April 17, 2010
Tom and I were coming up on the two-year anniversary of our courtship. For our one-year, we drove to Savannah on a Saturday morning and spent the day there, so we thought it might be fun to take another day trip like that. (Our main reason for going there was to have lunch at The Lady & Sons, but we'll discuss that some other time...! And I will definitely write about it, because it was awesome.) Then we realized the town we were living in had a ton of fun things to do which we had never done! Charleston is a great city, but when you live there it's easy to miss opportunities to do fun things. So, in an attempt to make up for some of the ones we'd missed, we decided to have a "staycation" and spend all day Saturday downtown and even stay in a hotel in North Charleston that night. We took a carriage tour, visited the aquarium, and went on a ghost tour. We also had some terrific food, of course. We started the day with brunch at Toast, where the guy who brought our food out told us we had ordered the two best items on the menu. I'm not sure if he was just trying to further sell the food to us, but I think I believe him anyway.
Tom's Entree: Deluxe French Toast
Don't let the name fool you; this is so much more than just a big plate of French toast. Every element of this dish is special. It's hand-cut currant bread stuffed with your choice of cinnamon apples or peaches (if you order a double, you can get one of each, which is what Tom did), with apple or peach cider syrup. The bread is nice and thick, which means that it pretty much never gets soggy. The fruit inside is flavorful and also not soggy. The syrup also adds a little something extra special. I definitely would recommend this one to anyone with a sweet tooth. And apparently Tom and I are not alone in our appreciation; according to the menu, the Deluxe French Toast has also been heralded by the New York Times.
My Entree: Eggs Meeting Street
This is one of those entrees that sounds and tastes like it would be bad for your figure (and it probably is, in all honesty) but certainly doesn't feel like it. Very sneaky, this one...! They start with that southern staple, the fried green tomato, then top it with a crab cake and lay a poached egg on top of that, then finish it off with a nice Lowcountry remoulade sauce. The end result is a combination of flavors that are colorful but compatible, comforting but certainly not boring. The combination of textures is great too, with the crispy tomato and the soft crab cake and the egg that's almost like another sauce without being too messy. The whole thing was so light too; that's what I meant by it being sneaky! When I ordered it, I was afraid that it might make me feel a little gross or heavy later because of all the fried stuff and the remoulade; but I cleaned my plate, and all I felt afterward was satisfaction. I ordered the single, but you do have the option of doubling your fun. You also have a choice between home fries and grits. Not being much of a grits person, I went with the home fries, which were fabulous, as was the warm, crumbly buttermilk biscuit that came alongside.
What a great start to our staycation! Whether you're a tourist or a local, I think you'll appreciate the southern comfort of Toast. We also had a great dinner later that night, but like our visit to The Lady & Sons, that's a separate entry.
