brunch suggestions?

[yakshaver.livejournal.com]

I really love brunch at Johnny D's. But I like it best when the musicians take a break and my friends and I can hear one-another without raising our voices.* Does anyone know of a place where the brunch is anything like as good as at Johnny D's, but without live music, recorded music, TV, etc?

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* Please, no flames about what a Philistine I am for not appreciating jazz. I love listening to jazz. I also love listening to my friends. I find the two incompatible; with brunch, I prefer the latter.

[Edit, added after roughly the 35^th comment: Apparently I should have added Close to Davis Square. For values of close equal to "walking distance when you're bleary-eyed and hungry."]

Comments

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

I'm a fan of S&S, myself.

[delahk.livejournal.com]

I understand your point about Johnny D's. It does get a bit much with the jazz and the music and the crowds and the waiting and the "Oh God I'm So Hungry I Could Eat The Table."

Have you tried Soundbites? Or The Neighborhood Restaurant in Union Square? I like those places quite a bit.

[yakshaver.livejournal.com]

I haven't tried Sound Bites, but judging by others' comments here, I'm not in any hurry to either. I've been going to the Neighborhood since 1990 and used to love it; it's gone down hill.

[lissie930.livejournal.com]

S&S is good. I like it better than Johnny D's, actually, the only really bad brunch I've ever had was at Johnny D's (raw pancakes, cold sausage etc.).
The Neighborhood in Union Square is also good, huge (cheap) portions, very slow service.

[allthefishies.livejournal.com]

Christopher's in Porter! They open at 11:30 and the stuffed french toast is tasty. Also, it's rarely crowded.

[balsamicdragon.livejournal.com]

Our favorite brunch spot lately has been Tu Y Yo in Powderhouse. The food there is sooo delicious, and I've never had to wait in line! Also of note is Sabur, on Holland Ave. Best French Toast EVER! I'd also recommend S&S for a more traditional breakfast spot.

I'd like to UNrecommend Sound Bites. Apparently they have some sort of cult following and part of their appeal is the surleyness of their owner. However, after my experience being harassed several times by said owner when I was nine months pregnant, I will never go back, and I'd suggest you avoid them. The food wasn't that great either :(

[ukelele.livejournal.com]

The owner is a lot friendlier now that he has hugely more space and it isn't as necessary to rush people out the door in order to accomodate all the people in line. It also helps to go before they get too crowded.

The food, now, that must be your pregnancy-addled taste buds speaking ;).

[redheadedmuse.livejournal.com]

heh. one of the things I love so much about Sound Bites is how friendly the owner is, and how wonderful he is with my infant and preschooler whenever we go in, bringing them little treats and games when the wait is long.

S&S made me ill

[cthulhia]

so I no longer eat there. But I am one of the few people I know who doesn't love it. (Also, considering the sheer volume of raving about the place, I was just underwhelmed by the actual experience and food).

Neighborhood cafe does for homemade cream of wheat what JohnnyD's does for oatmeal.

Soundbites and Ball Square Cafe are right next to each other, have almost the same menu, and hence, if you go on a weekend, you and simply pick the shorter line. Their specialty is "homefries" that are essentially panfried mashed potatoes, which are awesome as long as you know what to expect.

Kelly's diner is down the road from them as well.

Supreme Kitchen (on highland) was acceptable the one time I was there.

If you're willing to travel a distance to wait in line, the Deluxe Town Diner in Watertown, and the Center Street Cafe in JP are both very good. (But one you allow such distances, you're overwhelmed with options.)

(I can't recommend The alchemist in JP, for breakfast, although I hear their burgers are pretty good.)

Re: S&S made me ill

[nathanjw]

I'll agree about The Neighborhood and S&S (it didn't make me ill, but I absolutely don't understand the appeal - everything they have can be had better somewhere else).

[cintyber.livejournal.com]

Supreme Kitchen has good food but not great coffee. Right now it is closed until they repair the damage of a van backing into the front.

Deluxe in Watertown is good but not as good as they used to be and have raised their prices quite a bit.

