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 GOURMET GREATNESS
With handsome seating and an edible arsenal that includes beef brisket and granola pancakes, Zaftigs is tough to beat. The guilty pleasures destination goes head-to-head with the Michael’s for the prestigious title of Brookline's best deli.
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Zaftigs is much slicker and more inviting than the average deli. Wood floors and colorful artwork make the spacious seating great for breakfast, lunch or dinner, and there’s a raised bar that’s perfect for singles. |
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The Jewish deli menu expands like Phantom’s waistline with breakfast all day and American guilty pleasures like burgers and chili fries. |
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After an awesome breadbasket of bagel chips, Phantom crunched into potato pancakes infused with scallions, fried until golden, and served with cinnamon applesauce. The rich, soft cheese blintzes smeared with sour cream were better without the acidic fruit compote. |
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Next, their signature banana stuffed French toast in bourbon-vanilla batter towered above the plate as one impossibly thick slab of soft challah, injected with warm, gooey fruit. The massive New Yorker sandwich was like a Reuben on steroids, plied with 12 ounces of hot pastrami AND corned beef, plus melted Swiss and Russian dressing, plus batter dipped fries on the side. |
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Desserts were classic but way beyond ordinary with a crumbly chocolate chip cookie that could feed four people and Boston’s creamiest cheesecake, drizzled with tangy raspberry sauce. |
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Zaftigs means “pleasingly plump” in Yiddish, and Phantom was exactly that after such PERFECT 10 portions. |
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The server seemed depressed, so Phantom tried to cheer her up with an onion ring. |
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The tiny tables were clean; though you might find a knish crumb here or there. |
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Ten-dollar sandwich plates are worth every cent; entrees cost $13; and matzo balls are just 50 cents. |
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The Coolidge Corner, Brookline location is fun and lively but tough for parking. Follow signs to the public lots or take the Green Line on the T. |
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Review Date:
4/28/2007 |
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