As Told Over a Carnival of Wine & Food

June 12, 2018 by Cazey Williams in Cazey's Column, Richmond Brunch Review

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend a popup dinner at Tarrant’s West. The dinner was centered around Mollydooker wine, a famous Australian brand known for an irreverent shake, and Little Saint, the newest restaurant in the RVA Hospitality group. (“New” may be a loose term now that we’re approaching the end of Little Saint’s first year.) Without even having to write it, you know the evening was filled with lots of reds, the Mollydooker shake, and the best of culinary fares.

RVA Hospitality is the restaurant group that includes (obviously) Tarrant’s West and Little Saint, but also their siblings, Tarrant’s Café and Max’s on Broad. I’ve gotten to know RVA Hospitality’s owner, Frances Santarella, very well since RVA Hospitality has been such a strong supporter of Richmond Brunch Weekend for three years. When Frances asked me to come to this pop up, I couldn’t say no. This also offered me a chance to see the recently reopened sunroom at Tarrant’s West fit with hanging plants and streaming sunlight—all aesthetics that I love and Instagram! This is even perfect for when it’s hot to sit outside, but you want to feel like you’re outside (with a fan blowing above you).

As Told Over Salt & Forge Brunch

Salt & Forge

June 03, 2018 by Sara Woznicki in life lessons, Life In Your 20's, Richmond Brunch Review

I first heard about Salt & Forge from an old coworker, who's review was that it was, "Stupidly delicious!"

Needless to say, I need to be where the stupidly delicious biscuits are.

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.

The Story of the RVA Brunch Bar

February 27, 2018 by Cazey Williams in Cazey's Column, Richmond Brunch Review

I am that hand you see in all the Instagrams holding the #RVABrunchBar. Wait. You don’t know what the #RVABrunchBar is? Well, grab a chair. You’re going to get so excited that you have to sit down. It’s a brunch-themed ice cream bar. Is there anything better in the world? I mean, probably. But it’s up there. We can all agree on that.

This March Nightingale Ice Cream Sandwiches, a local ice cream sandwich company, will be selling the Brunch Bar throughout Richmond. You’ll be able to find this sweet treat at multiple Richmond locations.

The bar will feature blueberry maple swirl ice cream (!!) and a French toast cookie crunch. Like I said, you need a chair! You don’t want to miss this bar – it’s only available in March, and best yet, 10% from each bar will benefit VCU Massey Cancer Center. So have two! Calories don’t count.

Richmond's Best Brunch Dishes

December 17, 2017 by Sara Woznicki in Leisure, Life In Your 20's, Richmond Brunch Review, Sara's Column, Tweets and Mascara

When trying to decipher where to to brunch in Richmond, there's a few ways to pick the prime spot. Sometimes I sort Richmond brunch options based on qualifications like 'boozy brunches,' or 'cheap brunches in Richmond,' But then there's times where all you want is a really good _____. So here's where you need to go in Richmond for the best of every brunch item.

As Told Over Cafe Caturra

Cafe Caturra

October 16, 2016 by Cazey Williams in Cazey's Column, Richmond Brunch Review

We all have those friends who we’ve known for years, but we go months without seeing one another until we think of them randomly and say, “Hey, how are you? Let’s get brunch soon!”

That’s my friend Alyssa. We’ve known each other since undergrad, and we’re both in grad school (well, she’s in dental school), but we go eternities without seeing each other - and then we get coffee.

Alyssa was supposed to drive to me in the Fan, but her car broke, so I had to make a choice: No brunch, or do I drive to her? Since I’m so selfless, I drove to her. This also changed our destination. She gave me two options: the place we didn’t go and Café Caturra.

Richmond Brunch Weekend Followup

July 18, 2016 by astoldoverbrunch in Richmond Brunch Review

It's been over two months since Richmond Brunch Weekend happened! Honestly, we've been dieting ever since due to all those mimosas and omelets eaten Saturday and Sunday.

But we want to thank you all for coming out and supporting the first ever Richmond Brunch Weekend! In total, we had 24 restaurants participate and raised over $11,000 that will all go back to VCU Massey Cancer Center. We think these are awesome figures for an inaugural event, and we can't wait to plan for the Second Annual Richmond Brunch Weekend!

Brunch Review: Maple and Pine Restaurant of Quirk Hotel

Maple and Pine Restaurant

April 10, 2016 by Cazey Williams in Cazey's Column, Richmond Brunch Review

Since the fall, my Facebook feed has been spotted with friends’ Instagrams featuring trendy cocktails and aerial shots of flowers and/or food (warning: aerial shot ahead), all tagged at the Quirk Hotel. This past weekend I finally got to see the Quirk Hotel myself when I brunched at Maple and Pine, Quirk’s onsite restaurant and a participating restaurant in Richmond Brunch Weekend.

I feel not a lot of people know that Maple and Pine is the name of Quirk’s restaurant, or maybe I just need to namedrop Quirk Hotel, so every time I explained where I brunched, I go, “At Maple and Pine of Quirk Hotel.” Duh.

Quirk opened in downtown Richmond this past fall. It’s part of a hotel chain called Destination Hotels. So it’s not exactly a chain like the Marriott. It’s hard to really pin down what Quirk is, because it’s definitely more than a hotel: it’s a gallery, a restaurant, a bar, an event space, etc., etc. Its name should be “Trendy, Etc.,” to be honest because of how millennials on social media treat it.

Brunch Review: Southerly Patio & Restaurant

Southerly Restaurant & Patio

March 27, 2016 by Cazey Williams in Cazey's Column, Richmond Brunch Review

The first Saturday of March, I suddenly realized Richmond Brunch Weekend is a lot closer than I thought, and ATOB needed to start reviewing all these participating restaurants. I called up two friends and we headed to Southerly Restaurant & Patio, which is the dine-in portion of Southern Season. Now Sara and I have been to Southerly one other time, but not for brunch. I’ve been meaning to go back, and it only took nine months, no biggie.

We arrived around 12:30 with no reservation, but were seated promptly. The first thing my friends remarked upon was how fancy Southerly is. Now it’s not fancy in the “you need to dress up” way, but it’s the sort of place “you go to after church,” my friend explained. “Or you take your grandmother for her birthday.”

I definitely agree with this. There were rosebuds in water on the tables. Southerly’s target demographic is not the hungover millennial demographic, but it doesn’t need to be. We have the Fan bruncheries for that. The Southerly is, like its name implies, a taste of the South – a brunch place to take your parents (or rather, they take you) and then have them buy you stuff next door in the Southern Season.

Brunch Review: Belle & James

Belle & James

February 07, 2016 by Cazey Williams in Cazey's Column, Life In Your 20's, Richmond Brunch Review

For the last several months, I have walked by Belle & James almost everyday on my way to work/class/hell/whatever you want to call grad school. I've been meaning to drop in because I love the name, a reference to two intertwined Richmond landmarks - Belle Isle and the James River - and it just exudes a trendy vibe, which I can get down with.

Imagine my delight then when Jessica, Belle & James' brand manager, invited Sara and I in to try their brunch menu.

Me: Wait, they serve brunch?!

Brunch Review: Gus'

March 29, 2015 by Sara Woznicki in Leisure, Life In Your 20's, Richmond Brunch Review, Sara's Column, Tweets and Mascara

My favorite buffalo chicken sandwich in Richmond comes from Gus'. And they have cheap beer, a ton of TV's and is half a block away from our house, so it was the most idyllic place to go to watch the World Cup final, or to just grab a quick, reasonably priced meal on a weeknight.