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.
It’s time for us to come together for our restaurants.
Our restaurants, who accepted us as the disheveled, hungover messes of our early twenties. Our restaurants, who hosted us as we celebrated countless birthdays. Our restaurants, who have supported our charitable endeavors, donating food, money and time to charities like VCU Massey Cancer Center.
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 MoreThis past weekend I went to MiKro. MiKro is a craft beer bar and bistro located in Hamden Connecticut. MiKro consists of an average size bar with a handful of tables. Initially when I walked into Mikro, first through a door, then through a curtain, I realized it was quite dark, which I was not expecting for a Sunday morning. However once I adjusted, I noticed it had a somewhat rustic and cozy atmosphere.
Every Sunday from 11:30 to 2 they have a special brunch menu. Items on this brunch menu include; French toast, hash, croque madame, chilaquiles, MiKro benedict, shrimp and grits, sausage biscuits, kale chop salad, and a MiKro burger. However this menu varies from week to week with some of it’s dishes.
Read MoreWeek two of my San Diego brunch reviews! If you missed last week, I was at Queenstown Public House for one meal. For my other brunch, I went to Richard Walker's Pancake House. My grandparents used to live in San Diego, and my mom recommended Richard Walker's to me. She even gave the the inside scoop: go Friday because it'll be too busy Saturday. Good thing I actually listened to her this one time, because I went around 9:45am on Friday, and it was still busy.
They are so busy in fact that it's totally normal to queue up a line outside, hand out menus and have people wait their turn to dine. Why? Because Richard Walker's is delicious and totally worth it.
Read MoreBrunch at Banditos = Better than Expected
Real talk: When I first think of Banditos, I think of a smoking bar with ridiculously cheap drinks and dollar tacos during happy hours. And a lot of company I would not usually keep.
But brunch at Banditos is super legit! They have a bunch of TV's for the sports lovers. Banditos has a big enough space to bring a crowd of friends. They have cheap drinks. And it's one of the only places I know of that serve chips and salsa as a brunch appetizer.
On the downside, if you do happen to take a large crowd, it does really cramp service time. However, if you're rolling that deep, that's probably an expected outcome anywhere. And the chips did help to fill the void.
Read MoreWe had quite the crew this one weekend, and because I write blog reviews about where I eat brunch, it fell on my shoulders to pick our newest victim-- er, I mean location -- of the review. And this time, there were seven willing critics to pitch in their thoughts and pictures. The menu is robust (and includes mimosa pitchers), which made everyone happy right off the bat.
We'll keep this review heavy on the pictures, as they almost speak wholly for themselves (and some all of my reviewers didn't have much critique to offer, P.S. love you guys). Now, meet all the plates from around the table:
Read MoreYou may remember from my brunch reviews of On the Rox and Pearl that I seem to really enjoy hearty meat meals for brunch (which is definitely accurate). So it’s no shocker that I ordered the hearty brisket bowl when I went to Social 52. It fell way short of my expectations.
I had a really hard time deciding what I was going to order at Social 52, and usually that’s because there are several dishes that I’d really like to try. This was just the opposite, as there was nothing on the menu that I really was dying to eat. It’s a pretty limited menu, with no obvious shining stars.
So I went with their brisket bowl because my roommate once got the brisket sandwich for dinner at Social, and it was hot and spicy. Almost too hot and spicy, which is a problem I usually enjoy. The brunch bowl is a total letdown, especially in comparison to the sandwich brethren I was mentally comparing it to. It was a big, unflavorful bowl of baby vomit grits and meat. I should also throw them a bone and share that I don’t usually love grits, so me not liking the grits that much isn’t surprising. The lackluster meat though, is really surprising. It hardly tasted like anything at all. Also, just a non-cherry on top, the menu online says you get a biscuit with this meal, and I certainly did not get a biscuit with this meal. I did not bring it up at the time, because there was no need for more subpar food at the table. I’m not blaming anyone in the case of the missing biscuit, our waitress was a waitress and did her job as you’d hope she would. It just didn’t exist on my plate ever.
Read MoreNext up on the brunch chopping block:
Millie's Diner is touted as a landmark eatery in Richmond, Virginia. I have heard it from them, from other people and from the incredible wait we had to sit through just to eat there. And you know what, it just wasn't worth it. Like at all.
We got there somewhat early on a Saturday or Sunday morning awhile back, and were planning on going to Belle Isle after it. We knew we'd have to wait, but an hour, forty five minutes is really pushing it, especially since they don't have a place for all of us waiters to wait comfortably. We got an expensive drink and were in it for the long haul though. Then once we FINALLY made it in, it took almost another hour just for some damn eggs.
Read MoreThis week's brunch review features a very special lady and her opinions: my mother. When my family came to visit me in Richmond, I brought them to On the Rox.
On the Rox is one of the least busy places you can probably go to for brunch in Richmond, and I never really understand why. Sure, their service is not the fastest, and sure, if you actually show up at 10am (like they advertise they are open at), you'll make it there before their wait staff, but their food is absolutely wonderful.
And they give you an entire bottle of champagne in the mimosa pitcher. AND they have those fancy windows that they swing all the way open on nice days. But most importantly, they have a great brunch menu!
Read MoreIn lieu of our new blog name, I thought it'd be fitting to actually do some brunch-themed posts. On top of that, I've ALWAYS wanted to be a food blogger, so basically there's no way I couldn't now do brunch reviews from around Richmond. So look forward to that happening every Sunday!
Here goes nothing. Up first, we've got Pearl Raw Bar.
A bit about my relationship with Pearl: I've been there three times. The first, with my roommates. We were all hungover as hell, and the waitress treated us as such. The second time I went with my sister and a roommate. 2 out of 3 of us were not hungover, and it was my favorite Pearl experience yet. The third time I went with a group of friends and the service was on par, but not memorable.
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