At the home of “breakfast and lunch all day”, a new nighttime menu is offering up a new option for weekends in Huntington Village.

I know what you’re thinking…how is it even POSSIBLE that I haven’t written about Toast yet? Fear of seeming biased? No, I just never thought the Huntington public needed an introduction to this long-time morning and midday staple, to be honest. Here’s a few of my favorite breakfasts…and since they DO serve it all day, even when I visit at lunchtime or later, I still usually opt in for “breakfasts”;

After all, it’s been open and serving up the most delicious breakfast and lunch since 2007, and while they are constantly adding new delightful dishes to the menu, their “bread and butter” hasn’t changed much……UNTIL RECENTLY!!!

INTRODUCING TOAST NIGHTS!!

About a month ago, Toast started reopening on Friday and Saturday evenings from 5:00pm-10:00pm with a happy hour and dinner menu that’s perfect if you want to wind down after work, or get your weekend night party started in a different venue. Drinks at the bar are specially priced between 5-7pm ($7!!) and the cocktail menu is super tempting. My personal favorite is the Crop Cucumber Vodka mixed with fresh squeezed lemonade; it’s light and refreshing and just begs for a refill! Also tasty is the blueberry pom margarita; super fruity with a kick of tequila, this one was made for summer night sipping. My husband enjoyed drinking the “John Daly” this pas t weekend (an alcoholic version of an Arnold Palmer…aka Ice tea/Lemonade), and considered it appropriate refreshment for watching the PGA that was playing on one of the TVs over the bar. They also have beers and wines, so it’s truly a well stocked bar (and maybe more than you’d expect from a “brunch” restaurant).

If this imaginative cocktail menu isn’t enough to draw you in, perhaps a Vegan menu will? Very few places in town offer a TRUE vegan menu, and Toast is giving diners with dietary limitations an opportunity to try some delicious and inventive dishes. Upfront, I must point out that I DO NOT subscribe to a vegan diet…to me it seems like you’d miss out on too much AMAZING food. That said, this menu is so very very good. Our favorite has to be the Smoked Carrot Toast. Thinly sliced ribbons of cold smoked carrot top a “schmear” of vegan chive cream cheese on toast points and are drizzled with an arugula pesto and fresh herbs…effectively mimicking the texture, appearance, and somehow, the flavors of lox and cream cheese. Is it kitchen magic, some kind of sorcery? I don’t know, I don’t care, I just want to keep eating it. So please, when you go, make sure you try this.

Now that I have your attention on the Vegan menu…there are other standouts! In the mood for calamari? Why not try Chef K’s take…Hearts of Palm Calamari. Nori battered hearts of palm drizzled in a combination of sweet Thai chili sauce and lemon caper aioli. Appearances are DECEIVING as this truly looks like fried calamari rings, and in this case, you can’t trust your taste buds either, as the texture and taste is very close to your traditional squid calamari. In fact, to test my theory, I shared around with our group, not informing them that is WASN’T calamari…not a single person noticed the difference.

Ok, Ok, I know, enough raving about food for rabbits. For those of you looking for MEAT, yeah, they have it! A whole burger menu in fact with about 10 options to choose from! And sandwiches! And more classic entree options like steak, chicken parm, crab hash, and a salute to their roots….an omelette. And for those who are looking for quick bites while they enjoy happy hour cocktails at the bar, there are several traditional “bar food” appetizers to choose from. I had to try the fried pickles as any time “frickles” are an option, I’m sold. While I have traditionally preferred frickle chips to frickle spears, the fried pickle spear offered here are done right…no batter falling off mid-bite. No lack of crispiness or delightfully briney pickle flavor. And since they’re billed as “spicy” pickle fries, they deliver with just the right amount of heat in each bite that can be cooled with additional ranch dressing if you’re not a spice lover.

Now ultimately, this is Huntington, and it’s not enough to have a kickass menu or unique cocktails, so Toast Nights is also offering live music; this past weekend Peter Mazzeo & the Hit Squad performed several sets to the delight of diners and drinkers alike…no schedule has been announced, but this wasn’t their first appearance, so I’m doubtful it would be their last at Toast. Another added bonus, is that Toast offers it’s own parking lot. In a town like ours where parking (ESPECIALLY on Friday and Saturday nights) could actually be sold at the cost of your firstborn, this is a premium perk that should not be overlooked.

It seems for now, that while a few mainstays show up on the dinner menu weekendly, they are offering an ever changing list of items that make each dining experience unique…and dangerous! What happens if you don’t try everything, will you be able to try it next time? Maybe this is just a problem for me, as I am oft consumed with food FOMO (fear of missing out), but for the Vegan dishes and appetizers at least, plates are small enough for you to try multiples, and if you go with a group, even more so. As long as you don’t fall into a food rut (you know, where you order the SAME THING EVERY TIME) you will likely enjoy being surprised by the new dishes being offered each time. **important to note, that for those of you with little ones in tow-they offer their regular kids menu in the evenings, so picky eaters will not suffer**

OK now for some more photos of food to make you drool, because that’s why you came here isn’t it (isn’t it????)

UPDATE 7/1/2019:

Toast & Co. is no longer open for nights EVERY WEEKEND, but only when they schedule Live music. Please check out their social media accounts to be notified of upcoming events.