Best potato pancakes as big as your head

If ever a name suited a restaurant, Zaftigs is it. Yes, the word also suits the large, mango-shaped woman whose hand-painted image pervades the place. But if you simply aren't in the mood for light fare, this is a perfect place to indulge a healthy appetite. There are leaner choices like the salade niçoise, but it's the hefty servings of rich, yummy Jewish-deli comfort food that keep people coming back for more. Recently we ordered what we thought would be an appetizer-size portion of an old favorite: potato pancakes. We were shocked to get three huge pancakes, hot and glistening with oil, with a side of sour cream and applesauce. These were potato pancakes from hell -- or heaven, depending on your perspective and whose religion you're channeling. This heart-warming, filling, nutritious dish (okay, they are fried, but it won't kill you) satisfies vegetarians and meat-and-taters folk alike. All for the price of a pint of Guinness. You probably won't be able to fit much more in unless you have a Paul Prudhomme-size stomach, but the next time you come in, do try the hot pastrami sandwich.

Zaftigs Eatery, 335 Harvard Street, Brookline, (617) 975-0075.