Sound Bites

[tisana.livejournal.com]

Hello, all.
I'm moving to Magoun Sq in Somerville, in a few days, and I barely know the area. Can anyone tell me if Sound Bites, the breakfast place on Broadway, is really as bad, service-wise, as the horror stories indicate? Is the food worth it?

Comments

[philbot.livejournal.com]

Soundbites has excellent food, you just have to realize that it's not the place to go for a leisurely two hour brunch (if it's busy, that is). You order, get your food quickly, eat at a reasonable pace, and then leave so someone else can get out of the cold and eat.

[georgy.livejournal.com]

I've been there once. They tend to frown upon you lingering, and the food was really good but... for me, the best part of brunch is the lounging with friends part, so Sound Bites is not my favorite place to eat. The diner nearby, though, is pretty cool.

[tisana.livejournal.com]

Ooh. OK, maybe I'll try that. Thanks. The lingering and chatting part is a big part of weekend meals for me, too.

Do you happen to know the name of the diner or some distinguishing feature so I could find it?

[saraheeyore.livejournal.com]

It's Kelly's diner, where Boston Ave and Broadway intersect.

[ah42.livejournal.com]

distinguishing feature: it's a diner car :)

[dmaze]

Not the one people were actually talking about, but Rosebud (in Davis proper, where Summer and Elm split, also a diner car) has a reasonably good breakfast as well. It's a small place so there's a wait, but I've never felt particularly rushed there. The one time I was at Sound Bites, I did feel very rushed, and didn't feel like the food was particularly spectacular.

The other canonical localish breakfast place is S&S in Inman Square. There's a Bickford's on the far side of Winter Hill from Magoun, which is just enh.

[komos.livejournal.com]

I haven't gone back to the Rosebud since they confiscated the cappucino I picked up at the Someday while waiting to meet friends in the Square on a very cold day. There was no warning or explanation given for the thievery. We took our coats off, sat down, and the owner swooped in, grabbed it off the table and stuck it behind the bar. When I asked why he had done this, he said, simply, "I can put it in the microwave for you when you leave." When I said that was not acceptable, he said, "you shouldn't have brought it in here anyway."

Since, I've refused to patronize them and make it a point to steer people away. Given that you can get better food elsewhere from people who are NOT jackasses (Renee's, Kelly's, Soundbites, the Lighthouse, etc.), there really is no reason to go.

[hyperliminal.livejournal.com]

ugh, how annoying! I've never been an uber-fan of Rosebud (not bad, nothing special) but that's a story that's enough to give any neighborhood eatery a bad name. What poor form!

[emblebug.livejournal.com]

I love the food -- it's really good and pretty cheap. I tend to prefer to go there on weekdays, though, when I don't have to rush through my food, or really early or really late on weekends. (Some friends and I went about 1:30pm on a Sunday and had no problem taking a little bit of time with our meal.)

[hauntmeister.livejournal.com]

They're a small storefront with yummy food, good prices, and a line out the door. It's not the place to go if you want to spend a long time lingering with your friends on a weekend morning.

Kelly's Diner, two blocks closer to you, might be a better choice for greasy-spoon atmosphere and flatulence-inducing homefries, or Johnny D's in Davis Square for something a bit more upscale and laid-back..Especially good on a Saturday. I enjoy Soundbites, but only if I'm there on a weekday, or at nine in the morning on a weekend.

[ceo]

Soundbites' waffles are to die for. There are very few restaurants I'm willing to wait in line for, and Soundbites is one. The line is pretty variable, actually; I've sometimes gone there at high noon on a Saturday and gotten a table immediately. I've never had a complaint about their service except that you're not encouraged to linger.

A brisk walk up Broadway is Renee's, a block down Holland St from Teele Square. They used to be as crowded as Soundbites, but a couple years ago they expanded into the neighboring storefront and more than doubled their seating.

Also worth going to in the area are Urban Gourmet in Ball Sq (excellent pizza, but really slow delivery) and Wang's Fast Food in Magoun Sq (yummy traditional Chinese dumplings).

[hauntmeister.livejournal.com]

I must beg to differ! In a few small aspects...

A brisk walk up Broadway is Renee's
Well, yeah, if you're a championship sprinter! Yummy as Renee's may be, it's perhaps three-quarters of a mile up Broadway! A good option if you're based in Davis, but not Magoun.

Wang's Fast Food in Magoun Sq
Much closer to the original poster. But they've gone upscale, don'cha know? They're called "Wang's Chinese Cuisine" now. Same menu, same prices, same location. Classier name. :-)

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[bratling.livejournal.com]

A brisk walk up Broadway is Renee's, a block down Holland St from Teele Square. They used to be as crowded as Soundbites, but a couple years ago they expanded into the neighboring storefront and more than doubled their seating.

sadly, i still can't get a second cup of coffee there. so after going for a few years, and later being introduced to soundbites, i stopped going to renee's (despite their amazing homefries) and started going to Soundbites (regularly enough that the staff know me, and their "no place like homefries" are to die for if you like garlic :-).

[on-reserve.livejournal.com]

Wang's is the best Chinese food I've ever eaten not in a "Chinatown" area (i.e. in Boston or NYC).

Soundbites ... eh ... the food was certainly yummy but nothing I'd wait in line and rush for. I agree with whoever said brunch was about lingering and talking and hanging out. Soundbites is definitely better on non-weekend mornings.

Though for the money ... Kelly's *definitely* wins. I loved their grilled bagel breakfast. Grilled bagel, egg, home fries, big piece of hand-cut ham all for $4.99.

