Toast

Last night a friend of mine had his birthday dinner at Toast on 52nd Ave. They don't normally open for dinner but they were nice enough to arrange it for us, with picnic tables set up in the parking lot. Ever since Jebediah's memorable outdoor shrimp boil feast at Sckavone's, this is now my favorite kind of birthday party - casual outdoor dinners at friendly neighborhood restaurants.

Our dinner at Toast was amazing. They served this incredible creamy gazpacho with prawns, cilantro and basil. The tomatoes tasted super fresh and vibrant and the fresh herbs and prawns were a great match. I didn't know that gazpacho was something you could get excited about. Then they served a gigantic burger with sharp white cheddar and sweet caramelized onions. The burger was served on two huge slabs of toast, which was tasty and fresh and sopped up the burger juices and didn't get crumbly. I had it with a golden ale from Clinton St. Brewing. We also had a Toast with a cava that I don't remember what it was. For dessert, there was warm blackberry cobbler with ice cream and big, fat, fresh blackberries.

Then it was a warm summer evening and I had a nice ride back through Southeast.