I had read about the good breakfasts at Charlie's here on Roadfood.com and decided to give it a try when I was in Boston recently. I arrived 9-ish and it wasn't crowded at all. I liked that the place had a real lived-in feel and one could tell that it has been around for a long time; it doesn't have any pretensions.
I had the three plate-sized griddle cakes with sausage and a side of home fries. I was excited about trying the pancakes, but when they came out, they were just regular-sized and didn't look any different from many others. Normally, size doesn't matter with me, but the menu description reads as follows: "No pans used here! Three old fashioned plate-sized cakes are grilled to a delicious steaming result". I had a certain expectation that just didn't match up. Size aside, the pancakes were wonderful. The most important part, the taste, was right on the money. They were light and tender and had a sweetness to the batter that I can't quite place, but really elevated them to another level. I asked my waitress what was in it, but no luck. She said it was a secret and she doesn't even know. Lots of butter and syrup were applied to create a warm, gooey pool of goodness which the cakes readily soaked up.
Very rarely have I had sausages this good. These beauties were crusty with a bold, meaty flavor and a nice chew, just as sausages should be. The home fries looked fantastic, dark and crusty. I couldn't wait to eat them. However, they were lacking in flavor. They were good potatoes, but hadn't been seasoned; no salt, pepper, or other seasonings (onions, peppers, garlic, etc...).
I would definitely go back again to try more of the breakfast items. Many people were eating the turkey hash and it looked pretty good. The lunch menu appears pretty promising as well.
