LONGFELLOW—The Town Talk Diner is firing up the grill, now serving what they call “contemporary American comfort food” including the original Town Talk Diner house pancakes we knew and loved so long ago. Feb. 17 was the inaugural soft opening. They feature an eclectic menu for all types of food lovers. Dishes range from hot dogs and hamburgers—bare or decked out with chili, cheese, etc.—to seafood and steak, to several unique vegetarian and vegan items such as a Forest Mushroom Tart (with leeks and roasted squash), and an organic tempeh sandwich with soy scallion mayo, alfalfa sprouts and avocado.

Owners Tim Niver and Aaron Johnson are working front-of-the-house. They’ve hired 30 employees. Niver was a general manager of Aquavit; Johnson has managed Cosmos at LeMeridian Hotel. Johnson said, “We will have a little of something for everyone, in both price range and types of food.” He said the dining will be casual, “not upscale.” He added, “Our basis will be comfort food, which is something that touches everyone. Everyone enjoys food like they got at your grandma’s or mom’s home. We are cooking everything from scratch.”

You will find a grilled cheese or fried egg sandwich for about $5 or a double-cut pork chop with mashed potatoes, sour chicory hash and cherry sauce for about $12. There are seafood specialties and a variety of soups and salads as well. All the meals are always less than $20, with many in the $5–14 range. Salads range from $7–9. Johnson and Niver are committed to using as much local and organic products as possible. For example, they get their pork products from the local organic free-range Fisher Farm.

Those who fantasize about saving up a few hundred dollars and making two-month-in-advance reservations to experience Napa Valley’s The French Laundry, need just show up at the Town Talk Diner on Lake Street with less than $20 to get a taste of it via chef David Vlac’s seafood specialties. One of the two Town Talk Diner’s chefs, David Vlach, worked at the French Laundry for two years, first as a commis chef, then as a poissonier, specializing in cooking fish, and working directly under the famous chef/owner Thomas Keller. Sous chef Tor Westgard was a catering director of the Loring Pasta Bar for three years, and cooked at Vincent a Restaurant. These two will feature a chef’s special every night, often including fresh seafood items.

The wine list is “value-sensitive”—46 featured bottles range from $10 to 55 (listed by price). These were selected from 350 wines tested. The Town Talk Diner focus is on varietals from around the world, many lesser known, “to help people learn about more varieties,” Johnson said. He’s featuring five wines from his brother Chad’s winery, Dusted Valley Vintners in Walla Walla, Wash. Chad will be visiting in March and set up wine tastings and potentially a wine dinner.

Besides the house pancakes, brunch items include items such as the sweet-sounding Banana’s Foster French Toast, a mushroom omelet and field greens, and a Tri-tip steak and eggs. An intriguing appetizer is the “Frickle,” a lightly battered house pickle with mustard dill sauce.

Drink specials include four types of the ubiquitous Bloody Mary on Saturdays and Sundays, such as the Bloody Bloody (Bloody Mary and beer with hard salami, a pickle and jalapeno cream cheese) and the Happy Oyster (with smoked oysters and caperberries). There are “adult malts” such as the Irish Float—Guinness beer and vanilla ice cream from Sebastian Joe’s (beer, not just for breakfast anymore, it’s for dessert!), or the Regulator—Oatmeal, macerated raisins, and spiced rum—or the Dreamsicle, with orange juice, Triple Sec, and vodka. Old classic drinks such as the Fizz (powdered sugar, lemon juice, and pasteurized egg whites and vodka), Manhattans, and Tom Collins are available as well.

Are there any morels to this story of the new Town Talk? Yes! And ramps, chantrelles, hen-of-the-woods … the Town Talk Diner will feature several seasonal produce and wild foods such as these, and stonefruit and berries, which will also be featured in their drink menu. Several picnic wines, which are simply simple, quaffable wines, with a little more floral upfront, start as low as $4. One of these is Dusted Valley vintner’s Viognier, which received 92 points from Wine Enthusiast.

The Town Talk Diner is open Tuesday–Thursday, 4 p.m.–midnight; Fridays and Saturdays, 4 p.m.–

1 a.m.; and Saturday and Sunday brunch, 10 a.m.–3 a.m. They are closed Monday and on Sunday evenings. z

last revised: June 1, 2006

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