Where: Toast (3157 Broadway -- between 125 and LaSalle)
Fare: American Traditional

Photo courtesy of Toast

Located just down the street from our apartment on Broadway, Toast drew us in immediately with its open floor plan and casual decor. It's the kind of place where you feel comfortable having a hungover brunch in a t-shirt or on a casual date with your boo.

Photo courtesy of Toast

The decor is casual and inviting, with lofted ceilings, plenty of inviting seating and a large bar. We've gone here a number of times since we moved into the neighborhood and it's quickly become a favorite. The menu is familiar American fare -- burgers, salads, hot sandwiches and pastas. You can also get breakfast anytime, and the eggs are always on point. The drinks are also a draw. There are 16 beers on tap, about that many in bottles and a score of mixed drinks. Our favorite is the Planter's Punch, a tropical, refreshing, rum-based drink that packs a lot of punch--especially for $7.

This past weekend, Grant, my friend Jonathan and I stopped in for brunch and were impressed again.

I got the Grilled Salmon and Three Eggs, which comes with home fries, toast and homemade tartar sauce. The salmon was flaky and moist, the home fries are the perfect distance between crispy and I'm-actually-just-eating-a-potato and the eggs are AH-MAZ-ING. The whole thing was $9.95. Pretty freaking great.


Jonathan got the Toast Burger. It was pretty good. The bun was a highlight and he couldn't get enough of the chipotle mayo dipping sauce for the fries. At $8.95 he was more than pleased with what he got for his money.

I also recommend the Salmon Burger and the Grilled Shrimp Salad. The service here is always personable and prompt, too. My only negative would be that sometimes the tables are tightly packed together.