Every so often, I need to go a restaurant where I can enjoy my meal and linger just a little bit longer than necessary. Now, to those who buy one tea bag and ask for 27 refills of hot water and stay for 13 hours—Toast is not for you. However, if you want to enjoy your meal (and perhaps a nice cocktail) and leisurely relish the company of your companions without constantly looking at a clock, especially at brunchtime, then Toast, located in Morningside Heights a bit uptown of Columbia, this may be the perfect place to try.

The crowd at Toast is a bit grad-studenty, but there are plenty of families and irritatingly sweet, morning-after, handholding couples present to give the place a little more depth and personality. It’s the place they all turn when there’s no need to stall out in the line at Kitchenette around the corner. Even better since the general consensus of costumers seems to be that they want to take their time, and the folks at Toast have graciously adapted to the unspoken request.

It’s not that the service at Toast is too slow, per se; it’s just that the costumers are never rushed out the door. The orders are taken and the food is delivered in a timely and friendly enough manner, but there’s no hovering or foot taping to turn a table. Although, the place is busy during dinner and packed during the brunch rush on weekends, the waits for a table are usually quite short (less than 20 minutes).

While most of the food at Toast is good, only the Skirt Steak Toasts ($6.95) elicit a Pavlovian response—turning any carnivore into a drooling idiot. The meat is tangy and blends perfectly with the chipotle mayo and the crunch of the garlic toast. The other three varieties of toasts—smoked salmon with capers, BBQ pork and goat cheese (I mean, the place isn’t called Toast for nothing)—are OK, but nothing compared to those small, crunchy steak delights.

The rest of the dinner menu consists of salads (including a yummy Buffalo Chicken Salad—blue cheese, celery and all, $8.95), sandwiches (like the pulled pork, $7.95, and one of the best Pullman-style BLTs around, $6.95), burgers ($7.95, add cheese and its’ oozing inside instead of melting on top) and general entrees like pasta dishes, grilled seafood and a couple of steak selections. The pasta has a tendency to be a little overcooked, but you can’t go wrong with the classic grilled chicken breast in a pesto cream sauce ($11.95). The daily specials are usually good (try the catfish po’boy, $7.95), and it’s your a lucky day when a bisque ($3) is on the menu.

The popular brunch menu includes traditional egg and sandwich items and a yummy Brioche French Toast ($7.95, includes a juice) with cinnamon butter that’s always a pleasure. Since most entrees cost less than $10, there’s none of that usual Sunday brunch attitude. Oh, and if you’re on the prowl for a stiff drink, take note: the Bloody Marys at Toast are delightfully spicy and pack quite a wallop. I’ll toast to that.

Toast

3157 B’way (betw. Tiemann Place & La Salle St.)

212-6662-1144