Coffee and a Conversation
As Told Over Brunch is a home for intelligent discourse from the twenty-something perspective - so the stuff you gossip about over mimosas on Sunday morning or over takeout on your friend's couch when happy hour ends too early. We love chatting about our lives, whether it be the relationships we’re building (or destroying), lessons we've learned at work, struggles at school, growing pains we've felt, or even the food we’re talking over.
I first heard about Salt & Forge from an old coworker, who's review was that it was, "Stupidly delicious!"
Caz and I both hit the gym separately, and then met up to undo all the good work we did at the gym at Salt & Forge.
Read MoreWhen I first learned that Shockoe Whiskey and Wine was going to be part of Richmond Brunch Weekend, I was super excited because I hadn’t heard of this restaurant that serves brunch, but all the more reason to try it! Well, there was a reason I hadn’t heard of them serving brunch; they weren’t serving brunch. At least they weren’t serving brunch yet.
I had to wait until last month to visit Shockoe Whiskey and Wine for brunch. But boy, the wait was not for nothing. I do not say this lightly when I say Shockoe Whiskey and Wine, with one single meal, leaped into my top three favorite Richmond brunch places (am I allowed to say that? Does that admit bias? Oops?). Keep reading to find out why!
(I probably don’t need to write that last sentence because obviously you’re going to keep reading. I mean, that’s why you’re here.)
My friend and I originally showed up to SW&W (I’m abbreviating now because my fingers are tired and I want to give SW&W a trendy abbrev) on a Saturday, and it didn’t look quite open. Well, it turned out it was open, but there were only serving lunch.
Read MoreA couple of weeks ago I got asked to go on CBS 6's "Virginia This Morning" in honor of Hot and Spicy Food Day (which is tomorrow, so get your chili peppers!). I was asked to tasked with talking about how you can celebrate such an auspicious holiday and incorporate Qrunch Organics, which is a brand ATOB has worked with before. Part of this involved bringing homemade spicy foods to the studio.
If you caught the segment, I ended up making a spicy salad (regular salad topped with a Qrunch burger and chili powder-infused Italian dressing), some spicy nuts, and a Qrunch crust quiche.
Read MoreWhen we first heard about STAXrva this past week via a Richmond Times-Dispatch article, we had to get on this boat (or is it a bike since it's breakfast being delivered?). Breakfast delivered to your doorstep, is there anything more inspiring? The times we live in!
STAXrva is brought to you this fall by the great minds who also brought you Red Eye Cookie Co. Red Eye is known for nighttime delivery of warm, baked cookies and other treats you lie about at your Weight Watchers meetings. In a similar model, STAXrva will deliver breakfast sandwiches to your front door. I need to take a seat, I’m so excited.
Read MoreMy friend asked where we should go for brunch the Friday night before we inevitably went to Joe’s (did I give away the ending of this story too soon?), and I listed places I haven’t been to (since when you review the brunch scene, you really can’t revisit places). We then stalked the candidates’ menus and got stoked on the $8.25 Big Breakfast at Joe’s.
Nine hours later we rolled out of bed. Actually, my friend dressed and did her makeup. I rolled out of bed and put on flipfops. We then strolled to Joe’s like a college freshman going to D-Hall. (We weren’t hungover, I swear.)
Read MoreA few weekends ago while visiting my parents in Virginia Beach, my dad asked if I wanted to go out for breakfast. Since I run a brunch-focused blog, I obviously said yes. He then asked if I wanted to go Denny’s or a local place called Kim Café.
For Cazey’s friend’s second day in Richmond, we decided to take her to an RVA favorite, Kuba Kuba. Sara and Cazey have both been to Kuba Kuba several times before. In fact, we tried going for our Valentine’s Day date, but there was a line, and neither of us honor the virtue patience, so we left.
In this case, Cazey was still worried about a wait since Kuba Kuba does not take reservations and does not have expansive seating. The restaurant is located on a nondescript corner in the heart of the Fan, only indicated by its flashing “Kuba Kuba” sign with a rooster. If you can’t tell, they specialize in Cuban food.
Read MoreLast Friday a representative from Qrunch Foods contacted ATOB about doing a TV segment on “meatless dishes at summer barbecues.” Sara was out of town for her birthday, which meant the task fell to me since we bloggers never pass up potential publicity opportunities.
From the wording, I thought they wanted me to show up and taste test some Qrunch veggie burgers. While I am not vegetarian, I love vegetarian dishes. In undergrad, I brought vegan black bean brownies to potlucks and made vegan oatmeal cookies for my roommates. I also occasionally buy vegetarian burgers at the grocery store, so I was excited to try Qrunch burgers.
Read MoreLast weekend, I was tasked with picking a brunch place for my (now) ex- roommate and myself, so like any good brunch review blogger, I just googled, "brunch in Richmond," and went from there. The first few, I had been to (like Helens), so I kept scrolling until I found one that seemed interesting. The Hill Cafe caught my attention, mainly because of a scenic picture it displayed.
Once I clicked through to their menu, I was impressed by the options, and was also surprised to see that it didn't open until 11:30am. My roommate and I settled for it, since it had sandwiches (she likes sandwiches more than standard breakfast foods), was in Church Hill (a neighborhood we don't frequent) and was a place we'd never been.
Read MoreWhen I was 14, my dad bought me a cockatiel. Abigail was four weeks old, too young to come home, so I visited her everyday in the pet shop. She was my child.
I didn't know she was also my mail-order bride.
You're about to gain some avian knowledge: Firstly, female birds can lay eggs. You're probably like, "I knew that . . ." But here's the trivia: They don't have to. A bird only lays an egg if she is a.) healthy and b.) comfortable/stable/dumb enough to think she's found a good nest and mate. (And when birds lay egg(s), no, it is not going to hatch unless there's a male to fertilize it. Immaculate conceptions don't happen in birdcages.)
Read More