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 had been to Helen’s many times for late night PBRs but had not checked out their famed brunch prior to this meal. It was a packed house at Helen’s when we arrived Sunday morning. We put our name on the waiting list and then snagged a seat outside on Helen’s front porch. Surrounded by hanging plants and Richmonders drinking mimosas and bloody marys, the cozy outside space made the wait feel brief and well worth it for a delicious brunch!
Read MoreWho's on first?...Yes...I mean the fellow on first?...Who.
That is my first impression of Lunch. I told people we were going to Lunch, and then we went in circles until everyone finally figured out that we were in fact going to brunch at a place named Lunch.
Confusion -- and a major hangover -- aside, the trip to Lunch for brunch was excellent. First off, who knew such a quaint and delicious haven was so close to my house? I didn't. We got there at the perfect time, with one table left right in the center of the restaurant for us.
The restaurant itself was tiny, but perfect. There was a big pig made of license plates above us, with a little bar to the left and just a few tables circling us. What a great, central location for someone who thought their head was exploding. Anyways, the waitress was great and kept my adorable mason jar of water full at (almost) all times.
Read MoreRichmond has been put on the map lately for all of our breweries that have popped over the years. However, we’ve become a city (and state) with so much more to offer. That’s what Cider Week VA celebrates.
We had the pleasure of getting a little taste of what to expect from Cider Week Virginia 2018, which is coming up from November 9-18, 2018. Here’s what’s going down.
Read MoreThen as we closed in on the car, we looked at each other and said, "Brunch!?" Coming off the back of Richmond Brunch Weekend, I find myself wanting to still support all of the restaurants who participated, but I also visualized myself at LuLu's and couldn't shake that I needed to be there.
I pointed us down 17th street, across Broad and into a PACKED LuLu's. I saw the Richmond Brunch Weekend Kick-off chair as soon as we walked in and yell-whispered, "How long is the wait?" And he said he always sat at the bar. I nodded, quickly thinking we'd need to head to my brunch staple, On the Rox soon. I was famished and not trying to play around with the waiting nonsense.
Read MoreLast weekend, Cazey and I had the pleasure of being tourists in our own city. We were invited to try the Carytown Food and History Tour, hosted by River City Food Tours. Our booking was last Saturday at 2PM on a perfect autumn afternoon, until the sun went down and it got a little chilly. The email reminder told us to bring a positive attitude, water, walking shoes, and to dress appropriately. Apparently we’re not good at following directions because we neglected to bring water and wear enough clothing once the sun went down a bit.
My first pro tip would be to follow the professional advice and bring water and a jacket. The water is crucial, as you’ll taste a lot of food and not every restaurant provides water.
Read MoreTo celebrate the start of November -- eek, can we talk about how it's November already!? -- we decided to give District 5 a try for brunch, based off of ours Uber driver's recommendation last night. Upon waking up, I dug up their menu to find that they offered nothing but a brunch buffet and a few pizzas.
My first critique of the brunch is about their menu. It's really difficult, if not impossible, to see the menu well on mobile. But we went anyways, because this isn't my first brunch buffet, and I was sold already on the promise of endless eggs.
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 MoreFor 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 MoreI have a hit list of places I want to brunch at in Richmond, and F.W. Sullivan's has been one since following them on Instagram. Not only do they appear to have a variety of types of meals, ranging from steak to burgers to pasta dishes and flatbreads, but they deliver (except not for brunch, which I think would be beyond clever). I used that delivery option once for dinner, and felt a bit bad about it, as it was one of the coldest days of the year and the poor bastard biked our food to us. Anyways, not the point of this post. Back to brunch.
In all honesty, we were trying to go to Sidewalk, but then it was unreasonably busy, so we went to Sully's. It was perfectly not swamped, and we got right to a table. Before ordering, a waitress brought us a mimosa that we didn't order, then realized we were new here. She then came back to take our drink order -- just coffee and water (too tired/hungover for some mimosas, who knew that was possible).
Read MoreWe used to live two blocks away from City Diner, which means we'd go anytime we were in a hurry, hungover or lazy. The restaurant itself is rather small, so if you go with a crew, be ready to divide and conquer. They get you in and out quickly, and you can tell you're surrounded by a lot of regulars. Bonus points, because they do have a very small alleyway, which is surprisingly nice to sit in during the summer months.
I've been to City Diner a multitude of times, and I've had generally positive experiences. Keep in mind you're at a diner, and you'll definitely be satisfied. My favorite meals are their omelets because they're cheap, delicious and come with a ton of sides. If you're looking for economical, the omelet is definitely where you want to look. My favorite is meat lovers, because meat, duh.
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