My husband and I traveled to Portsmouth this past weekend for a Saturday meeting.  While we could have driven there that morning, we made a last minute decision to head out the night before.  What better way to spend a hot summer night, then walk the downtown of a coastal city and enjoy some good food and music?  Unfortunately, the food was lackluster, but the music was great.

The next morning we didn’t have time for a slow, decadent breakfast, or so we thought.  Our hotel offerings were less than desirable, so we opted to find something on the way to our destination.  As we drove through the traffic circle, my husband spotted a sign for the Roundabout Diner & Lounge.  It seemed like the perfect place for us to stop, as diners tend to offer quickly prepared and decent meals.  This diner far exceeded decent in its food preparation and service, it might even be considered decadent.

Seated at a table with no wait, we were greeted warmly by our waitress, Brenda.  She delivered coffees to both of us and gave us a moment to peruse our menus.  Although we were expecting standard diner fare of pancakes and eggs, this menu was anything but standard, unless you consider shiitake mushrooms and tenderloin tips to be a typical part of a diner menu.

With so many tempting options, I chose a meal that I wouldn’t take the time to make at home, Grand Marnier French Toast.  This French toast was absolutely amazing.  Made with thick sliced When Pigs Fly Bakery Challah Bread, it was perfect in taste and texture.  The bread was well coated with batter without being wet, and the hint of orange was prominent enough to detect but  not enough to overpower the egg or syrup.  Served with a fresh fruit medley of grapes, watermelon, and honeydew melon (all fresh), I couldn’t have chosen a better breakfast.

My husband opted for the Phantom’s Best BBQ Omelette, which was filled with house-smoked pulled pork and cheddar cheese.  Served with homefries that obviously were made from scratch and toast, it was a hearty meal.  The omelette was overflowing with tender shredded pork that was surrounded by fluffy eggs.  The homefries were made of a tasty combination of potatoes, peppers, and onions.  For his toast my husband chose marble rye, which came as thick slices lightly buttered.  With a solid appetite, he managed to enjoy every bite of his meal.

In addition to having such fabulous menu options, this restaurant delivered excellent service.  Not only was our waitress attentive and friendly, but so was the rest of the staff.  This restaurant has mastered customer service.  All members of the waitstaff were personable and offered coffee refills, regardless to whether the patron was his or her patron or not.

Heading to Portsmouth on Friday, we had thought that our evening dining would have been the highlight of our trip.  As fate would have it, breakfast was the food highlight of this trip.  With the creative menu that this restaurant has, we will be returning to try a dinner or lunch and one of their dessert martinis!