Friendly Toast - Such Great Breakfast!

When Nick and I first started dating, The Friendly Toast was one of our go-to breakfast spots.  We tested it out on a recommendation from a friend and soon found ourselves going there at least once a month.  With Nick living in Inman Square and me in Beacon Hill, the Kendall Square location was basically smack dab in the middle of our two places.  Good thing the food was more amazing than the location itself!

Table Setting...

When you walk into the Friendly Toast you are immediately greeted by a retro/hipster vibe.  The restaurant is decorated with an eclectic mix of 1950's and 60's ads and other items.  The walls are bordered with wall paper made up of Hardy Boy books, the bar is covered with a paper that looks sort of like "Garbage Pail Kids" cards but with household products, and all the flatware and table toppers fall right in with the decor with the retro feeling.

It had been awhile since Nick and I made the trek over the Longfellow Bridge to the Friendly Toast because by the time we are generally ready to head out on the weekends its about 11:00, and at that point the wait can be 45 minutes or more.  While the food is worth the wait, sometimes I am just too hungry!  However, this past time we actually managed to make it to the Friendly Toast early enough where we only had to wait for 5 minutes.  Soon after being seated we were drinking our delicious coffee out of some mugs like my grandmother used to have.

Coffee

Nick and I have tried quite a few of the items on the menu but have settled into some favorites, and since it had been awhile we could not resist - old habits die hard (for me at least.  Nick is usually better about it!).  I went with the Egg-in-the-Hole, which has two pieces of grilled bread with eggs cooked right in the middle and a side of home fries.  Part of the reason I so love this dish is that the fresh bread at the Friendly Toast is amazing - it has so much flavor and is nice and light.  I think the bread that comes with this dish is the oatmeal, but they have a couple of other delicious varieties as well that you can try.  The egg is well cooked with just enough of a runny yolk that it soaks into the bread, making for easy plate cleaning!  The home-fries served on the side are always well cooked, having enough of a crisp to them - not over or under done in anyway.  On this day, the home fries had a definite spicy kick to them, which was fine by me, but others could have been a bit overwhelmed I'm sure.  Basically, this is my perfect breakfast dish.

Egg-in-a-Hole!

Bright Green Walls

One of Nick's favorites is the Ole Miss, which has the fresh cayenne-Cheddar toast topped with sausage mashed chipotle sweet potatoes, two scrambled eggs and a mango sour cream.  Once again, the fresh bread provides a fantastic support for the sweet and spicy mashed potato mixture.  The eggs, seemingly an afterthought, totally tie the dish together.  The sweet potatoes have a nice spice from the chipote, and the mango sour cream cools off each bite.

Ole Miss

Cow Head that greets you at the host stand (the mouth actually moves!)

Nick actually has a couple of favorites at the Friendly Toast and could not figure out what he really was in the mood for.  Instead of picking, he decided to get 1 pancake for us to split.  This was noot just any pancake though but rather the pumpkin pancake, which is GIANT and complete with Raisinettes scattered throughout and topped with whipped cream.  This pumpkin pancake has become such a favorite that we make them at home using the Stonewall Kitchen mix and actually add the Raisinettes - otherwise the pancake seems lonely.  The whipped cream is so thick and tasty to boot.  When you bite in, you might as well be eating a pumpkin pie.  So delicious!

Pumpkin Pancake

Needless to say, the food is delicious and is the reason we always keep coming back for more.  Everything on the menu is creative and fun with really rich, deep flavors.  If you haven't been to the Friendly Toast, I highly recommend heading over soon.