MBH and I technically live in Cambridge, Massachusetts. However, if you walk across our backyard, you are in Belmont and if you walk across the street to catch the bus, you are in Watertown. It is a vibrant and diverse neighborhood that is filled with the typical Boston/Cambridge triple deckers (click on the "triple decker" link, the pictures of the triple deckers are all in Cambridge). Our neighbors across the street are Italian and our next door neighbors are Greek; both houses with three generations living under the same roof. Our other next door neighbors are a young couple, but his family, who live in Watertown, are Armenian. Further down the street we have a second generation Irish family (two generations live together) and a refugee family from Somalia. The rest of the street is made up of a few couples of our age, an elderly gentleman who everyone watches out for and the newest neighborhood addition, a young family from Western Pennsylvania with three tow-headed toddlers.
One of the biggest reasons I love our neighborhood is its restaurants. Watertown is home to the third largest Armenian community in the US as well as a large Irish, Italian and Greek community. Within walking distance of our house is one of the best Chinese restaurants in the greater Boston area, three pubs, at least three pizza joints, two of the best Middle Eastern bakeries in New England as well as Iggy's Bread, numerous Middle Eastern and Greek Restaurants, a steak and chop house ripped right from the 1960s, and my favourite place in Boston for breakfast, The Deluxe Town Diner.
The Deluxe Town Diner is a classic New England diner complete with chrome fittings, a long counter with stools, glass pie and cake cabinets, daily blueplate specials, and an endless cup of hot steaming, strong coffee served in thick mugs.
MBH and I like to go to breakfast there about once a month. Ok, I like to go to breakfast there more than once a month and drag MBH with me at least once a month. You can get breakfast any time of the day and the all day breakfast menu items include all the usual suspects like two eggs any style, home fries, toast and coffee; omlettes made to order, and MBH's favourite steak and eggs.
The waitress barely has a chance to set the plate on the table completely before MBH scarfs down his eggs and devours the steak (thus the blurry picture, I had to take this fast or there wouldn't have been anything to take a picture of!)
I, on the other hand, linger over what have to be the best blueberry pancakes on Earth!
They are huge, fluffy, golden brown, melt in your mouth buttermilk pancakes exploding with blueberries and served with a huge dollop of butter. These pancakes have a tang to them that I can't describe with justice and would you take a look at all these blueberries!!
There are almost more blueberries than pancake! Along with my pancakes, I always get a side order of applewood smoked bacon. It is thick cut and very heavy on the meat light on the fat, just the way I like it. Sometimes I get a small glass of OJ as well.
The only thing MBH and I aren't fond of at the Deluxe Town Diner are the home fries. They serve the type of home fries you find all over New England, chunks of potatoes with the skin left on with seasoning salt and paprika sprinkled on them and then they are cooked on the grill with onion (sometimes). We are both shredded hashbrown people so we typically ask for them to "hold the home fries"; which they are happy to do.
The Deluxe Town Diner serves lunch and dinner as well and the menu is really well thought out with both diner food, some Middle East dishes, and even some vegetarian and vegan dishes. We've had good steak, pork chops, stuffed bell peppers, and burgers. Our out of town guests we've taken to the Deluxe Town Diner have enjoyed the meat loaf, mashed potatoes and chocolate milk. That said, I think breakfast is our favourite meal to have at the Deluxe Town Diner, home of the best blueberry pancakes in the world or our neighborhood at least...
Deluxe Town Diner
627 Mount Auburn Street
Watertown, MA
Hours: 7am - 10pm daily
