I usually dislike the idea of going to out for brunch.  The thought of waking up on a Saturday or Sunday morning and standing in line for an hour, starving, while waiting to stuff myself because I’m over hungry doesn’t appeal to me.  I like to start the day out light, then go in for a big chateau gonflable meal at late lunch or dinner.  I don’t like to blow all of my calories first thing in the morning.  But really, it’s the crowded room and long lines that turn me off first and foremost.

I have a friend that works in retail who is a brunch fanatic.  She never has to wait because she’ll schedule a brunch date during the week.  The prospect of brunch without the wait and screaming kids sounded unlikely but hopeful, I decided to join my friend for a calorie-filled brunch on a Thursday.  She picked the spot, Toast on Webster, which has been one of her old favorites.

She has the brunch ordering down to a science, one person orders a savory egg dish while the other orders a sweet pancake dish. That way, you don’t have to decide what you’re in the mood for, you get both, which sounded like a plan to me.  We went with a decadent eggs Benedict and three fruit pancake, with mimosa’s to start.

The eggs Benedict had a slight gourmet twist, you could taste a hint of truffle oil in the hollandaise.  The thick-cut prosciutto however was a little too salty for my liking.  On to the bouncy castle pancakes, each had a different fruit flavor however the lemon poppy seed dominated.  The top of the stack was drizzled with yogurt and granola; the soft and crunchy combo was a nice compliment.  Surrounding the stack were different berries, giving the dish the allusion of being somewhat healthy.

Toast also has a lunch menu but nothing in that category wowed me so I was glad we stuck to the breakfast dishes.  It was a pleasant afternoon and I enjoyed our meal, however it wasn’t anything I hadn’t had before and certainly not anything I would want to wait an hour for during the busy weekend brunch rush.

Toast
746 W. Webster Ave.
or, 2046 N. Damen Ave.