Phantom Gourmet: Iron Town Diner In Saugus

SAUGUS - Are you a big eater, especially at breakfast? Then the Iron Town Diner might be the place for you.

George Varelis is the owner and head cook of this shiny new diner on Main Street in Saugus, where they serve everything a good diner should.

"French toast, pancakes, Monte Cristos, Ruebens, pastramis, French fries, onion rings, cole slaw, potato salad, all the goodies. From baked lamb to stuffed cabbage, American Chop Suey, you name it. Stuffed peppers, we do grape leaves, spanikopita, moussaka. My whole family is in the restaurant business. I felt like I was baptized in a fryolator."

While George works the busy kitchen along with his uncle, his wife Alice is the hostess with the mostest.

"I'm actually from Saugus so I know a lot about the town, and one of the major focal points about what the town is known for is the Saugus Iron Works. So we just wanted to theme the whole restaurant based around that, but give it a little modern twist."

To start your day off right, there are extra thick and crispy pancakes studded with fresh, marble sized blueberries. Then you can sample one their many different styles and flavors of French toast, like Nutella and Banana, Almond and Raspberry, and thick cut Portuguese French Toast.

"Regular French toast, I feel like the taste is always what the batter is," explained Alice, "whereas the Portuguese French toast I feel like the taste is more inside of the bread. You don't need syrup necessarily."

If that isn't enough, how about turning some French Toast into a meaty, cheesy, Monte Cristo sandwich?

"Our Monte Cristo consists of egg battered French toast, with the ham, turkey, Swiss cheese. Let it sit on the grill as long as it can; until the cheese is fully melted. Once I see the cheese boiling, then it's yours," said George.

A lot of big eaters will opt for the signature Iron Town Waffle, packed and stacked with a colorful mix of bananas, strawberries, and blueberries. Since George spent years cooking steak and cheese subs at his family's other restaurants, he decided to create an outrageously delicious Philly Cheesesteak Omelet that's even better than the original.

"Philly invented it, but Boston perfected it," bragged George.

They've also perfected the Eggs Benedict, because at the Iron Town Diner, it gets a bit of an Italian boost with prosciutto.

"Normally when you get a Benedict you don't get Italian style meat. So I think having that prosciutto on it kind of adds that extra bit of flavor; topped with that Hollandaise sauce that we all love," described Alice.

If it's Greek you food want, they do that, like the incredibly popular lamb souvlaki.

"That's as Greek as you can get," said George. "My uncle here thought of that; he is straight from the mountains of Greece. It's an open faced grilled pita bread with tomatoes, lettuce, onions, tzatziki sauce, some dill and parsley. I don't want to go too Greek here, but come on. All Greeks own diners."

All your favorite American diner staples are here as well, like their masterpiece of a Reuben featuring corned beef that's steamed for almost 17 hours, along with a messy mix of Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Thousand Island dressing. Then there's the so-called Iron Melt, which is a truly unique twist on the traditional cheeseburger.

"Most places you go and you get the traditional cheeseburgers. What I wanted to do was take a deli roll, turn it inside out, grill it, and eat it almost like an inside out sandwich," explained George. "The bread is so crispy, you hear a crunch right when you crack into it. Then you feel the melted cheese over the burger. The sautéed peppers, onions, and mushrooms. You can't get a better taste than that."

Guilty or not, pleasure is served up by the plate at the Iron Town Diner.

"I want to get good customer service, somewhere that I can relax and feel comfortable, and get up and feel full. I don't want to leave being hungry, and here you never leave hungry," George declared. "I love seeing the customers walk in the door, and enjoying their smile as they leave."

You can find Iron Town Diner at 325 Main Street in Saugus, and online at irontownsaugus.com.

Watch Phantom Gourmet on Saturdays and Sundays at 10:30 and 11 a.m. on myTV38.