Newton Highlands nightspot 51 Lincoln garnered a nod in this week’s digest by Boston Chowhound for the restaurant’s signature 51 Lincoln burger (on its bar menu). Take that, Five Guys Burgers and Fries.

Newton Centre’s Deluxe Station Diner received a nice write-up in Chowhound’s Greater Boston digest this week. Get it, digest?

Now we simply need to point chowhounds to all of the other excellent nosh in town. I’m partial to Jeff’s veggie burger at Sandwich Works (with pickles and peppers, of course). With all the snow on the ground, don’t New Englanders trend to eat more ice cream? Our first grader loves the cake batter ice cream at Wally’s Wicked Good Ice Cream & Treats in Auburndale.

What are your favorites?

In case you missed it in the holiday frenzy (we did), an article in the December 13 issue of STUFF Boston praised the mezze platter at Newtonville’s Karoun as one of the top 25 eats in the Boston area:

Its selections may be standard, but this Armenian gem tucked away in Newton adds a special homemade touch (it’s been in the same family for 30-plus years). From the spicy tang of baba ganoush to the handpicked grape leaves, they lay a fresh, flavorful Middle Eastern spread.

See the complete article, The Ultimate Food Coma: The 25 best things we ate this year. No other Newton restaurants got a similar nod, but it’s a brand new year.

And the reviewers didn’t even mention the belly dancing. Visit Karoun online or at 839 Washington Street.

OK, no update yet on the exact opening date of Newton Centre’s Deluxe Station Diner, but check out these construction pictures of the diner’s interior as designed by graphic artist Mark Fisher.

One would hope renowned Boston architect H.H. Richardson, who reputedly designed the station (when he wasn’t busy designing Trinity Church in Copley Square), would appreciate these updates.

Thanks also to Alderman Vicki Danberg for passing along this information.

It’s a simple fact: Restaurants and pubs in our city’s village centers need seats for their customers.

For these business owners, each seat means revenue. Unfortunately, as we’ve written before, our antiquated city’s zoning laws restrict restaurant seating based on the availability of off-street parking, an approach that (1) does not work well in village centers where off-street parking may not exist, and (2) places an unfair burden on restaurants. Banks get off comparatively easy.

Background: Four reasons these parking requirements need updating.

In 2010, aldermen have approved “parking waivers” for Panera Bread, Bill’s Pizza, b street (formerly Pie), and the Deluxe Station Diner in Newton Centre, and for Lumiere in West Newton — a tacit acknowledgment that seating restrictions on village center restaurants are not in the city’s best interest.

At a public hearing scheduled for January 11, 2011, representatives of West Newton’s Cherry Tree Pub will present their case for increasing the pub’s number of seats from 48 to 76, which will require 16 of the 24 aldermen to vote in support of a “parking waiver” of three spaces.

To show your support for our village center restaurants, please consider writing to your aldermen, come the the public hearing in January, or at least stop by the Cherry Tree and hoist a pint.

UPDATE 12/17 — No ham and eggs yet, but the diner hopes to open its doors before Christmas, according to owner Don Levy. I stopped in this afternoon and workmen were busy doing finishing work. The renovated station space is something to see. –JS

—–

Just in time for Christmas… the Deluxe Station Diner will begin serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the remodeled, historic train station in Newton Centre.

Owner Don Levy plans a ribbon cutting on Thursday, Dec. 16, with the restaurant to open for business on Friday morning. The diner will close early on Christmas Eve and remain closed on Christmas Day, Dec. 25. [Read more →]