner tour! That must count for something.

We didn't get to go to anymore diners in February because of conflicts in schedule, but March has been looking better. I will write the ratings up for the diners visited in March so far..not tonight though....Megg needs her beauty rest.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Diner Tour 2009- January

I am a huge fan of diners. When I was a kid, I used to go to one called Andy's in Plains, PA with my grandmother where I would order a hot cup of tea and some pancakes. Andy's is still there and I still go there from time to time when I visit home. There is another one called Eddie's Place in Plains which is another awesome diner that my friends and I would go to for a late night snack. When I moved to Somerville, I was so happy to find out that Clayton, my boyfriend, also enjoyed diners. They are just so homey and make you feel good inside.


Anyways, back in January, Clayton and I came up with this excellent and brilliant idea to visit diners all over the Boston area and rate them. We thought it would be a fun way to start off the new year AND a fun way to explore the surrounding Boston areas. Our friends have also joined in our Diner Tour (or Diner Dash as Zac would call it) and when they are available, they come along and rate/eat with us. Since January, we have gone to nine diners and people have told me that they are interested in our little tour and would like to know the ratings we give the diners. First, I will give a bit of background on what we take into consideration when we rate the diners and some of the things we look for.


#1. Decor: Does it look like a diner? A classic diner car is a sight for sore eyes and gives the diner bonus points. Inside, we look for counter seats that twirl all the way around, the boomerang Formica counter tops, the fifties color combinations, juke boxes! You get the picture...must look like a classic diner for full pointage.
#2. Staff: Diners would be nothing if it weren't for their caring staff. Did our waitress call us hun, sweetie, sugar? If the answer is "yes", extra points will be given. Did we hear a smoker voice (aka. Reinke's, as we like to call it--the medical term for smoker voice)? Common for many diner servers as well as colorful eye make-up.

#3. Menu Options: We like to see a well-rounded menu with lunch offered. Breakfast all day is necessary. I personally like to have a nice hot tea selection. Reasonable prices are also considered.

#4. Taste of Food: Pancakes can't be "bisquicky". French toast can't be made from thin bread. Club sandwiches need to have quality meats. You understand.

#5. Gut Feeling: Overall, how was the experience??

Now that you have an idea on our rating system, onto the ratings!



1/3/09
Deluxe Diner,
Watertown, MA
Decor: The authentic look of the American diner was intact. The beautiful diner car that stood before us was a good sign that the atmosphere at Deluxe would be divine.

Staff: The hostess lost our name in the shuffle (it was busy that day), so we ended up waiting longer than expected. When we finally got called, the hostess felt sorry for the wait and sat us in a nicer part of the diner to appease us. Our waitress, however, was not as comforting. She took our order, but only after she grabbed the order of the table that was sat after us. We did get tea, an extra one in fact, but not the hot chocolate we ordered. No "huns" or "sweeties" sadly.

Menu Options: Loaded with plenty of good eats. Club sandwich for me, buttermilk pancakes for Clayton. Very happy with the menu.

Taste of Food: The pancakes were delicious and not bisquicky. The club was standard, but no sides!

Gut Feeling: Clayton loved it, I thought it was subpar. Overall, I gave it a 3.7 out of 5.0. Clayton, on the other hand, gave it a 4.0. This diner has potential, we may have just went on a bad day.

1/10/09
Sunny’s,
Cambridge, MA
Decor: First strike against Sunny’s, no diner car. The atmosphere is not to be desired at this particular “diner” (I say diner sparingly).

Staff: Eh, second strike. No endearing names were called. The servers were not very personal and were just interested in what you wanted to eat.

Menu Options: The third strike was the no lunch menu. Only breakfast was being served so I was unable to order my regular order of a club.

Taste of Food: I am not a huge egg lover, but I ordered eggs (I felt risky). We each got our usual breakfast and disappointment set in. The French toast could hardly be called it’s name. The thin bread it was made with made us laugh inside at the audacity. Who makes French toast with thin bread?! The pancakes were also atrocious. You could just taste the add-water-only-ness of them. Must say that the eggs were not too bad and that was the best part of the meal.

Gut Feeling: Sorry Sunny's. We both rated this diner at 2.1. It had to get some sort of good rating from me because the eggs were edible by me. Give credit when credit’s due.


1/17/09
Breakfast Club,
Allston, MA
Decor: Our eyes cried from happiness when we saw the beautiful diner car in front of us. We felt at home again. Our wait was not terribly long and we scored a booth that was very close to friends we were meeting there.

Staff: The service was not memorable and we were not called any endearing names, but we still enjoyed ourselves and the experience.

Menu Options: The menu at the B-Club was very large and over-whelming, but the clever names of their dishes were humorous. Tea was served in personal tea pots which is a rarity in diners and made my heart melt.

Taste of Food: I ordered a club and was happy to see that sides were available. The French toast was thick again! And the turkey was real! We were all very pleased with the meal and the atmosphere was very good.

Gut Feeling: I gave it a 4.2, Clayton gave it a 4.4. A wonderful time will be had at Breakfast club.


1/24/09
Victoria’s Diner
Dorchester, MA
Decor: WOW. That was the word of the early afternoon after our experience at Victoria’s. First of all, we were greeted by a beautiful diner car that had pin-up girls posted on the entrance-way door. When we got inside, it was more of a modern take of a diner. Big flat screen TVs lined the walls and the décor was Indian-European-esque. Very different, but cool looking. Free parking also was an added bonus.

