Located in the Fallbrook area of Lincoln, Toast (570 Fallbrook Blvd. #105) is a coffee house, neighborhood deli and watering hole inspired by elements of the European cafe bar. An intoxicating blend of espresso, delicatessen finds (with a twist such as the hashpuppies or the smoked salmon quesadilla) and a first class selection of fine wine, aged spirits and premium ales, Toast is at once homey and hip, not overdoing it on either fronts. Their Happy Hour runs weekdays from 3:30p to 6:30p offering $1 off the price of any draft beer or bottle, glass of wine, cocktail or martini. Daily specials run all night and as I was there on a Wednesday, I got to see what Wine & Wings! Night was all about (50 cent wings, min. order of 6, 25% off bottles of wine in addition to the $1 off a glass).
I arrived at Toast relatively early as I was doing my review in conjunction to a work ladies night so not many people were there yet. As the night went on more people trickled in for drinks or to have dinner, including a few families. Toast works in that weird way, you can have one table throwing back beers (ours) and a family with small children enjoying mini corndogs in harmony. The waitstaff is attentive and genuinely seem to love the people who come in, from first timers to regulars from the surrounding neighborhoods. Though the HH specials focus more on the drinks, their actual menu is an amazing hodge podge of traditional and intriguing items (I didn’t include actual reviews of the apps we tried outside of the wings since they weren't on special but as a protip: try the hashpuppies).
After much deliberation I tried the Bourbonade ($5.25: Maker’s, triple sec, lemonade, 7up). I enjoyed that it wasn’t too lemony nor did it have an overwhelming pop taste. Very mellow and the right amounts of everything to wash down any of the delicious bites on the menu. The mellowness did have the effect of making the drink seem watered down, but as my table concluded this could mean one of two things; I’m coming up on a drinking problem, or it’s a sneaky drink, one that catches up to you after two and now you're drunk in the bathroom telling girls how much you love their shoes (ok if you’re a girl, not so much if you’re a guy..in case you were wondering).
Next up (and pretty much the most important part of this article) are the wings. 50 cent wings! Will these wings take up the void that is the day after/before BWW’s special days. With so many flavor choices (buffalo hot or hotter than hot, honey mustard, espresso bbq, and sweet & spicy Asian chili) you certainly feel like a kid in the candy store, thoroughly satisfied with your OG flavors (like buffalo hot) and fun new kids on the block(honey mustard anyone). My table tried both the Asian chili and the espresso bbq (because we are at a hybrid coffeehouse so yes get everything with espresso in it) both different experiences. I really love Asian chili sauce especially when they get the kick level right (insert martial arts joke here) which Toast has achieved on all counts. I always have a quarrel with the fact that restaurants don’t seem to season their chicken wings anymore if there is a sauce slathered on it, but that’s never going to change. The wings were hot and fresh and enjoyed by all anyway.
The espresso bbq wings were another story. I wasn’t quite sure what I was expecting. Certainly not for them to taste like a cup of coffee sauce (which they didn’t) but would they be bbq-ey at all? Would I need the accompanying ranch or bleu cheese? The chicken was hot and fresh and quality wings. I couldn't discern a real coffee flavor, just a mild bbq so I felt slightly shafted. I expected these to be in your face (so yeah maybe I lied about the cup of coffee sauce comment) but maybe they are better this way. Just a faint reminder that you can also get a great cup of coffee here, if you’re into that sort of thing.
I also tried the Smith & Forge Hard Cider they had on tap partly because you shouldn’t get wasted in front of your co-workers at your FIRST ladies night (duh) but also because the waitress talked it up so much. First impression was it would be better with a shot of Jameson (I know, I know) but the more lasting impression was that I like this more than Redd’s and Woodchuck. Everyone go get a Smith & Forge if you are into a hard cider now and then, post haste (plus it’s made from apples and those things keep the doctor away).
I give Toast 4.5 smiles. I like going there, I like the variety, and I like the people. Slightly dislike that their HH doesn’t have any appetizer specials other than Wine & Wings Night. We could have had it all Toast.
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