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Boston Restaurant Blog -- July, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Late-Night Dinner at Deluxe Town Diner, Watertown
After a few years away from the place, I finally returned to the Deluxe Town Diner in East Watertown a few weeks back for a late-night dinner. The last time I was there, I frankly wasn't all that happy with my meal, as the macaroni and cheese was rather watery and bland. But this time around, the diner greatly impressed, with the three of us who went being extremely happy with our meals.
The Deluxe Town Diner is a classic dining spot located in a town that certainly has its share of old-fashioned diners. This diner is perhaps a bit better-known than the others, as it is in a heavily-trafficked area with plenty of locals, blue- and white-collar workers, and others converging on the neighborhood, as well as the diner itself. The quirky little place doesn't look all that big from the outside, but it is a bit more spacious inside then one might think, as its L-shaped space has plenty of room for tables. And in addition to the rectangular and round-shaped booths, there is some counter seating in the middle of the place. As is the case with classic diners, the Deluxe can get noisy with lots of hustle and bustle, but in a way, that's part of the charm of places such as these. Lounge tunes and other classic music gets piped through some very old-looking speakers inside the diner, adding to the old-school feel of the place.
Our latest trip to the Deluxe Town Diner was well past the dinner hour, but it was still relatively crowded when we arrived, especially considering that it was a night in the middle of the week. We were able to get a window booth right away, however, and our server came over promptly to take our orders. We had a mix of dishes, with nearly everything being satisfying, though there were certainly a couple of real high points. The reuben, for instance, was simply outstanding, with lean corned beef and swiss cheese smothered in tangy Russian dressing and sauerkraut, all stuffed between two pieced of buttered and grilled rye bread. The corned beef hash was also tremendous, although it wasn't like any kind of hash I've ever had (it was shredded, slightly dry, and a bit charred, with very little in the way of potatoes or onions, but delicious). One of the more interesting dishes of the night was the plate of Jo'nny cakes; they looked a lot like potato pancakes but tasted nothing like them, as they had a hearty corn flavor and a delightfully firm texture. The falafel sandwich was a little on the mushy side and came with green falafel that didn't quite have the rich taste of some of the better falafels I've had at Middle Eastern restaurants. But the pickled turnips and tahini did add some taste back in to the sandwich, making it an overall good choice. The sandwiches came with sides of sweet potato fries and regular fries, respectively, and it was tough to choose a winner, as both were handcut and the sweet potato fries were light on salt (a good thing) while the regular fries had a nice bit of salt on them (also a good thing). Drinks included linden tea, which had a nice, subtle taste, and earl grey, which was a little heartier than the linden.
This recent trip to the Deluxe Town Diner was much more enjoyable than the last trip I had made there. I am hoping that I simply had the macaroni and cheese on an off-night the previous time I had gone to this classic Watertown dining spot. I am looking to get back to the Deluxe sometime again this year, and certainly hope that the quality will be equal to that of this last trip we made there. If so, I can see myself going back to the Deluxe Town Diner many times in the future.
If you would like the address for the Deluxe Town Diner, here it is: Deluxe Town Diner, 627 Mount Auburn Street, Watertown, MA, 02472. Phone: (617) 926-8400.
Related Blog Entries: diners, Watertown restaurants
Posted by MH, Boston's Hidden Restaurants, on July 30, 2009.
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1 COMMENT:
modbetty said:
Glad you had an enjoyable experience at the DTD - I keep on forgetting to visit when I'm home. Thanks for putting it back on my Retro Roadmap Radar :-)
Posted on 7/30/09
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