Thursday, February 25, 2010
The Friendly Toast
Funky. Tacky. Retro. Kitschy.
A neighborhood icon in Portsmouth, New Hampshire since 1994, The Friendly Toast has been a hit there, commanding long waits for its creative breakfast items, huge portions, and great food. This past spring, owners Melissa and Robert Jasper finally opened a second outpost in Cambridge. They worked hard to make sure that the second place embodied the character of the original one, down to the knick knacks that adorn the walls, the bright green paint, and the wacky menu items.
The Friendly Toast serves a variety of food, focusing mostly on brunch-like items (pancakes, French toast, eggs, and the like), but also serving sandwiches, burgers, and milkshakes (frappes, they're called in New England). It's sort of a chi-chi hippie granola version of a diner -- diner-like food with a twist: creative ingredients, vegan-friendly choices (tofu scramble anyone?), and wacky names (mmm . . green eggs and ham). Honestly, Cambridge is the perfect city for this type of place.
Lines are super long on weekends, especially during brunch time. Fortunately, they open until 1 AM, one of the few places in Cambridge to do so.
Check out some of the dishes we've enjoyed!
Huevos Rancheros $9.75
Not quite the Mexican version, this one has cheddar melted on a thick slice of homemade anadama bread topped with two poached eggs, avocados, and salsa. Oh, and a side of home fries. The homefries were delicious, and the toast was good too.
Scrambled eggs . . .
Cheesy Fries
Blue and Provolone melted on French fries with a strawberry habenero dip
Oh my goodness - we got this as an appetizer and it was SO GOOD!!! Not only was the texture of the fries amazing, the strawberry habenero sauce was addictive! I love sweet and spicy combinations, and this was no exception. Sweet with just enough of a kick to get you coming back for more. No one could stop eating this.
Pancakes [1 cake - $4.50/$5.50; 2 cakes - $6.50/$7.50; 3 cakes - $8.00/$9.00]
You order pancakes not as a stack, but individually, either plain or with blueberries, heathbar crumbles, and/or chocolate chips. I ordered the plain one and it was fantastic. One pancake is pretty big. Two was definitely way too much food (heh heh, especially after gorging on those fries!)
French Toast - $4.50
I love their French Toast. Their homemade bread is really good, and they make the toast really eggy, which I love. Super moist, eggy, and made with wonderful bread. YUM.
Fish Burrito
fried haddock, avocado, black olives, spicy tartar sauce, lettuce, plum tomato, and red onions
My friend Peter loved this sandwich. Bryan, on the other hand, though it was alright, but not nearly as good as a fish taco. He might be biased though - he doesn't really like wraps that much.
Over all thoughts?
Some of their dishes are really fantastic, such as the French toast, the pancakes, and the cheesy fries. The various egg scramble dishes are pretty good, although I'm not sure if they're worth an hour wait. I think the restaurant is severely understaffed on the weekends (or at least it was the weekend I went). The line was super long, yet many of the tables were open, just not cleaned up yet. The few harried workers on duty were running around like crazy. Service was almost unbearably slow, but it wasn't really our server's fault. We could tell she was overloaded with work. They need more workers!
It's possible it was just an off night, and the service isn't always that bad. The one time we went in the evening (when there was plenty of seating available), the service was fine.
Over all, the food is definitely solid, and there are some standout winners to try. I hope they work out their staffing issues, as it's pretty tough to go on a weekend right now. Do check it out, though! At the end of the day, I really want this place to succeed. Great food, reasonable prices, excellent vegetarian options, and creative dishes. We like having those types of restaurants in Cambridge. :)
The Friendly Toast
One Kendall Square
Cambridge, MA 02139
(617) 621-1200
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Friendly Toast, how I miss thee. I'm a particular fan of the Kate's Tofu Scramble - tofu, feta, corn, cheese, mushrooms, etc....
ReplyDeleteTheir various hot chocolates with whipped cream and marshmallows were always a hit during the freezing New England winters.
I haven't been to the one in Mass yet, but I hear (and see, from you) good things.
Ooh, I keep meaning to try this place but never get around to it. =(
ReplyDeleteAnd btw, I think it's spelled "chi chi" unless you were directly quoting someone....
I wish they had places like this in Atlanta. So bright, colorful, and the dishes are so fun!
ReplyDeleteI've been wanting to go here for ages! Thanks for the great review :).
ReplyDeleteJoy - thanks for the spelling tip! I've fixed the post. :)
ReplyDeleteMy husband used to live near Portsmouth and loved it. We need to get up there!
ReplyDeleteHow can one not love a place with an adorable name like that? ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review! Just moved to Cambridge and looking for some new places to check out. I appreciate the tip!
ReplyDeleteI love their signage... so cool it's definitely one of those places you want to step into. their food looks fantastic... i want to try that frenchtoast... looks gooey!
ReplyDeleteAh -- charming! This reminds me of an old college hangout when I was living/skooling in Tucson, AZ. There was a retro-fabulous diner that was open till all hours, they served a nice mix of vegetarian items on their menu, and it was just a welcoming place full of character (and characters!). Thank you for reminding me of a very happy memory. :)
ReplyDelete