Archive for the ‘Toojays Gourmet Deli’ Category

Holy massive menus, Batman!

Monday, February 21st, 2011

I know that Toojays is a chain restaurant, but the unique menu and hype drove us to check it out. I was raised by a gaggle of big-haired Jewish women who have been cooking me things like matzo ball soup, beef brisket cooked for days until it’s tender and best of all- hummus.

Toojays of Dr. Phillips lives in the underbelly of restaurant row, right inide of Dr. Phillips Blvd. A complex that contains a night club, a cigar bar, a few more fancy restaurants and an Einstein’s Bagels also contains the Toojay’s Gourmet Deli.

As you walk in to the front door, the bakery and deli counter area is immediately to your left. Though the treats in the containers looked tempting, we walked to the host and asked to be seated. The staff is friendly and boisterious, with just the right touch of sass. I feel they wouldn’t hesitate to tell you off if give good enough reason. We were seated in a pleasant booth, overlooking the walkway and some foliage so we could people watch without giving the appearance of glaring at passersby, and visa versa.

The menu was vast. Hundreds of meals, sides, desserts, specials, plates for the dieters, dishes for the not-so-hungry, meals for the homesick and a sizeable beverage menu. After plunging into some heavy reading, Man-Biscuit and I decided sharing is caring, so we shared a Potato pancake and a Reuben.

The pancakes arrived early. I fully expected flat, expressionless pancakes, little more than flattened circles of hash browns. What we received, was a pile of bite-size potato pancakes, with bacon, onions, tomatoes, chedder cheese and sour cream gobbed on top. It was a wonderful treat to dig into this huge portion –plenty to share and enjoy. The potato pancake chunks were crisp on the outside and meshed well with the whole mess.

Sammich of DOOM

As if by magic, the moment we set down the forks from the potato pancakes, our Reuben arrived. It was classicly perfect. A big roll of gorgeous corned beef with just the right ratio of dressing and kraut. The fries were fat and mealy, (which is what we will become if we keep eating like this.) Even the coleslaw was crisp and not too sweet.

Altogether a great meal, the service was acceptable and the atmosphere like a typical diner. The size of the menu was a touch daunting, but it is kind of fun having so many choices.

We grabbed some black-and-white cookies on the way out. The perfect end to a close-to-perfect meal.

Deep Fried Latke’s

Monday, February 21st, 2011

I first heard of Toojays many years ago on a radio station. Since then it took me this long to actually go to the place. Sure, before the closest location was over an hour away, but now it’s quite close by comparison. The location Babs and I attended was kind of a pain to find parking. Once inside however you’re greeted with the sight of a New York bakery counter.

We were placed in a booth near a large window where we could view the beautiful day. The booths were fairly comfortable and the menu; extensive. With so many choices it was hard to narrow down. I wasn’t super duper hungry, (shocking, I know.) so I came up with the idea of sharing an appetizer and a lunch. It’s fun to see what restaurants have as specialty’s.

Dine here.

Toojays has the whole New York / Jewish kinda fare. So we decided on the ‘loaded latkes’ Which to the best of my knowledge are shredded and pan-fried taters which are deep fried to order, topped with bacon, cheddar, green onions and served with sour cream. Fan-Friggin-Tastic. If you are a fan of potato’s you’re gunna love this dish. The portion is very generous and the flavor is great.

OMFG POTATOES!

This left juuuust enough room for AppleCheeks and I to polish off a classic Reuben Sammich. Served with fries and some tasty coleslaw. The slaw wasn’t special but stuck to the classic flavors. The combination of latke and sammich plus the fries was plenty filling for two. For a drink I went for the unsweetened ice tea, which if you’re a stickler about iced tea you wont be disappointed. Furthermore they had a ton of interesting cans of soda.

All in all I was thrilled with the whole experience.