For many, the 50s were a simpler time, when going steady led to marriage, the President was always right, and "fun for the whole family" was as close as a concrete bunker in the backyard. Eat that era like a ravenous beast, at Franky N the Boys.

From a mysterious Brookline gentleman, FNTB's a retro burger joint whose high-topped bar tables, vintage chairs and shiny red/white/stainless steel decor are slapped with so much Coke branding, it'd make Boston George white with envy. The menu's crazy simple, with Certified Angus Beef patty burgers in six styles (including cheese, double, bunless, and the grilled-tomato topped, chopped-onion infused "Franky's babe"), all slathered with a special "spread" you'll dub I Can't Believe It's Not Thousand Island. They've also got hand-packed real ice cream milkshakes (Choc/Vanilla/Strawberry) and double-cooked, skin-on sea salt seasoned fries just like your mother would've made if she had a fryolator and a week's worth of professional training.

For dangerously progressive types, FNTB offers a fry customization station with three types of vinegar, hot pepper sauce, and chili, basil, garlic, or ranch powders, any of which could render your breath so nuclear, it'd cause grown men to hide under schooldesks.

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