Thanks for the reminder to try Lee’s. I took one of my kids as a post dr appointment treat while in the neighborhood. The burgers were just OK, cooked a bit more than I prefer. I guess next time I can specify med rare? However I think they’ve got the best fries and rings around. Fresh, crisp, hot, perfect fry job. The rings are on the thick side, or at least not strings. However the onion does not slide out when you take a bite. Service was friendly. We’ll be back and hopefully get those burgers dialed in. My daughter said she’s going steak & cheese next time.
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We really enjoyed all the food very much, went with two friends, four people total. Off the online menu we had the Crispy Flounder lettuce wraps (2 orders), Faroe Island salmon (I’m not generally a salmon guy, but even I enjoyed this dish), yellowfin tuna, tacos de papas ( might have been my favorite dish), and we had 2 orders of the fried chicken special. 2 pieces of well fried chicken on a biscuit covered in a fresh corn and jalapeno mixture. Didn’t feel stuffed, but was satisfied with the amount of food.
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Thx!
A shout out today to Johnny’s Luncheonette. Since breakfast is a meal I eat out on a semi regular basis, Johnny’s has become my de facto breakfast spot. I like their excellent house made corned beef hash (and the fact that they have poached eggs), and their crunchy challah French toast is excellent as well. Yesterday I tried their breakfast sandwich, called the B.E.L.T.C.H. It’s a nice French bread (not too crusty, but not wimpy either) with Bacon, Egg, Lettuce, Tomato, Cheese, and a Hash Brown. I got the eggs over easy, so the yolk could be mopped up like a sauce. Man, that is one great breakfast sandwich. If you’re a breakfast sandwich fan, get over to Newton Center, and try the B.E.L.T.C.H. at Johnny’s Luncheonette!
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is someone from Eater trolling the site for story ideas? 
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jeez, I have been going to Bagelsaurus once every couple of weeks this summer & didn’t really know what you meant by this because it’s always kind of quiet because I get there right when they open. But today I tried to go and there was a line out the door at 7:05! (Needless to say, I kept walking). I guess it was because students are back.
My Porter Square regular stops are a bit of a crowd nightmare lately.
Jake’s Falafel Corner
Food: 4.5
Service: 4
Very good fiery falafel, spicy hummus, ok beef/lamb schwarma. Very nice people. Need to try their tabouleh.
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Tango Mango
Food: 3.5
Service:3.5
Typical burrito place. I had spicy Cuban chicken, my wife the steak fajita. She was happy as they have two sizes of burritos, and she always found the single larger size at most places to be too much food. About the same quality as the old Boca Grande in Brighton (which was the best of the Boca Grande locations IMHO, or the Los Amigos that replaced it. ). I liked it better than Anna’s, but I’ve never been impressed with Anna’s. Not as good as Dorado for me, though, it was spicy, which I like.
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Cupola
Food: 4
Service: 4
Nice mostly take out Italian from the same folks who own Bottega Fiorentina in Coolidge Corner. We had a nice proscuitto , tomato, and mozzarella salad which was very large for $14. e also had a very nice cacio e pepe and a so-so Bolognese (not nearly as good as the one at Tartufo). We ate in, but in the future, I think I’ll stick to take out sandwiches, as those were my favorites at Bottega Fiorentina.
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The Station Diner
Food: 4
Service: 4
I decided to mix it up this morning, and eschew my usual Johnny’s Luncheonette breakfast for one at The Station Diner. I was told that it is owned by the same folks who own The Watertown Diner, and it showed, as the menu seems similar, and the food was very good. I had the Corned Beef Hash with poached eggs and a side salad. Bonus points for offering something other than potatoes with the meal, minus points for one piece of toast cut in two (I’m leaving off the potato carbs, but can I have 2 pieces of toast?), and having them pre-buttered. It won’t replace Johnny’s for me, but the hash was excellent (and house made), and I would try returing to try something else on the menu (though I think I’ll have to ask for 2 pieces of toast in the future).
