Toast on Nantasket Beach

Saturday morning calls for a special breakfast. A celebration that you survived another work week and that two days off has begun!

We headed down to Hull to cash in a Groupon I bought a while back- time for some Toast!


Toast is tucked away on Nantasket Avenue right on the beach.


Look for the blue Ocean Place sign and take a left. There's parking across the street in a municipal lot, too.

Though you might encounter a bit of a wait, there's plenty of knick-knacks to see.


A bookshelf of cookbooks in the bathroom!

Soap shaped like buttered toast!

The owner, Audrey, did the hair and makeup for this photoshoot!

We probably waited about 15-20 minutes to be seated- we scored prime spots at the counter. I love sitting at the counter- all the hustle and bustle is right there and it feels just like an old fashioned diner full of locals and families. The waitstaff was friendly and attentive. Our coffee cups were kept full and warm.

We started with an order of grilled banana bread. It was served with a side of salty butter and it was divine. Soft sweet cake was encased in a crisp, warm exterior. Pretty sure we were lucky enough to get the last batch- so delicious.

There's only a chef and a sous chef in the back so it does take some time to get your food, but the main event is worth the wait.

Oh my stars, these were tasty. Sugared pecans and fresh blueberries topped three hearty, multigrain pancakes. Served with real maple syrup, these were the perfect breakfast treat. I got a side of fluffy scrambled eggs for a bit of protein.


The husband ordered the Cape Cod home fries. Shredded and diced potatoes were grilled to perfection with peppers, onions, and sausage. A sprinkling of cheese on top and a side of over easy eggs rounded out the plate.


As you can see, we both left very full and very happy. Our total meal was only $28- a definite bargain for the quality we received. The rest of the menu looked as good as the food we ordered, so we'll definitely be going back for more weekend eats.

Three cheers for Toast!

Pizza happens

I'm usually a very hands-on cook- I make myself a homemade breakfast every morning, pack myself a lunch, and usually prep a pretty involved dinner 5 nights a week. But sometimes you have to cut yourself some slack. Tonight was one of those nights. Work has been wacky lately and I've been leaving work much later than usual. We are running wicked low on groceries and it's hot.

This is all a very long way of telling you that I picked up a pizza on the way home. And it was good.

I first tried Unchained Pizza back in May when my sister was here. It was delicious! One of the only veggie pies I've gotten that wasn't completely soggy.

Non-soggy bottom.

Huge 18" pizza- we each had two slices and have several leftover. Lunch!

Covered in mushrooms, broccoli, olives, tomatoes, onions, and peppers.


Just because we had takeout didn't mean we couldn't enjoy some ambiance. Enter our lovely backyard and a glass of 3 buck Sauvignon Blanc. Hurrah for al fresco dining!

And while we're outside, how 'bout a few backyard pictures??

Check out the garden- growing like weeds! And there are plenty of actual weeds in there- I've been pulling up the naughty ones a few times a week!


Kevin hiding in the kale.

Baby peppers.

Baby cucumber.
Baby 'maters.

Whole lotta mint- we need to have a mojito party, stat!

Gill loves playing in the BBY (big backyard- he can't spell but he knows where the fun happens!).



For dessert, a few freshly picked raspberries. And then birthday cake for my mother in law at their house- happy birthday Lorraine! (And Uncle Dan- his birthday is tomorrow, too!)

Hingham Beer Works

To celebrate my birthday and soak up some sunshine, we wandered down to Hingham Beer Works at the fancy schmancy Hingham Ship Yard. According to Nick, the shipyard used to be quite the pit, but with a little venture capital and a few chain stores, it's a lovely gathering spot now.

It's a microbrew so we started off with some small pours to whet our appetite. 12 oz. pours of World's End IPA for me and Blueberry Ale for Nick. Nick's had real blueberries in it! The IPA was good, too, not too bitter. You can get beer in 12 oz., 16 oz., or 22 oz. pours- I liked this because I have trouble committing to beer, especially new ones.


We had to wait probably 20 minutes for a patio table but it was worth it! Love the outdoor ambiance.



Do I look older? No major wrinkles yet or gray hair. I've already informed Nick that I won't be graying with dignity- bring on the dye!



With dinner, I had a sampler of 4 oz. pours. From left to right: watermelon beer, peach hefeweisen, Back River red, and Buckeye Oatmeal stout. None really rocked my socks and I couldn't even finish the peach one. Microbrews are so hit or miss.

Nick had a white ale- he liked it. I tried a sip- not my bag.

Appetizers included nachos! Yummy and thoroughly coated with the good stuff.

And pretzel bites. These were strangely hard and not really pretzel-y at all. We didn't eat many of them but I brought them home and used them as croutons on my lunch salad. Much better.


Dinner for me was the world's smallest portabella mushroom sandwich. There were two small slices of roasted red pepper, a TON (too much) of herbed goat cheese, and a really sad little mushroom. I was underwhelmed but still cleaned my plate. A girl's gotta eat. I gotta say- being a vegetarian at restaurants is hard sometimes. At home, I can make whatever I want, but at most restaurants I can get a veggie burger or a veggie sandwich. Perhaps I should hit the city for some veg haute cuisine.


Nick had the steak tips. He said they were awesome- I tried a super small bite. Beefy. I did snag several bites of mashed potato- yum!

We skipped dessert- we were stuffed with beer and nachos!

Instead, we took a walk down the shipyard and read all the funny boat names. One was called Payback...interesting...

The sunset was especially gorgeous- I luck out with great weather and a great husband on my birthday!

It is important to that Betty Cupcakes is a serious lightweight and definitely cannot handle 24 oz. of beer. Silliness and a WICKED early bedtime ensued.