Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Johnny's luncheonette - another step outside the box

With great risk can come great reward...that is one of my favorite proverbs.

I have mentioned in previous posts the value which can be achieved by merely stepping outside the comfort zone and experiencing new things. This of course can apply to food in many ways, you can try out new types of food, different food from different cultures, different combinations or concoctions, and you can also try out different locations.

I really like doing the latter because not only do you get to try out a new restaurant, but you get a bit of an experience as well; seeing as you will likely be spending some time in the area.

Just yesterday, I decided to meet up with a friend of mine whom I had not been in touch with for a while. We ended up meeting in Newton Center. This city, located on the green line, is a really nice place to go to, especially on a bright, sunny and warm mid-spring day.

There are many different restaurants to try out in Newton Center and most of them I would wager are a pretty safe bet. We happened to want a good diner...for some old fashioned, greasy food.

We definately hit gold with Johnny's Luncheonette, an all-day breakfast diner with an old fashioned and authentic feel. It has the usual outside decor typically seen with old time diners; nothing fancy, just the light-up signs and dated ads, you walk in and it is bustling with early lunch activity but the staff somehow manage to see you right away and get you some menus and a place to sit.

Johnny's menu has perfect diner appeal with its typical array of breakfast items, ranging from the classic choice of meat and eggs, served with toast and homefries to the sweet items like their pumpkin flapjacks and then moving to the more inspired combination platters and breakfast specialty items like their huevos ranchero and breakfast burrito. They also have a lunch menu offering delicious sounding sandwiches and other entrées.

Despite the many options, my friend and I decided pretty quickly, she got the Stefanie omelette, with canadian bacon (which is really just ham...no idea why they call it this...'regular bacon' is also found in Canada and it is not called 'american bacon'...) red peppers and spinach. I got turkey bacon and eggs and substituted the homefries for their sweet potato counterpart which was a fab choice seeing as theirs are the best I have had in quite some time.

We also split an order of pumpkin flapjacks which, let me tell you, are worth a trip out to Newton all by themselves. They were so moist and delicious, the perfect airiness...just thinking about them makes my mouth water...

The prices were logical, you could get a lot of food for about 5.50, but once you get into their specialty platters, the prices went slyly upwards.

We were fortunate enough to sit outside and enjoy the day as we enjoyed our lovely and daring meal in an area I seldom ever get to enjoy. I would highly recommend this spot for a great meal and a subsequent stroll around the neighborhood. Newton Center is famous for its beautiful homes and greenery.

I am hoping to get back out there sometime soon to try out their lunch sandwiches or some of their malted milk shakes...if you get the chance, it's really not that scary and once you get out there, you will feel like you can do anything in the world. It's amazing what a bit of exploration can do for your sense of adventure!

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