Bostonist tends not to eat at places with the word “junkyard” in their name, but when the food is as good as at Spike’s Junkyard Dogs, rules can be broken. Spike’s offers up hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, subs, salads, and wings (plus burgers at the Somerville and Boylston branches) that are quick, inventive, and delicious. The obvious order is a hot dog, but there are so many toppings to choose from. You can order......

When a fast-food restaurant has a name like UBurger, the first choice is, obviously, to order a hamburger. And UBurger definitely has plenty of choices when it comes to burger toppings. But the hidden delicacy on the menu is the chicken. The marinated, grilled chicken breast is a fast-food of dreams. While most chain burger places use chicken that doesn’t always look like chicken, the meat at UBurger is always a whole chicken breast,......

Most taquerias in the Boston area are counter service, fast food-type places. You order your burrito and move down the line, making sure you get all the right fillings. But at Taqueria Mexico, in Lynn, Waltham, and Coolidge Corner, Brookline, a hot, cheap, delicious, and sit-down meal is only a few minutes away. The Brookline location is small, with only a handful of tables, so service is quick. Hot and fresh tortilla chips and......

Sometimes you want something nicer than a counter-service type of place but you don't want to spend a ton of money. Pub food is always a good choice in that situation. Many bars, though, have only standard (i.e. greasy) food to go with the drinks. Silvertone Bar & Grill, located on Bromfield Street near the Park Street T stop, serves up just what you need. On first entry, the subterranean room feels like a noisy......

Win or lose, we'd always planned on evaluating the best and the worst Super Bowl commercials. In general, 2008 was a bum year for commercials since most of them seemed to forget to tell the audience what it is they're actually promoting, but a few broke away from the pack. The Best 1. The Doritos commerical with the huge rat/person dressed as a rat. So the word "Doritos" wasn't mentioned, but the rat-person was a......

The Publick House is known primarily for its beers – a selection of Belgian brews too vast to enumerate. The food menu is not quite as long, but there are some fantastic eats to go along with the great drinks. The Veggie Burger is the top cheap eat pick at $9. The burger is actually made of vegetables – a rarity in the land of veggie burgers. It’s packed with peas, carrots and zucchini, a......

Sandwiches can be a rather mundane lunch choice, grabbed on the go or because there aren’t many other options. But Hot Off the Press, in Central Square and Charlestown, serves more original sandwiches which are, yes, hot and pressed, not to mention delicious and cheap. The Baja Chicken wrap, with grilled chicken, tomatoes, red onions, lettuce, and corn in a wheat wrap, was very tasty, although a little messy to eat. The addition of corn......

Listen hard enough, and you'll hear it: a slurping noise from the next table over. Loud jazz and the clanking sounds of metal soup pots can't drown it out. Order your own soup, and you'll be making those same slurping noises in no time. Some people don't think of soup as a meal unto itself. The soups at the New England Soup Factory, however, are rich and filled with diverse ingredients, making them a perfect,......

Basta Pasta doesn't look all that different from any of the hundreds of pizza shops around the Boston area: the menu board hanging over the counter, shakers of parmesan and red pepper flakes on the tables, uncomfortable benches, and stock photos of subs and greasy pizza in the takeout menu. But take a closer look at the menu, and it becomes clear that Basta Pasta is unlike its competitors. Most pizza joints don't offer risotto.......