Category: Waffles

The Friendly Toast: Quirky Breakfast Delights

On a recent visit to Portland, Maine I was thrilled to discover The Friendly Toast had opened a local location. I fondly remember the Friendly Toast from my days of living in Boston. Known for their impressive kitschy décor (think troll collections and cat figure displays) and all day breakfast, this was an obvious choice for pancakes. I grabbed two other breakfast buds and between the three of us we ordered the perfect trifecta: pancakes, waffles, and French toast. 

I had the Monster Breakfast, which is a stack of two pancakes or French toast, served with two eggs, homefries, and choice of side meat. The “sweet cream pancakes” are also available with blueberries, strawberries, chocolate chips, bananas, as well as a variety of more extreme variations, such as Oreo Cookie, Caramel Macchiato, and King Cakes.

The pancakes arrived topped with strawberries and powdered sugar, which might be my favorite current pancake style. They tasted slightly sweet with a hint of vanilla, making for an almost lovely bite. 

What’s missing from these stacks is the fluff factor. There is something so satisfying about biting into perfect pancake fluff and it can be noticeably disappointing when missing. Thicc stacks are not only aesthetically pleasing, but they’re better able to absorb syrup and other toppings. Despite this pancake misstep, The Friendly Toast excelled at their other breakfast options.

The waffle was described (unprompted) as “phenomenal” by my handsome dining companion. It had the same slightly sweet vanilla taste as the pancakes and the perfect outside crunch, making for delicious pocket bites of butter and syrup.

My second breakfast accomplice described the French toast as “one of the best I’ve ever had”, which might be one of the best reviews she has given any menu item, anywhere. Made with thicc sourdough, the bread was sweet, and the bites were luscious. 

After trying both the waffle and French toast, it’s clear the pancakes are not the stars at The Friendly Toast, but they more than make up for that with their other options. My rating is a reflection of the average score of the pancakes (6.5), waffles (10) , and French toast (10).

Despite the lackluster pancakes, I very much wish The Friendly Toast would open a location in Southern California. I would be knee deep in waffles and mimosa flights every weekend.

JUST THE STACKS – 8.8/10 TASTY STACKS

Overall Taste: De-fucking-licious.

Mouthfeel: Aside from the flimsy pancakes, the waffles and French toast qualified for fluff heaven.

Size: Generous belly-filling sizes.

Presentation: Served on colorful plates with indulgent scoops of butter, strawberries, and powdered sugar. 

Price: $10-$20

Location: 211 Fore St, Portland, ME 04101

Various other locations in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont.

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Bru’s Wiffle: The Inaugural Waffle Post

Back in early March, when it was still fun to watch the movie Contagion and go to crowded restaurants, I ate at Bru’s Wiffle in Marina Del Rey. Bru’s Wiffle specializes in waffles, making this the very first TastyStacks waffle review.

The waffle combinations here are wild. I don’t know how anyone can make a decision or expect to not be in a food coma. The full menu is worth reading if you are into dessert porn. In brief, they serve every kind of sweet or savory waffle explosion: Banana Split, Red Velvet, Churro, the King (peanut butter, banana, bacon), Green Salsa, Golden Goat, Huevos Rancheros, and the list goes on. 

The savory waffle combinations all come with fried chicken. If you’re thinking the “Chicken on Fire”  waffle that comes with onions, peppers, jalapenos, cheese, “blazing sauce,” and fried chicken might be too much, you would be correct. I was tempted to try it because of the spice implication. For some reason, the waitress asked if I wanted to add eggs to this already monstrous combination and I said yes.

  • Image via TastyStacks.
  • Image via TastyStacks.
  • Image via TastyStacks.

Our waffles arrived and all looked like they were on steroids, with the exception of my date’s waffle. Regular readers will remember him from his “no foreign objects” preferences.  Holding true to this, he went with the basic Chicken and Waffles combo, which is the way to go.

The fried chicken and waffles on their own are both very good. They don’t need to be drowned with toppings. It’s too much for even the most sturdy waffle to handle. There are only so many toppings you can dump on before you start asking “what’s the point?

The Chicken on Fire waffle combination was disappointingly not spicy. There was too much sauce which was a turn off. There was also too much cheese, which is not something people usually complain about. All in all, I wished I had gotten the basic Chicken and Waffle combo (“Dwight’s Special). It was fun to order a truly egregiously topped waffle, but the flavors didn’t hold up, it was overwhelming and not in a delicious way.

JUST THE STACKS – 6.5/10 TASTY STACKS

Overall Taste: The score is mainly for the basic chicken & waffles, which are very good on their own. Points were subtracted because of the excessive ingredient dumping on most of the other waffles and false spice advertising. 

Mouthfeel: Basic chicken & waffles had as close to a perfect mouthfeel as you can get with waffles and the fried chicken was well done and crispy.

Size: Massive. My order veered into egregious and overwhelming territory.

Presentation: Fun!

Price: $12.95 – $18.95

Location: 3105 Washington Blvd, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292

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