And while we're talking cheap and yummy food in and around that area of broadway -- Lyndell's makes the yummiest pastries (as in homey kind not fancy pants kind). I got a whole box for $11 (it had: 2 black & white cookies, a mini boston cream pie, 2 cream puffs, 2 chocolate delights and two full size eclairs.). absolute joy.

rock on, Sound Bites!

[sissychrissy1.livejournal.com]

The service isn't bad at all. Brusque perhaps, but never rude. I think part of the bad rap comes from the fact that you have to serve your own coffee (or other beverage). The food is absolutely worth it - as the line of people waiting outside in the mornings attests - and the label of "Boston's Best Pancakes" is totally deserved. Also worth trying are the omelettes and the French toast with fruit. The fruit is fresh and usually includes mango and papaya in addition to all the standards.

[simply-juniper.livejournal.com]

Hi! We have a ton in common.. hmm... ;)

Where is Magoun Square? I loose track easily of the squares around here.

Any way, Sound Bites has great food but I prefer to just pick up my order. I'm not fond of busy places where I feel rushed and in this case, am encouraged to rush.

It's probably better during the week but I've only been on the weekend.

Kelly's, the diner car, doesn't impress me at all. The wait is too long for food that isn't that good.

Also in Ball Square is Urban Gourmet which is really good. Just expect it to take at least 45 minutes because they prepare every thing when you order it.

Zing Wingz and the chinese place whose name always escapes me next to ZW are also good.

[tisana.livejournal.com]

"Hi! We have a ton in common.. hmm... ;)"

Hey, yeah, we do...and in the 6 degrees of separation, we're only about two links apart--I'm friends with darxus and nchanter, who are friends with asciikitty, who's friends with you. Small world, huh? Stuff like this makes my brain hurt, but it really shouldn't. There's a lot of overlap in the subcultures from which I draw a lot of my friends.

[simply-juniper.livejournal.com]

It's a small world after all, it's a small...

It's interesting. :)

Welcome to the neighborhood!

[tisana.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm expecting to thoroughly enjoy this town. Or at the very least have a lot of Learning Experiences.

[tisana.livejournal.com]

"Where is Magoun Square?"

Oh, right...it's right where Broadway and Medford Sts intersect, a bit south of Winter Hill. A mile or so from Davis.

[simply-juniper.livejournal.com]

Thanks! :)

[herr-burren.livejournal.com]

Soundbites is where the lemmings go to wait in line for 45 minutes on the weekends. Is the food good? Yeah its fine. Is it so special you should wait 45 minutes? No.

As my icon indicates, I am partial to the Rosebud. They are the by far the best place to get breakfast on the weekend, for the bacon and eggs crowd. If you want waffles with whipped cream for breakfast you might as well just go to Lindell's and get a god damned cake and scarf that down with a 20 oz coffee and then chain yourself to the toilet. That other diner, Kelly's, is some nasty shit and I'd only go there in a pinch.

And for what it's worth, if you brought your cappucino or whatever into the Rosebud you deserve to get it confiscated, you scurrilous bastard! Coffee is the new drug war, and if you bring some downtown heroin to the uptown dealers lair. expect a reprisal.

Never been to the place over by Teele (Renee's?) so have no comment on them. But I'm very interested in giving it a look.

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

I didn't realize I was a lemming, but my boyfriend and I rather enjoy Soundbites. We never go in a group, and since it's just us, no need to linger either. We like the atmosphere, also the french toast.

[herr-burren.livejournal.com]

Lemmings don't realize they are lemmings until they fall off the cliff. Of course I was just being bombastic, but really I don't see why Sound Bites has lines while other equally good places do not. It all comes down to which places the people who ride custom bikes and other "hip cliques" think are cool.

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

Uh, I just like their french toast, and it doesn't hurt that they are straight round the corner from my house. I don't know where you're coming from with the custom bikes and hip clique thing.

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[bratling.livejournal.com]

'cause everyone's got to be Right. ;-)

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[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

I just want french toast! ;)

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[bratling.livejournal.com]

actually, some of us like the food, believe it or not. :-)

try the fruit sometime. tell me where i can get fruid that good, varied, and fresh and i want to know where it is, because i like having options.

also believe or not, some of us enjoy getting our food promptly, the check promptly, and going on with our day. any place where i can enter, order, eat and leave in less than 45 minutes, yet still have wonderful food, is worth recommending.

but yeah, they can be brusque. i dont' really mind. it's new england -- what do you expect? if i want conversation, i go down south. :-)

all that said, renee's has home fries to die for. if only i could get a refill on my coffee... :-/

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[tisana.livejournal.com]

Hey, you! Where's my picture of Eeyore in bondage? You keep promising to post those.

Ok, I'll give Sound Bites a try, if nothing else it will be an experience.

soundbites

[spuddybuddy75.livejournal.com]

soundbites has very good food, and they serve brunch until 4 on weekends. this is important because dragging your hung over ass out of bed before, say, 2 pm is quite challenging. indeed, the brunch nazi doesn't want you lingering around, you'll get your food quickly and you'll eat it quickly because your queasy stomach demands starch to soak up last night's poisons. you'll pay your bill, leave satisfied, and give thanks for soundbites.

for a more leisurely brunch, johnny d's was my favorite, although the service was highly variable.

rosebud was okay, but never impressed me. the car looked small, so i got the impression it was very hard to get a table on weekends.

and, by the way, this live journal site is lame. why do i have to sign up for a journal just to post a comment?