Toast on Market
Location: Louisville, Kentucky
Our Meal: Bruch/light lunch
Atmosphere: Alleyway Cafe
Lemon Souffle Pancakes: A short stack of fluffy pancakes smothered in a blueberry compote and topped with homemade vanilla custard
Monte Cristo, a french toast/sandwhich love-child with a side of orange marmalade: toasted brioche, filled with slices of ham and swiss cheese, then dusted with powdered sugar
toastonmarket.com
On a recent trip to the Red River Gorge for sport climbing, we decided to treat ourselves to brunch after spending five days in the woods eating our dehydrated camp meals. Brunch is by far my favorite meal of the weekend. It means I had too much fun the night before, but not too much that I slept through all of my day... or that I'm just feeling lazy.
A quick walk from the hotel to the East Market District in Louisville, and we found Toast on Market. The 'gated' open air patio was a little cold for us, so we sat inside, in the small dining room behind the main bar. I loved the exposed brick wall and local artists' work featured on the non-brick walls. Everything had a perfect upscale shabby-chic feel, down to the coffee/alcohol bar we passed on the way in.
But more important than the table setting and local artists on the walls, was the food.
As is Alex's tradition, he started his meal with a bloody mary. It was slightly spicy, and came with bacon and a thin pickle slice. I went for the watermelon and mint mimosa, which came with a good-sized chunk of watermelon on the glass... stealing this idea for summer. And then came the nomz.
My brunch was the Monte Cristo, a french toast/sandwhich love-child with a side of orange marmalade. The brioche bread was toasted crispy, and filled with slices of ham and swiss cheese, then dusted with powdered sugar. Sweet. Savory. Salty. Tangy. What more could you ask for? Oh... yeah... another mimosa.
Alex ordered the popular Lemon Souffle Pancakes. While the menu describes them as "delightfully delicate and bursting with lemon flavor," the presentation and taste far exceed the claim. Out came a short stack of fluffy pancakes that were bright yellow on the inside, smothered in a blueberry compote and topped with homemade vanilla custard. The small bite I was allowed to steal did indeed burst with flavor.
