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.

A few weeks ago, I “remembered” Alyssa so we agreed to get brunch on Saturday. I wouldn’t commit to a time because I wanted to go for a run, but I also wanted to sleep in, and said we would text morning of. I also have commitment issues in case you didn't know. And then I woke up early, but then didn’t go running until 10:30 AM, and Alyssa slept in, too, so then it was 12 noon. Do we go to brunch, or do we go to lunch? Duh, brunch, because I’m always in the mood for brunch. (And I write for this brunch blog, I don’t know if you’ve heard of it, but I have to write brunch reviews.)

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.

Anyway, the whole point of this narrative is, it was close to 1 PM by the time we got to brunch. We went to the Café Caturra in Midlothian Village Square. Café Caturra has two other locations – one on Grove Avenue in Richmond and in Charlottesville.

The café (which is a restaurant to clarify) was reasonably busy when we rolled up, but we were seated immediately – in plush chairs by the fireplace. For being a restaurant, this location retains its café appeal. I felt like we had plopped down in front of the fireplace in the Gryffindor Common Room.

Since Alyssa had been here before, she knew what she wanted before I did. She got the crispy cheese panini (cheddar, provolone, and tomato!) with the raspberry walnut salad (which she raved about from previous experiences). This came out to $9. She also ordered an iced honey and spice latte.

I was between the Caturra Mess (potatoes, charred ham, and white cheddar topped with two over easy eggs and Hollandaise sauce, $10) and the Mediterranean skillet (Portobello, tomatoes, eggplant, and feta topped with over easy eggs and a baguette, $12). I was leaning toward the Mediterranean since I’m not huge on Hollandaise and have always wanted to go to Italy, but the waitress said she preferred the Caturra Mess and they could put the Hollandaise on the side. Praise! I also ordered a large iced Americano with light soy and a bit of pumpkin sauce (in case you want all the specifications and want to surprise me with a drink this fall - anyone?). My entire bill came out under $15 with tip. What a deal!

The food was awesome. The ambiance was awesome. Alyssa was awesome. Maybe it’s the Americano speaking, but you should definitely check this place out for lunch or brunch if you're in Midlothian or on Grove Avenue. Maybe we can get them onboard for Richmond Brunch Weekend this March *smiley emoji*.

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