Holy massive menus, Batman!

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.

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