Toast Bar - Norfolk, VA

Toast, how we love thee...

Tuna Melt

Today was our first experience at Toast.  We liked Field Guide, have heard great things about Handsome Biscuit and figured this had to be another endeavor in food excellence.  Located in a spacious, new-old (read: hip, renovated) building at the corner of Colonial Avenue & 24th Street.  We were greeted by a very pleasant guy I recognized from Field Guide.  We grabbed a booth by the window to get ready for what would be one of the best lunches we have had.  The server was extremely helpful with the menu and any questions we had (we ask a lot if you remember). 

 

I debated between three savory toasts, the Tuna Melt, the Eggy Weg and the Egg Salad.  After the three starving parties at our table agreed to split the Tuna Melt as an 'extra', I settled on the Egg Salad with lime chili oil and kimchi, based on that being the more unique of the two egg toasts, according to the server.  Our third musketeer ordered the Texas Pig with peppers, micro greens, pickled onions and sour cream, which she thoroughly enjoyed.  She was slightly nervous about the Tuna Melt (she does not like tomatoes) but we convinced her to give it a whirl and she could not believe how much it tasted like bolognese.  We thought the same - this is a winner.  The egg salad was creamy, not too heavy and with the lime chili oil and kimchi had some texture.  I find egg salad needs something extra to balance the softness of the eggs and mayo.  

Egg Salad

Texas Pig

 All of that led us to dessert, the main attraction.  In reality, we had looked at dessert first and Laine and I could have lived in just that BUT to give a fair review, we wanted to eat a 'real' lunch first.  The server recommended the churro which sounds really good but we had our hearts set on the Tres Leches and the PNUT.  The Tres Leches is 'lighter' if a dessert of bread, condensed milk and butter can be called light.  We went 'all the way' with the PNUT by adding the recommended malted chocolate ice cream.    This dynamic combo consists of peanut butter, homemade jam, ice cream and chocolate chips on top of the waffleloafle bread, a Toast specialty for their sweet toasts.  This was out of sight and put us over the edge.  We had all had one and a half regular toasts and split the two desserts so I would say we can give a well-rounded review...Toast is wicked good and we will be back, soon.  As Laine mentioned, this would be a good spot for post-ODU football game dining.

_Alex

The premise is that each dish is served on top of a piece of Toast, hence the name. The thought of this brought haunting images of chipped beef on toast to mind, but after checking out their Facebook page, I decided to give it a try. Toast is just across the railroad tracks on Colonial Ave, close to Handsome Biscuit. It’s nice to see businesses exploring options and succeeding in Park Place. They have their own parking lot (bonus) and a cute outside dining area. The outside dining is right next to the street and the parking lot, making it a little less appealing. Since our lunch coincided with a torrential downpour, we opted to dine in.  There is counter seating overlooking the outdoor eating area, about 15-20 seats around the bar and several booths. It has a solid urban vibe with exposed brick and minimalistic décor. I like the look of the open kitchen with the large brick archway.

The menu is very interesting, with a lot of variety and very reasonable pricing. They have eggs, chicken, tuna, pork, beef, bacon and vegetarian selections. There is a bar, so mixed drinks and brews are available. Since we had to return to our jobs working for the man, I tried their in house Ginger Beer. It was awesome; very crisp tasting and sweet like a Sprite, but with the added zing of ginger.

The portions are hearty. As a first timer, you might think that the entrées will be “less than” a sandwich, but you would be wrong. They are “greater than” the average sandwich! The delicious bread is at least one inch thick, with a hearty crust. It is, of course, toasted. Next, your choices are piled high on top. It can only be eaten with a fork and knife. I liked that they provide an oversized serrated knife. This lets you cut all the way through the toast without destroying your dish. 

PNut

All of our choices were stellar. The Tuna Melt is very unique. The server warned us that it tastes more like Lasagna than a Tuna Melt. Say what?! He was right and I am still not sure how that can happen! When it was all said and done, my heart belonged to the PNut. It sets the new standard for dessert decadence. We will be back.

_Laine

Toast Norfolk

2406 Colonial Ave

Norfolk, VA 23517  

Food-5

Service-5

Beverage -5

Restrooms-NA

Ambiance-3

Supper, Norfolk, Virginia

Finally, Norfolk has a restaurant with a rooftop!  Supper, opened by the group that owns Public House, Bardo, Still and Gosport Tavern, made it's debute last weekend.  We stopped to have a look at the new, soon to be hot, spot.  The decor is by far, some of the best in town.  Very nice lighting, subway tile behind the downstairs bar and low and behold, the rooftop, which will be the apple of this restaurant's eye.  The seating is aplenty both downstairs and up and there are bars on both floors.  We decided on the upstairs bar for a drink and appetizer.  The homemade pimento cheese and seasoned Ritz crackers appetizer is large and very, very good.  The drink menu has many bourbon and whisky cocktails along with a couple versions of the Bloody Mary, a slush drink and a few gin and vodka drinks.  I decided on the House Lemon-Aid, which was tart and tasty.  Supper also has a varied draft and bottle beer and wine selection.  

