As Told Over Black Hand Breakfast
I tried to go for a run today. After about a mile, I found myself sitting by the fountains of the VMFA, texting Cazey to see if we should get one of those delicious breakfast sandwiches from Idle Hands.
He was en route to the gym, but volunteered to come with me while I got a sandwich, but I didn't want to burden him. Instead, I convinced myself that maybe if I just 'happened' upon Black Hand Coffee Co, I would get a coffee and sandwich there.
Seeing as how I know exactly where Black Hand is, lo and behold, I just happened to pass by Black Hand. Additionally conveniently, the line was only three people deep. I wandered my way in and squinted at the menu (I didn't run with my glasses on). Black Hand has a small but tasteful menu of bagels (Asiago, wheat and everything) with topping options including hummus, cream cheese or breakfast sandwiches including egg, cheese, bacon or sausage.
A family favorite (and my favorite) is sausage, egg and cheese on everything, so I settled on that immediately. The harder question was what drink I wanted. Dirty Chai's are my ultimate favorite, but since I was already getting the most expensive breakfast option, I decided to go with the medium cold brew coffee.
A fun fact: the warm coffee and iced coffee are the same price here, except when you get the large.
I got my iced coffee, threw in a bit of half and half and took a seat at a small table. I wasn't planning on eating there (since eating in public alone isn't my favorite thing to do), but when the cook slid my sandwich out on the bar, I decided to just go for it and eat it immediately.
I don't want to just fidget on my phone the whole time and not soak in the atmosphere, so I snapped a quick picture and clicked my phone to black.
Once doing that, I let the environment speak to me. The ceiling is one of those beautiful, colorful ceilings with a square tile design. It was a muted orange with a single fan in the middle of it. I thought to myself, "Cazey would like this ceiling, especially with the way it reflects on the table."
Then I peeked up and looked at the ever-growing line. There was a mix of happy looking couples, people coming from the gym and others just stopping in for a bag of coffee.
And then, of course, I was focusing on my sandwich. It was a delightfully cheesy sandwich with just enough grease to give it that classic sausage feel, but not enough to make my stomach churn. The bagel was crisp on the edges with a nice, soft middle. The sandwich was a standard, hearty start to the day. The iced coffee was strong, but tasteful. I love the rich flavor of Black Hand.
Considering Black Hand is the closest boutique coffee place around me, it's a shame how infrequently I go. In fact, my brother who's been to Richmond only like four times in his life has probably gone to Black Hand just as many times as I have.
Plus, the price is so reasonable. For just over $8 ($5 for the sandwich and $2.50 for the medium coffee), I was able to buy a breakfast that left me not hungry until a late lunch and enough caffeine to make a day on just one cup. I mean seriously, you can go to Starbucks where the coffee is burned, or you can buy local and buy a CHEAPER cup of coffee. So go buy local and buy Black Hand Coffee!