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 Take a look around The Friendly Toast and one thing becomes crystal clear: this place is unique. For over a decade this Portsmouth, New Hampshire, landmark has served up a funky feast for both the eyes and the stomach. Every inch of available space is chock full of flea market finds and 50's kitsch. In fact, this restaurant boasts the best collection of bad art north of Manhattan's East Village.
Melissa Jasper - Chef/Owner, The Friendly Toast: "I guess I like things that are homemade, a quaintness that isn't too cute would be the most normal characteristic of everything I buy... I don't like anything too well done. I like the amateurish look to everything."
But more on these masterpieces in a minute. What really gets the 150 mismatched chairs filled is the food. The huge menu offers diner fare with a sophisticated twist, and lots of vegetarian options. Breakfast is served all day and there are plenty of creative concoctions like Almond Joy Pancakes made with coconut, almonds, and chocolate chips. The Green Eggs and Ham stacks two poached eggs and Virginia baked ham on homemade Anadama toast all topped with a light herb sauce. Spicier selections include Huevos Rancheros and the ever-popular Guy Scramble.
Melissa Jasper - Chef/Owner, The Friendly Toast: "It's just scrambled eggs with cheddar cheese, homemade salsa, black beans which have a fair amount of spice in them, and avocado... it seems accessible I guess. If you're gonna order something that's not normal but you haven't been here before, it seems kind of safe, it's not as wild as other things."
For lunch, dig into a heaping helping of Orleans Fries, sweet potato fries topped with brown sugar, Tabasco, and sour cream. These starchy spud sticks start sweet and then bring the heat. The Redneck sandwich is perfectly pink roast beef in a Kaiser roll with Jack Daniels barbecue sauce and horseradish mayo. The portions are huge and the prices are low. Most meals cost about seven bucks, with most of the proceeds helping to support Melissa's art addiction.
Melissa Jasper - Chef/Owner, The Friendly Toast: "I have a lot of antique dealers that know what I like and I'll get calls from people in Boston or stores in Maine sometimes with something particularly great that I need, and I go rushing over, spend all our cash, we never seem to have any money no matter how much we make, I spend it all on 50's trash."
The Friendly Toast is home to objects of all shapes and sizes; from creepy clowns to strange Santas. The restaurant is open 24 hours on weekends, and the only thing more colorful than the art is the late night crowd. It’s a masterpiece of fun and food at The Friendly Toast, a Phantom Gourmet... Hidden Jewel.
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Review Date:
5/1/2004 |
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