Well, cheers to that - gotta love a restaurant name and tagline that direct!
Speaking of love, as I was preparing to write this post and trying to figure out exactly what attracted me (apart from everything) to this place, there it was in the food section of their website - Chef Peter Jackson's "wine country cuisine" menu.
I love the wine country and Toast has done an excellent job bringing a bit of it to me. First, there's a generous selection of wines of course - by the glass, tap and bottle. The atmosphere is cozy, contemporary and so is their music selection, and the sunny patio complete with olive trees is very inviting.
Then there's that "wine country cuisine" menu. Do NOT miss the white bean spread with roasted garlic and toast - featured here. It is rich, creamy and bursting with freshness all at the same time. I cook white beans a lot and could not figure out exactly what that fresh taste was. But now I know - a tiny squeeze of Meyer lemon just before serving. Genius!
The spicy lamb meatballs with shaved pepato, burrata and fennel pollen with olive relish and asparagus salad with piquillo pepper vinaigrette and mimosa rounded out my first visit very nicely. And then I noticed something that might warrant another visit sooner rather than later - a few items on the menu listed as "kid's favorites".
Wow, talk about researching and catering to your target audience. This is another great addition to the already awesome restaurant scene on College Avenue.
And to that I say Toast - drink more wine!