the ladies who breakfast

It's an unfortunate inevitability in this town: bad people happen to good restaurants. After all, Hollywood has to eat! (although you wouldn't guess it looking at some of the very people I'm talking about...). After a while, it's like, I don't care if you have the best ahi steak this side of Tsukiji Fish Market, there are only so many yippy lap dogs and microskirt/ugg-boot combos I can wade through before it's just not worth it.

This is why, on a average weekend morning, you will rarely see me at Toast. The scene wafts around the place so thick you can taste it. Maybe it's me, but it just makes breakfast unpleasant.

Which is kind of sad, because Toast is actually a pretty delicious restaurant, especially for breakfast. Their egg dishes are huge, fresh, and have great flavor combinations, and the fruit bowl that can come with most meals is outstanding. Not a few overripe chunks of canteloupe and 4 red grapes, but a wide variety of fresh fruits, berries, sometimes mango, sometimes fresh coconut, and often prettily garnished with a slice of star fruit. They even carry shakshuka - the middle eastern specialty of eggs simmered over a stew of tomatoes and peppers. The menu definitely has some things going for it.

Fortunately, I was recently schooled on when to go to Toast. The secret: early in the morning, especially on weekdays. This is the way to do it! My friends Rachel and Heather meet once a week for breakfast. Last week, they were meeting at Toast, a few blocks from my apartment, and they kindly invited me to join them. Going to Toast at 8 am on a weekday is a completely different experience than I was used to. There was no 4-people-deep crowd surrounding the place waiting to get called to their table. I simply walked over, found Rachel and Heather sitting at a table on the sidewalk, and sat next to them.

Not wanting to induce grogginess right before work, we went for lighter fare. They each got scrambled egg whites and turkey sausage with the famous fruit, and I tried their granola. It did not disappoint. Restaurant granola is a crapshoot, but this had big nutty chunks and whole almonds, and was toasted to a deep golden brown, bringing out the light sweetness.

Half an hour later, I headed to work, feeling much more accomplished than on your average morning. I had a nice walk through my neighborhood, learned much about the glamorous life of a gallery owner, and discovered a pleasant new breakfast spot just down the street.




Toast is at 8221 W. 3rd street, at Harper. It's open for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and red velvet cupcakes.