Dining Out Boston

At last a decent breakfast. I devoted much of this past week to finding cafes and bakeries serving delectable breakfast baked goods but had poor luck. It seems no one in Boston has taken it upon himself to make and sell the perfect scone, coffee cake, or muffin.

There are, of course, plenty of places you can count on for a hearty, satisfying morning meal. My absolute favorite is Mike's City Diner, where huge portions of non-greasy, all-American fare are served at shockingly low prices in a 50s-style black-and-white checkered dining room. After complaining all week that my breakfast campaign was less exciting than I had anticipated, I finally decided to drag Bunches to Mike's on Friday morning for some pancakes and eggs.

Unless it's after 11am (and then actually brunch, not breakfast), I rarely crave savory dishes, so I usually opt for pancakes, french toast, or waffles. This morning I ordered the full set of pancakes with mixed fruit: three plate-sized buttermilk pancakes stuffed with blueberries and bananas and topped with strawberries ($6). The waitress even double-checked to make sure I understood what an incredible amount of food I was getting; understandable, really, for there's no way she could know my stomach is three times as large as the average human's.

The heavenly pancakes were thick, fluffy, and contained nearly a pound of chopped fruit. Their naturally sweet and moist texture made me hardly need the maple syrup but I occasionally added a swirl just for extra kicks. Bunches chose the "Weekday Special" ($5), containing three eggs, sausage, bacon, home fries, and toast, after I persuaded him to pass on the "Emergency Room" plate which offered even larger amounts of the aforementioned foods. After all our proclaiming about our enormous hungers, I am ashamed to say neither of us cleaned his plate, though we certainly put forth valiant efforts.

On weekdays Mike's is frequently full but not crowded; however, I hear it's a different story on weekends, when the line can go out the door. Although its south-end location reqires a bit of a walk from any T stop, the phenomenal prices and fresh quality fare make it more than worth it. And apparently, Mayor Menino agrees because he and his politco posse were sitting two tables over.

The Info
1517 Washington St., Boston
617-267-9393