Staff: We were sat in a nice booth and we were greeted by an older woman who welcomed us to Victoria’s. She chatted with us for a while...no endearing names, but she made fun of us, which was just as good.

Menu Options: The menu was spectacular, reminiscent of the Breakfast Club, which was a good omen for us. Again, they had a wide assortment of teas, but the main draw to this diner is the unique spin they have on classic dishes. For example, they had French Toast, but different flavors to choose from such as banana bread French toast with almonds and honey on top. Or French toast with vanilla yogurt and blueberries. I had to get the vanilla yogurt French toast..screw the club! One disappointment was that we could not order waffles because it was past noon. Must come back I suppose!

Taste of Food: We all got our meals very timely and were amazed at the portions. Pancakes..awesome. Bacon…awesome. French toast..amazing. The presentation of the food was also very nice. We ate until we couldn’t eat anymore and just looked at each other, knowing that we found a gem..a rival of Kelly’s.

Gut Feeling: WOW. We both gave it a 4.7. Points were taken off because of the waffle disappointment. Overall, the best so far.

1/31/09
Buddy’s Truck Stop,
Somerville, MA
Decor: As the name suggests, this place is kinda dive-y, but it has character. TONS of it. Buddy’s is a diner car that resides in Somerville, but has been in the Boston area for 100 years. At least that is what the cook, Jose, told us. So it has history. The place is very small and cozy with a huge counter and stools all around the inside.

Staff: Jose, the cook was awesome and gave us a history lesson of the diner...added points. A young waitress took our order, no endearing titles. Sadly.

Menu Options: You don’t get a menu at Buddy’s, but you check out the paper plates hanging from the ceiling that gives you the food options. The lunch menu was sparse, but if you ask Jose, he could probably make you anything. Food is made in front of you on a huge griddle which is a cool bonus.

Taste of Food: We all got an assortment of items from the paper plate menus. Hash browns weren’t too good, but the rest of the meal made up for it. I, again, had to get eggs because the lunch menu was lacking, but I did eat the whole egg mcmuffin deal I got. Jose knows how to cook eggs pretty well. Pancakes too.

Gut Feeling: Overall, I gave it a 3.2 and Clayton gave it a 3.4. Not a bad place, but when compared to places like Victoria's and the Breakfast Club, you get a bit spoiled.

That's all for January. I will try and post the other diner ratings from February and March, then I will be all caught up.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

"Blog about it"

I consider myself an internet junky and it would be tough for me to go without internet for a day. Everyday I check my e-mail a bunch of times...I check my facebook even more. Also, for 8 years, I have been a member of a message board called *6. However, the world of blogging never appealed to me. I honestly had no idea what a blog was for a long time. I've heard of them, but I just thought that they were just like message boards, so I didn't bother to check them out. That is, until now.

My boyfriend's mom introduced me to the idea of creating my own blog a while back. I had my reservations... thinking to myself, "self, can you be an interesting enough writer that people will actually read what you write?" or "self, will you be able to keep up with a blog, or will you just let it fall to the side?" Although I had these doubts, I decided that I should give it a whirl. What is the harm in that?

So this is my first blog EVER. *e-pat on the back (that is electronic pat on the back)* For my first entry (do you call it an entry? I have no idea ha), I am going to write about a walk I took yesterday.

I am a runner by nature. I have loved running since I was a kid..my dad is the one that instilled my love for running in me. But, I never take walks. I think it's because I am so used to running that I feel like walking is for wusses. Sorry to my avid walkers out there! I am somewhat familiar with the research saying that walking is actually better for you than running, but I tend to fall back on running vs. walking. Anyways, for the first time ever, I decided to go on a long walk. So I packed a bookbag with a water bottle, apples, a book and a map. I live in the Boston area, so I figured a map would be good to bring in case I wanted to see what cool places were on my way. So I headed out at about 3:15 pm, ipod in ears with one of my favorite bands playing (Sigur Ros). I had the best time. I walked through Harvard Square, across the JFK bridge onto the beautiful Esplanade hugging the Charles River. Everyone was out on this particular day because it was around the high 50s or so...which is a nice change from the 20 degree weather we have been used to. I was enjoying the scenery, the wind in my hair, the smell of spring approaching...everything. I also was amazed that I wasn't really thinking about anything in particular. Usually, when I am not doing anything that is taking up my attention, my mind is racing with things that I have to do, people I have to talk to, just errands. Not yesterday though...my mind was peaceful. It might have largely been due to the music I was listening to, which is very melodic and I get lost in it everytime, but it was just so nice to enjoy life. I ended up walking from the Cambridge area to Newbury Street in Boston. Took me two hours, but it was worth it. I ended up buying two cds (Kid-A by Radiohead and The End of the Ring Wars by Appleseed Cast) at my favorite CD store in Boston called Newbury Comics. My map came in handy too because a passerby needed directions to Boston University and I wanted to make sure I didn't point them in the wrong direction. So now that I had this experience, I might try and go on more walks. I can't give up running, that won't happen, but I might start to walk a bit more.

That peaceful feeling I was just describing earlier...I have often felt this feeling ever since I moved to the Boston area from my hometown of Wilkes-Barre, PA. Boston is just a really fun and cool place. It is also very beautiful in the spring/summer time. I tell everyone I know that it's the best city and I don't plan on leaving it anytime soon. My friends from home have yet to visit me, but when they do, I hope they fall in love with this place just as I have.

So here comes the end of my post, entry, whatever it is called. Here's to more to come. Enjoy.