Nick's Beef and Beer House in Cambridge, Mass.

Nick's Beef and Beer House, on Mass. Ave. in Cambridge, Mass., expertly tapped into the pathetic human condition of overeating -- and over drinking. This large, cavernous Greek-American restaurant served the huge, artery clogging "twin cheeseburger special" for around $2.00, pitchers of beer for ridiculously low prices, and baked lamb for about half the price of other Greek restaurants (OK, it was a bit more fatty, but, hey, the fat tastes good, too, don't deny it!). The worn tables were long and we usually ended up sitting next to some smug college kid, either with an affinity for insulting others or being the "funnyman" of the crowd. Because I didn't drink or overeat back in the day, my favorite reasons for coming to Nick's were to admire the phony, multi-colored fireplace and trying to keep up with the quick wit of the waitresses. They were generally old, sassy, had a comment on everything, and, ultimately, really nice people -- salt of the earth would be the term. With hungry Harvard students, ex JV high school types looking for a life, elitist professors succumbing to the mainstream and others gorging on food and drink over stentorian-caliber noise levels, Nick's was sort of like a community gathering place on steroids for Cambridge and neighboring communities. What a great run from 1971 to 1998! Wonder where the phony, multi-colored fireplace ended up, though?