When I was a kid, we had … toast — with butter, maybe jam. And it was good, or at least helped fill our tummies. Very occasionally, we got toast that was French. But there was no brioche toast, no tartine, no croque (monsieur or madame), no toast points. And no avocado toast.

That came much later, and I’m happy it did. It’s healthy. It has a lot of flavors and textures. It eats like a meal.

As combatants, I chose two places in St. Pete — Pineapple Espresso and The Library — which proved to be significantly different in both food and vibe.

PINEAPPLE ESPRESSO

At 8:30 Tuesday morning, I opened the garage door and walked headlong into a blast furnace. The low morning sun beamed straight into my eyes. I wanted to cower and retreat inside — like a vampire. In late summer around here, I become a Great Indoorsman.

I forged on to Pineapple Espresso, a cute little (mostly) breakfast spot on MLK that does mostly drive-thru business and has no indoor seating. I plopped down on a stool at the bar under a covered patio, ready to eat my avocado toast sans AC.

I chatted with Carmen, who was about to matriculate at USF Tampa, while she stirred a big pot of “birthday cake” syrup* for the coffee. I ordered The Everything toast ($13) and a cup of drip coffee (12-oz, hot, $3.25), no syrup.

Appearance

About what you’d expect from an inexpensive takeout place. I liked the look of the boiled “6 Minute Egg.” And they certainly didn’t skimp on the house-made Everything Spice.

Taste and Texture

This basic avocado toast was well-balanced all around, with a hefty mashed-avocado base and an agreeable salt quotient. The egg had a soft but not runny yolk; the spice, while liberally applied, did not overpower. I got creamy and crunchy, with a nicely blended panoply of flavors. And the “sunshine sourdough” bread was expertly toasted.

With a light breeze blowing through the open-air dining space, I did not suffer that much from the heat (although a ceiling fan would’ve been a plus). My ears did suffer a bit from the yacht-rock soundtrack (“Summer Breeze”) wafting out of the speakers.

I’m not much of a morning eater, so I brought half of the avocado toast home. I ate it the next day for a mid-afternoon snack. It held up.

THE LIBRARY

It was cloudy, with rain in the offing, when we pulled into The Library’s last customer parking spot just before 11 on Thursday. If you’ve not been, The Library, located in the Johns Hopkins All Childrens Hospital complex, is quite the classy place. Its high ceilings and walls lined with books make you want to talk in whispers, maybe pull a copy of Kafka’s The Hunger Artist to whet your appetite.

The host showed us to a two-top at a banquette. Our server, Ryan, wore a white shirt, tie and a vest, albeit with jeans on the bottom. We ordered Avocado Toast ($16) with an over medium egg ($3), a coffee ($3) for me and a Cappucino ($4) for Bonnie.

Appearance

I figured my description of the interior could use some visual backup. The photo of the dish is at top.

This presentation befitted the restaurant’s elevated ambience. The avocado was sliced, not mashed. I was pleased to see pepitas, which are shell-less pumpkin seeds.

Taste and Texture

This creative take included whipped feta and herb olive oil, giving it a lunch as well as breakfast character. The egg was more over easy than over medium, which was fine, because I’m a fan of runny egg yolk (try an over-easy egg on a burger). I am not a fan of feta, so was glad for its muted flavor.

The sliced avocado gave this version some extra texture. The pepitas added pops of delight. The bread, a locally sourced wheat, had just the right heft. I wasn’t as sure about the herb olive oil, although after a few bites it blended in pleasantly. And overall the dish was just a shade too salty for my liking.

I’m not a coffeeophile, and rarely mention the brew in these columns, but this cup was exemplary.

And the Winner of the Altercation Over Avocado Toast Is …

The Library.

My decision comes with a caveat. These restaurants serve considerably different purposes. If you’re interested in a quick bite or grab-and-go at a good price, Pineapple Espresso’s avocado toast is more than worthy. The Library’s sit-down-and-linger environment calls for a version that transcends the basic — and this one did.

* Re: the “birthday cake” syrup at Pineapple Espresso — Carmen told me that an online influencer had mentioned it in a post and the restaurant couldn’t make enough ot if. Hence, her stirring a vat at the bar.