     




  

This weekend, we decided to have our first full dinner at Supper.  Fortunately, reservations are available since I think this is going to be the new place on everyone's mind.  We arrived at 6:30 and it was steady, not packed yet.  We were seated within five minutes on the rooftop, which we requested of course.  I once again ordered the House Lemon-Aid, my soon to be husband opted for the Slush (bourbon) and my mom went with the Snowbird Ricky.  My drink was excellent and decently strong as it was the first time.  The Slush is a pretty large cocktail served in a mason jar glass.  The Snowbird Ricky is served with a nice, pink slice of grapefruit.  I might have that on our next visit.   We decided on the pimento cheese again and added a Caesar salad to our appetizer course.  I must mention the cornbread croutons in this salad - order it just for those.  For our main course, mom chose the lamb chop with sugar snaps and the carrot casserole, I ordered the grilled corn entree which comes with a biscuit and mac and my partner went with the pork chop including creamed corn and roasted fingerling potatoes.  We also ordered a side of the cornbread and biscuits and extra sides of the mac n cheese and the creamed corn.  We should have read the menu closer as my entree came with the mac and my partner's came with the creamed corn.  Thinking we both wanted our own of each, we threw in the extras...leftovers!  Lesson for next time, the meals (and sides) are large enough you really can share them without feeling slighted.  I'm not usually a sharer but this even makes sense to me after seeing the portions.  

    

Service was very good.  These servers are running those stairs constantly but our food came out in just the right amount of time and everything was as ordered (read: no mistakes).  Everyone loved their food, loved their drinks and really loved the atmosphere, especially when the stringed lighting came to life.  
The crowd grew while we were there.  Both bars were full and most of the tables on the rooftop were taken when we departed.   It is most certainly the new hip place to be in Norfolk and it is very exciting that the Supper folks made the investment in the restaurant idea but also in the rooftop.  I hope this spurs others to add rooftops to their restaurants where possible.  Supper plans to keep the upstairs open as long as the weather cooperates and also plans to open for lunch in the coming months.  The upstairs allows a meal to start with a setting sun and end with hip string lighting, guiding your courses.  

Food-5+

Service-5

Beverage-5

Restrooms-5

Value-5

Ambiance-5+

~Alex

Supper is open daily 5pm-2am.  

http://www.suppereats.com/

319 W 21st Street

Norfolk, Virginia 23517

(757) 383-6800 

 

The Point, Fells Point Baltimore MD

It was cold, the spot was crowded and they had brunch. Seemed like a good idea at the time. The staff was very nice but the brunch food was somewhat disappointing. We enjoyed the mac n cheese which has sun-dried tomatoes and the fried green tomato Benedict was okay but the egg skillet was disappointing. The margherita was mostly juice and the tap beer was warm. I wish I had ordered the grilled cheese but on the server's recommendation I chose the Benedict. They do have bottomless drinks for $10 on Saturday and Sunday and those seemed to be populate at other tables. It was definitely a younger crowd. I would definitely try another spot when in the area again.

Food-3
Service-4
Beverage-3
Restrooms-4
Value-4
Ambiance-3 

~Alex

The Point
http://www.thepointinfells.com/
1738 Thames Street 
Baltimore, MD 21231 

(410) 327-7264

Tortilla West, Norfolk, Virginia (oldie but goodie)

Tortilla West is well known as one of Ghent's treasures. Located in the back of West Ghent, T-West, as many fondly call it, is a southwestern spot with great food and a plethora of tequila. We are huge fans of T-West and dine there once every other week, at least. The cheese dip is our go-to appetizer and T-West's seasoned chips are my favorite chips around town. Tortilla West does not have a cocktail menu per se but they do have a ton of liquor choices. For the second time, the nice bartender made me a fruity concoction of mango vodka and pomegranate liquor combined with pineapple, orange and lime juices. This is a pretty delicious drink on a hot day. This particular night, along with the mandatory chips, I started with the gazpacho soup special. A smoky flavor and topped with avocado, T-West's version of this Spanish cold soup was well done. I would eagerly order this again.

Gazpacho

For my entree, I typically choose the Spinach and Goat Cheese Quesadilla or the Vegetable Quesadilla but I wanted something out of the norm. Let's be honest, how many vegetarian quesadillas can one eat? In my quest, I spied the Grilled 3 Cheese under the sandwich heading and decided to give it a whirl. Feta, mixed cheese (cheddar and Monterey Jack) and Manchego with bacon and tomato on ciabatta. The sandwich had me at Manchego (I love this cheese) and I substituted avocado for the bacon. Sandwiches come with a side and I opted for the zucchini and squash. The result? This sandwich is my new staple at T-West and the Manchego hoisted it into the exceptional category. The zucchini and squash side is always dependable and gave me a vegetable to balance out the cheese dip and my cheese sandwich. Cheese anyone?

Grilled 3 Cheese with zucchini and squash

My boyfriend loves T-West's soft tacos and this day, tuna was the fish of choice. Cooked to his liking, the tacos combined with the mac n' cheese hit the spot. Typically, the mac n' cheese comes with jalapenos but we nix those.

Tuna Soft Tacos with beans and rice

Mac n' Cheese sans jalapenos

Last but certainly not least, dessert made it's way into my mind. T-West makes their desserts from scratch and I have always liked what I have ordered. Peanut butter pie and carrot cake were our picks for the night. The pie filling was perfectly gooey and almost had a custard consistency, making me want more. We wanted to take a second slice to go, but I nabbed the last one. Lucky me! The carrot cake was of the standard variety but good nonetheless.

Tortilla West is open Monday-Saturday 4pm-1:30am and Sundays 11am-1:30am when they also serve brunch. Laine and I still hope for the day T-West will reopen during lunch. We understand lunch everyday might not make sense for this restaurant, but how about one day per week, Fridays? We truly miss lunch there.

~Alex

Tortilla West
508 Orapax St, Norfolk, VA 23507
(757)440-3777