On Friday, Penny & I road-tripped to Rochester, New York. Our first stop was Clifton Springs, NY to view the Layered Processes show at Main Street Arts. Next we visited Penny’s Naturally Human art exhibition and sale at Axom Home. Then my thing at ROCO and finally, we found a quaint spot to have fish dinner. Yelp led us to The Old Toad.
Presentation: We were directed to a booth by the bar. We didn’t look at menus – we asked for fish. The waiter said they had small and large servings so we both wanted the small. We also both settled on the mushy peas as the side along with fries. We didn’t ask for the price or anything so it was kind of a blind faith situation.
Look at this amazing presentation! The food arrived on a small plate. Look at these half length fries! So adorable. It was all just right. Ketchup was available on the table. The fish was served with a lemon and tartar sauce. There was no broiled option for the fish.
Taste: The haddock was incredibly juicy, tender. Mouth watering. Perfectly cooked. Mushy peas seemed a bit dry, although well seasoned. I guess because they are supposed to be mushy, which sounds like a wet adjective, lol, I was expecting a different taste. Still great. And the fries were not at all greasy. They had a baked flavor – the absolute perfect size for a light evening supper.
I happily ate everything. I would place this high on my list of all time favorite fish fry dinners.
Restaurant Experience: The Old Toad looks like it has been here for a hundred years, but their literature states the place was established in 1990. It just seemed like we’d been transported in time, like the mahogany bar, the dingy booth cushions, the pay phone tucked into the restroom hallway (although that is a more in-my-lifetime oldie thingy).
The waiter/host/bartender was so friendly and attentive. He came over several times to ask if we needed anything. He also knew how to suggest things (mushy peas vs. standard peas). I loved his vibe!
As we were leaving we noticed a couple dining. The man had ordered the larger portion fish dinner. I don’t know what the price difference is as we never looked at the menu – it was actually that thing where you use the code and see the menu on your cell phone and I don’t like that, which is just my problem with the 21st century. But his meal a lot bigger. in comparison to his companion’s who had what we had. I think the fries/chips were still that shorter kind.
The smaller fish dinner is simply genius. More restaurants should follow suit. Our bill came to only $30.00 for both of us. It had been discounted for paying cash.
Once we walked out, I almost thought we’d turn around and see an empty facade, as though we’d just experienced some sort of magic. It’s like I couldn’t believe our blind luck. It’s definitely a real place – see for yourselves and let me know your thoughts.
Location: 277 Alexander Street, Rochester, New York 14607
***from the web-site:
Parking: We found street parking around the corner from the restaurant. There is no parking lot, although there are parking lots adjacent – they just have signs that indicate that they are reserved for authorized vehicles only with tow-away threats.