When TV sitcom writers are looking for the prototypical diner location, they come to the Arcadia Restaurant on Main Street in Waltham. It is everything you would expect a diner to be. Is that good? Bad? Well, that depends on what you're looking for. Me, I think it's mostly good.

Breakfast and brunch fare is tasty, hearty food. Eggs (Egg Beaters available), pancakes, buttered toast, hash, and French toast are all served up hot and fresh. The omelettes and hash are particularly good. The home fries are a little less tasty, but nothing that a healthy dose of ketchup can't fix. The coffee is decent, and you can expect a warm-up every time there's more than an inch of ceramic showing on the inside of the mug.

The service at Arcadia ranges from polite to downright friendly, depending on what you make of it. They are very efficient and usually just as busy. Prices are extremely affordable--you can get brunch, coffee, juice and tip for under $8.

If I could sum it up in one sentence: Arcadia Restaurant is the sort of place where you wouldn't be surprised if you heard Flo say, "Mel, kiss my grits!" before your meal was done. I give it three and a half stomach pumps (out of five).

Except for the decoupaged tables, the decor of this new breakfast and lunch venue is much the same as when it was "Sam's Deli". It is open 7 days a week, and the menu features breakfasts from $2.50 to $6.95 and lunches from $2.50 to $7.95. One of us had the stack of pancakes, home fries, and bacon, and the other a western omelette with home fries and toast. The pancakes and home fries were rated good, but the bacon could have been better. The omelette was just right, but the toast was overdone. This is a new place, and we suspect the meals will become more consistent in time. The coffee was very good, and refilled frequently. Service was very attentive, but there were only a few diners present.