I had seen the signs for months, but the paper covering the walls made it impossible to see what was really coming.

At last, I had the chance to try Little Big Diner in Newton Center (www.littlebigdiner.com).

The menu is small (barely over 20 items) and space is smaller (about 19 seats), but even after a short wait (20 minutes for a table for four, during which the charming host offered drinks and brought water outside), the reasons for the last of these issues became obvious.

“Making it taste good” is the motto of this extension of the neighborhood empire that also consists of nearby Sycamore, and with nearly as many flavor-enhancing “extras” (e.g., a marinated ajitama egg, a cube of umami-boosting butter, “s#@t that’s hot” bombs and delectable smoked honey corn) as main dishes (which include an amazing green papaya salad, grilled chicken wings, their famed steaming rice bowls and heaping noodle plates, featuring such savory toppings as charred tofu, grilled Painted Hills steak, Arctic char, and Chashu pork), the combinations are many and the flavors are always impressive. Of particular note is their “Hawaiian style” flat patty, which simply combines pineapple, crispy onions and mayo into a rip curl of taste.

Whether served while waiting in line or while devouring item after item, the drink list ranges from Soindrift and GUS soda to hand-made teas and cold-pressed coffee to domestic beers, wines by the glass and bottle, and sakes that are offered as tastes before the big pour is awarded. There are also a small but impressive set of craft cocktails, including the tequila-based Yuzu Margarita and the gin and Thai chili burner known as the South East Side, as well as the menu-appropriate option of mixing and matching any spirit with any mixer. As with he main menu, the list is compact, but the options and taste sensations are nearly limitless and the enjoyment is complete!

So could LBD be better if the menu were bigger? Probably not. Would it be nice if they took over the paint store next door (or, perhaps even better, the Panera down the way)? Maybe. But would people still wait in line? Apparently (and deservedly so!