February 2nd, 2006
Zaftig’s Delicatessen
God, I love Zaftig's. And judging from the crowds outside on Sunday morning, so do a lot of people. Bunches bought me breakfast this morning to mollify my grumpiness, and when in Brookline, Zaftig's is the only place to go.
On a Thursday morning it was obviously far less crowded, a fact that in no way actually changed my experience; the waiters still were speed-walking from table to kitchen to table, taking orders in a clipped but friendly, no-nonsense fashion, and the food arrived within eight to twelve minutes.
Zaftig's offers a diverse menu of sweet and savory breakfast items (which is why it qualifies as a brunch place; see forthcoming posts elaborating on all the criteria), but even after a dozen or so visits I'm still loyal to two dishes in particular. First and foremost, is the Empire Eggs ($12.95), their magnificent version of Eggs Benedict, with smoked salmon and spinach served on potato pancakes and dribbled with home-made Hollandaise sauce. (Yes, it is possible to make Hollandaise out of a mix. All I can say is that you'll know it when you taste it.) My other breakfast dish of choice is considerably simpler and more representative of the menu price: the Buttermilk Pancakes, with ($1 extra! but so worth it!) strawberries AND strawberry butter. You really have to indulge in the strawberry butter to understand why this pancake platter is better than many others, because the pancakes themselves are very good, but nothing to write home about.
I haven't even begun to extol Zaftig's lunch and dinner entrees, and I won't because I've actually never eaten anything besides breakfast. I will tell you they offer gigantic portions of moderately priced Jewish comfort food like matzoh ball soup, noodle kugel, and whitefish salad, in addition to salads and hot and cold deli sandwiches.
But back to breakfast: no one does it better in Brookline (and maybe all of Boston) than Zaftig's. Go early on Sunday, wear your scrubs, and order plates of eggs and challah French toast and lox and home fries and sausage….
The Info
Zaftig's Delicatessen
333 Harvard St., Brookline
617-975-0075
www.zaftigs.com
June 28th, 2006 at 1:40 pm
[…] Today, it was Zaftig’s my favored weekday breakfast spot due to its proximity to home and the green line. My order: Buttermilk Pancakes with Strawberries ($8). I’m sure none of you are shocked. See my previous post for details on these scrumptious circles of batter, which usually come with a far more generous serving of fruit than what you see below. […]