bored and hungry

[dirty-devlin.livejournal.com]

just out of curiosity...what is your favorite restaurant in somerville? (i'd have to say mine is diva.)

Comments

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

Johnny D's at brunch-time. Mmmmm.

[komos.livejournal.com]

$13.00 for a scrambled eggs in an unwarmed tortilla with little more for interest than a teaspoon each of sour cream and what I'm certain was Ortega salsa?

I'm less than convinced.

suggest

[cthulhia]

trying one of the giant omelette specials, share it with someone else, except get an extra order of oatmeal, since their oatmeal is good enough that you won't want to share it.

I've got to be a curmudgeon here

[komos.livejournal.com]

I've been in the area for over a decade and thanks to friends insisting on Johnny D's for brunch, have managed to work my way through most of their menu. Each time I come away either underwhelmed or just outright dissatisfied with the meal. They cut corners on everything they serve and, frankly, it shows.

They make decent coffee, but if I'm paying $10+ for breakfast, I don't think it's unreasonable to expect something more than food that doesn't even measure up to Kelly's diner fare.

Re: I've got to be a curmudgeon here

[cthulhia]

your experience is vastly different than mine. I find that Johnny D's beats the nearby brunch competition. I have heard that the quality has declined in recent years, but I haven't noticed it myself.

Certainly Much Better compared to Kelly's, which I can praise only because its food is less likely to make me as dreadfully ill as Rosebud fare. (The only diner I actually enjoy is the Deluxe in Watertown).

[komos.livejournal.com]

Kelly's makes the best hash in the area. Their homefries are something besides dried out potato cubes. Their omelets are on par with Johnny D's, though I'll readily say that neither place really knows how to do asparagus properly. Pancakes are not quite so fanciful, but as good. The french toast are just better. They also win out on value, offering larger portions at a lower price.

Where Kelly's suffers in comparison (ok, besides having awful coffee) is variety. They don't have a tremendous range of specials, so it's pretty much a "what you see is what you get" sort of place. The dreadful secret is that the same holds true for Johnny D's, which offers many specials and fails to do anything to make them... special.

Re: I've got to be a curmudgeon here

[danger-chick.livejournal.com]

Have you gone to the neighborhood in Union? Much cheaper and more food than your table can hold.

[komos.livejournal.com]

Yes! I used to live down the street from them.

When you move into their specials, the price boosts, but there is just such a difference between what Johnny D's presents. The Neighborhood makes it a point to take the extra steps to make it memorable... where else can you get baked apple gratis with your meal?

And the food is just plain better overall. There's not even a discussion there. ;)

The sweet popover that invariably comes on the table's bread plate? Soooo delicious.

[danger-chick.livejournal.com]

The thing I like is that they allow you to get farina instead of oatmeal. I'm allergic to oatmeal, so it's nice when you get another choice.

[siderea]

I'm really disappointed with the Neighborhood. The prices keep going up, and the quality, portion size and service keep going down. I remember when the toast plate had lots of nifty pasteries on it; now its toast and say two muffin-y things. :(

[denonymous.livejournal.com]

Well said.

I will point out that their steak & eggs is well worth it, though.

[komos.livejournal.com]

Well, at least I'm not alone in this. ^_^

[hyperliminal.livejournal.com]

Johnny D's does polenta stuff really well, and it's hard to find a place that does polenta for brunch at all.

Plus, the advantage to Johnny D's brunch is the Sunday blues jam that comes along with it, and often lasts all afternoon. When I lived in Davis this was a favorite and often led to meeting new and fun neighbors. It's not everywhere where a person can dance to good music played by their neighbors in a totally chilled-out setting on a weekend afternoon, AND eat good food.

Also, Johnny D's half-price menu during the dinner hour before their evening concert rush can be a nice way to get a better dinner out than you might otherwise for a reasonable price.