I prefer Kelly's Diner over Soundbites avoid rosebud.

The best reviews I have heard have been about The Neighborhood in Union.

[mattdm.livejournal.com]

Renee's Cafe in Teele is great. Really good specials every week, and the pancakes are awesome.

[ravenword.livejournal.com]

I love Renee's too!

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

I love Soundbites, so definitely don't go there; it's crowded enough. Check out S&S in Inman, Sabur, Tu Y Yo...yay.

Johnny D's brunch is mediocre to us, but we go for the music. =)

[ukelele.livejournal.com]

Hey, I thought I was the only philistine. Love the oatmeal, but I find brunch there painful. I'm a SoundBites girl myself.

[bex77]

I highly recommend trying Singabella, a new cafe on the corner of Mass Ave. and Cameron Ave. in North Cambridge with great food and friendly staff. Here's my review from yesterday's breakfast: http://bex77.livejournal.com/46228.html

[ron_newman]

What was the other restaurant that you visited and liked this weekend?

(I would rather have left this comment in your journal, but for some reason I am not allowed to leave comments there.)

[cowhockey.livejournal.com]

I love going to Kelly's Diner. Great food!

[closetalker11.livejournal.com]

ALSO AGREED

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

Common Grounds in Watertown is a bit of a drive, and can't really accommodate large parties, but they have the best pancakes I have ever tasted anywhere.

B-Side Lounge has great pancakes.

[lilly9999.livejournal.com]

I love the brunch at Alfresco on Highland, next to Kickass cupcakes.

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

Sabur up Holland offers a good Mediterraean-inspired brunch. Teele has Amelia's on Saturdays, which is Italian brunch. Orleans' brunch is a little pricey, but rock-solid. And, hey, if all else fails, Mr. Crepe.

[yakshaver.livejournal.com]

Thanks; I've added both Sabur and Orleans to my list of places to try.

[ruxxell.livejournal.com]

alfrescos.

[ron_newman]

Green Tomato 2, which replaces Boloco this coming Friday, will serve brunch. Since they're not yet open, I obviously can't comment on their quality yet.

[koshmom.livejournal.com]

For Sunday brunch, Tavern on the Green in Central square is excellent. It is a twitch pricy, but yum yum yummy!

[veek.livejournal.com]

Today I went to Orleans for brunch for the first time. The eggs benedict were spectacularly good; can't vouch for the rest, but combined with it being almost empty (at 11ish) and quiet and lovely, and it was perfect for our sleep-deprived group.

[cold-type.livejournal.com]

I'd recommend the Ball Square Cafe as well. The lines are generally shorter than Sound Bites, the owners/servers are much friendlier and the food seems slightly better prepared. (The last time my wife and I went to Sound Bites, the owner spent 10 minutes shouting at someone because he thought his chair was too far from the table. Talk about a way to ruin everyone's breakfast. I just don't understand the appeal.)

[noire.livejournal.com]

I'm rather a fan of Kelly's Diner in Ball Square, actually. I've had truly wonderful pancakes there, and those who've had eggs have loved them. Great fries too. (I think Kelly's is orders of magnitude better than Rosebud.)

[yakshaver.livejournal.com]

Right; adding Kelly's to my list. Thanks.

[avacon.livejournal.com]

Renee's has awesome brunch food. They have some of the best
traditional brunch food around. I love their omelets, and they have
tasty home fries too.

(I'll also second the recommendations of Tu Y Yo and Sabur.
The scrambled eggs with lamb at Sabur are very tasty.)

[makoshark.livejournal.com]

Weird. I never found Johnny D's that loud. You might have better luck on Saturday rather than Sunday because there is only one musician rather than now.

[laynamarya.livejournal.com]

It depends where you sit. If you're on the dance floor (which will probably happen if you bring seven friends with you) it will be pretty loud. But the platform is usually fine, as are the tables further away from the stage.

However, you're right, Saturdays are quieter when it's just Tom playing, and there's a much shorter wait, too.