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Sol Azteca Cafe
Food: 3.5
Service: 3.5
Decent Mexican food that approximates what I remember their Brookline restaurant having. Excellent salsa, the best part of the meal. We had chorizo chili con queso, which was very greasy and cheesey, but I prefer when the chorizo is ground and mixed into the cheese, rather than the 4 slices on top that they served us. My wife had the tacos rancheros which were steak tacos with a ton of cheese. I had a serviceable special carnitas burrito. Service was fine, but I hate to have to chase down a waiter for more booze, don’t you want the bill, and therefore the tip to be larger? We wont rush back, as I can get a similar burrito at Tango Mango for half the price.
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Sounds like you’re getting a Pho Viets outpost in the old No. 1 Noodle House space. That’s a nice little addition. It’s great to get new places that aren’t fancy pants and expensive. You’ve got a pretty good mix out there in Newton.
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Yeah, I’m glad it’s not another Thai place, and it will be nice to have some Vietnamese food close by, but I’ll really miss #1 Noodle House. I’ve yet to try Jumbo Seafood ( the only other Chinese place in the center) , but it seems more expensive, and more of an rest in than take out place.
Four Spoons
Food: 2.5
Service n/a (delivery)
So in the rain on Friday evening, we ordered some delivery from Four Spoons. Now in fairness, my go to Thai in Brighton was S&I, and I didn’t expect Four Spoons to be better, but it was a pale comparison. We had:
Avocado In The Garden Fresh Roll. Mostly lettuce, with avocado. Even my avocado loving wife was unimpressed
Tamarind Wings - very good
Krapow chicken with brown rice. Similar style to the Pad Ga Pow ground pork dish at S&I, but way less spicy. One pepper on the Four Spoons menu. Still the best dish of the meal.
Blazing Pad Thai with mixed veggies (2 peppers on menu). If you call something “Blazing” it better have some heat. There was none, just gummy overcooked noodles, and veggies. Terrible.
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Win some, lose some. Thanks for the report!
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Jumbo Seafood
Food: 4
Service : 4
Finally got around to trying this place. Good strong Mai Tais , excellent spicy fried chicken wings (VERY spicy - they way we like them!), good Ma Po Tofu (asked for extra hot sauce to take with my leftovers as it could have been hotter), and a good but bizarre dish of crispy duck over mashed taro. The duck breast is on the bottom, with a layer of excellent mashed taro on top, with a crispy topping. The waitress was concerned that we wouldn’t like it, and that we might prefer their Peking duck or half roasted duck, but we said no, we wanted to try something different. It was different, and I’m glad we got it, though I’d probably stick to the Peking duck in the future. It won’t make me forget Number 1 Noodle house (RIP), but it’s at least quality Chinese.
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While there a few places we wish to try but haven’t yet (I’m looking at you Big Little Diner), and we have a new Indian place, we’ve been to a bunch of places now multiple times. I’ll list those, the approx number of times we’ve been and our overall score (should it change).
Lee’s Burgers 3 visits Food: 4.5 Service 4.5
Sycamore 10+ visits Food: 4.8 Service: 5
Johnny’s Luncheonette 10+ visits Food:4.5 Service: 4.5
Tartufo 4 visits Food: 4.5 Service: 4
Rosenfeld’s Bagels 4+ visits Food: 4.5 Service: counter n/a
Comedor 4 visits Food: 4.5 Service: 4.5
Jake’s Falafel Corner Food Food: 4.5 Service: 4.5
Tango Mango 2 visits Food:3.5 Service: 3.5
Cupola 2 visits Food: 4 Service: 4
Jumbo Seafood 4 visits Food: 4 Service: 4 Our go-to Chinese now that #1 Noodle House closed.
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Sandwich Works
Food: 3.5
Service: 3.5 (counter where the bring the food to the table if eating in)
Had a steak bomb, as it was a 40 minute wait for a seat at Big Little Diner at 2 pm on a Friday. Not bad, but the only question asked was if I wanted it toasted or not. No questions about toppings, etc. Not sure if they don’t do those, or if you have to initiate the conversation, but it would have been tastier with my usual mayo/lettuce/tomato/pickle/hot peppers combo. Will seek those out next time I stop in.
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This is such a useful list, thanks so much for posting it!
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Kimfair I’m jealously eyeing that 10+ for Sycamore. One of our favorites and we have some catching up to do!
