By Emily Deskevich

At the corner of Three Chopt and Patterson is the Village Shopping Center. “The Village” houses a Publix, CVS, a tanning shop, banks, nail salons, an ABC store, and various dining options. Of these dining establishments, a personal favorite of mine is Toast, New American Gastropub.

Toast prides itself on being a modern take on Southern classics like the Nashville chicken sandwich, rib gouda mac, pimento cheese wontons, and meatloaf. The restaurant also does not shy away from incorporating new and less typically Southern dishes onto their menu. These include the tuna wonton nachos, pesto panini ciabatta, Thai wrap, and the toasted sesame tuna. A personal favorite of Upper School English teacher (and Match advisor) Vlastik Svab are the shrimp nachos. Svab states, “they are fantastic!” Another selection worth noting is the wide variety of salads Toast serves. Some of these salads include the salmon BLT salad, Thai salad, southwest steak salad, and the grilled Caesar. 

Toast, owned by Jessica and Josh Bufford, opened their first location in August 2012 at the Village Shopping Center. Due to popularity and demand, a second location was opened in September 2017 in Midlothian at the Winterfield Place shopping center. Both locations are open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Sunday, as well as brunch on Saturdays and Sundays.

A weekend doesn’t go by where I don’t think about a meal at Toast. The temptation of some tuna nachos or truffle burger often floods my mind, but most importantly the idea of enjoying some salty sweet potato tater tots is unavoidable, so I often try to get a family member or friend to go with me. This request is not always well received. When asked about Toast, Collegiate senior and my friend Stella Smigelski (‘22) stated, “I wouldn’t go out of my way to go there.” However, I won’t let my friend’s opinions stop me from attaining what I truly desire: a meal at Toast. In the past month, I’ve been to Toast every weekend in some way or another, either take out or dining in. So, when the search for a restaurant in Richmond worth reviewing began, Toast was an obvious choice. 

Chicken pesto ciabatta sandwich. Photo credit: Alice Hallock.

On a Sunday in early April, I decided to make the five-minute drive to the Toast in The Village with friend and senior Alice Hallock (‘22). Hallock, another avid Toast-goer, describes the restaurant as “a lively, family friendly venue with a great range of food. Whenever I can’t decide what to eat, I always go to Toast.” While I would admit that our trip to Toast may be a bit biased given our affinity for it, I did make an effort to try something new on the menu, for the sake of a new perspective. 

As we sat down, a waitress brought us our own glass water pitcher and two water glasses. A personal favorite of mine at Toast is the decision to use small glass mason jars for guests’ water. Next came the hard decision of going against the grain and ordering something other than my two usual favorites. I settled on the grilled Caesar salad, a dish my mom frequently orders. In addition to my salad, I also ordered my favorite side dish: the sweet potato tater tots. Hallock, on the other hand, ordered her usual pesto chicken ciabatta. When asked about the sandwich, Hallock stated, “The pesto chicken ciabatta sandwich is the best sandwich I’ve eaten in Richmond. The chicken is always perfectly cooked, the bread nicely toasted, and the pesto smooth and delicious. I recommend the pesto chicken ciabatta sandwich to everyone I meet, and I will never eat it too many times.”

Grilled caesar salad. Photo credit: Emily Deskevich.

The grilled chicken Caesar is a different take on a common salad. A head of romaine lettuce is sliced in half and grilled to a slight char. The romaine is then added to a plate covered with parmesan cheese, tomatoes, croutons, and their own house Caesar dressing. To me, the taste of the salad was top notch. I had never had a salad where the lettuce had been grilled prior to being plated, and I thoroughly enjoyed the taste. However, the size of the two romaine pieces and the process of using a steak knife to cut my salad was something I was not prepared for. I loved this salad, but the sheer size of the dish on a disproportionately-sized plate made it quite difficult to enjoy the fresh flavors. 

A trip to Toast would not be complete without ordering the iconic sweet potato tater tots. A personal favorite of mine, these tater tots are the perfect combination of sweet and salty. The sweetness brought to the side dish from the potato pairs nicely with the sprinkled salt on top of the tots. The side comes with a yellow dipping sauce, the ingredients of which are a mystery to me. The flavors are a combination of a spicy kick mellowed out with a unknown sweetness. I’ve tried the sauce before and have enjoyed it, but most of the time I choose not to dip my perfect tots in this mystery sauce. Regardless of what I order at Toast, my order is always followed up with a “Can I get a side of sweet potato tots, please?” 

Toast is a family-friendly neighborhood restaurant. The atmosphere is inviting and lively and welcomes you inside. Guests can be seen in dressy clothing at a brunch or post work get-together, or in casual workout clothes getting together with friends. Toast’s spirit allows guests to make it what they want, a formal meal or a lowkey break. I’ve always found the service kind and helpful. Food ordered comes out promptly and as ordered. So the next time you are faced with the important question of where to get brunch, lunch, or dinner, whether takeout or dine in, I hope Toast comes to mind. 

Featured photo credit: Emily Deskevich.