The Groaning Board

Believe it or not, this is what was left over after I had dinner at Toast in Novato.  We had gone there with pals Janie and Jack for an early dinner after a fun swimming afternoon at their nearly-private pool.  I can't say I got enough exercise to warrant a hearty meal - it was more of a float-and-chat sort of swim - but I got one anyway.

Very crisp fried chicken on a volcano of real mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy in the caldera, with a nice side of cole slaw and a corn muffin with Parmesan melted on top.  Sounded good and it was, but when it arrived, the heaping platter was of a size that three people would have been very well fed.  And, in fact, three people were.  I ate one of the chicken pieces and some of the spuds and cole slaw for dinner, two smaller pieces for lunch the next day and even had a nice drumstick left to offer to My Beloved for a snack.  Neither one of us could finish the spuds and the muffin, although we did taste the muffin to make sure it was a good as the rest of the meal.  It was.

Based on a sample of one, I can heartily (and I do mean heartily) recommend Toast.  My Beloved wolfed down his rare, coffee-rubbed steak, cooked just the way he likes it.  Jack did justice to his crusted petrale sole and Janie raved about her Thai beef salad.  We had no room for dessert - and, by the way, that's saying something with Jack, who has the appetite of a great white shark.  We dithered over whether or not to order a cup of coffee, even, and finally decided we were just too full.


In addition to having very good food, Toast is very child-friendly.  Several tables were filled with families and everyone seemed to be having noisy fun.  The atmosphere is upbeat and peppy rather than soothing. One can still have a conversation without shouting there but it's one of those hubbub restaurants with an open kitchen, a casual air and fairly loud atmosphere.  

The little shallow fountain outside with brass duck sculptures and brass duck "footprints" embedded in the concrete is another attraction for the kids in the group - two little girls had shed their shoes and were ankle-deep in the water when we left the restaurant. Charming.


If you have a large family to feed, send one member to Toast for dinner and divide up the leftovers when s/he gets home.