A Brunch to Remember

The brunch I had the other day is one of the best I’ve ever had. The location of the brunch spot is unassuming: a short strip mall in a Boston suburb. Also in the strip mall is a branch of the US post office and a pharmacy that look straight out of the 1950s.

I thought “The Toast Office” was a cute name for a diner, and it became even cuter when I saw the time-warped post office that it shares a location with. We went on a Sunday around 1:00 pm. The restaurant was about half full, and as we started eating, I couldn’t believe our luck at finding a table immediately. Although there was a nice-looking patio in the parking lot, we sat indoors because it was in the high 80s.

I immediately liked the place because there was a “sweet and savory” section of the menu. Whenever I go out to brunch, I hem and haw between sweet and savory. I love French toast, but I tend to crave savory in the morning. Savory wins out 75 percent of the time. The sweet and savory menu items included eggs, bacon, sausage, home fries, and either French toast or pancakes. Perfect.

Allen went with pancakes and I went with French toast. I’m not usually impressed with pancakes, but these pancakes tasted like cake. The French toast was made with brioche, and I could taste cinnamon in the batter. The seasoning on the home fries was phenomenal. The dish came with 4 slices of artisan bread from a local bakery. The eggs were nicely scrambled, and the iced coffee was solid.

We don’t live around the corner from Westwood, but we will make pilgrimages for the great brunch at The Toast Office. And a bonus: Westwood is also home to a huge Wegmans. That is next to a huge Marshalls. And a huge Home Goods. And a huge Target. In other words, my dream come true…