Next up: scheduling a date night to sample some of those pizzas.



^^ My thoughts exactly, little B. Thanks for summing it up.

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day but I hate getting up early. Enter brunch! Going out for brunch is one of my favorite things to do on a cozy weekend morning -- I think I've eaten brunch in every city in Hampton Roads (except Suffolk! If you know a good place over there, please let me know. I'd love to try it out.)

The only requirements I have for a brunch place is a great Bloody Mary and a family-friendly atmosphere (since babysitters aren't usually available bright and early on weekend mornings). Here are my five favorite kid-friendly brunch places in #HRVA. What're yours?

1. Waterman's (Virginia Beach): We visited this beachfront restaurant last weekend after seeing Santa at the aquarium and it jumped to the top of the list based on the lovely view alone. Luckily, the menu is also good -- a lot of interesting specials, varied kid selections, and best of all, they bring a cinnamon roll basket to the table like other restaurants bring bread. They also proudly support the Sustainable Seafood program. What's not to like? Try: the Orange Crush.

2. No Frill Grill (Norfolk): My all-time favorite brunch place from way back, down in the heart of Ghent (there's also one at Hilltop). The name suits it -- the food isn't fancy or frilly but just plain well done. Can get a little packed on Sunday mornings but it's always worth the (minor) wait. Try: the Crab Benedict.

3. Conch and Bucket (Hampton): A sweet new(ish) place in adorable downtown Hampton. C&B has an emphasis on seafood with some creative combinations (salmon and orange risotto, seafood mac and cheese) but also does the traditional brunch classics well. My favorite part (besides the food) is probably the bricked-in, vine-covered patio out back; in the summer, it feels like you're eating in someone's backyard, not an urban city block. Try the Italian Bread French Toast (my friend swears by their creme brulee cheesecake if you're feeling dessert-ish).

4. Beach Pub (Virginia Beach): Featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, this Laskin Road location has been around for over 35 years. It's not fancy but the food is amazing. Try: the Oysters Rockefeller and the blueberry muffins.

5. Charlie's Cafe (Norfolk): Charlie's is a Norfolk institution. Besides great service and a relaxed vibe, this (more than a) diner makes omelets that are feather-light and perfectly done. Charlie's just moved to its new location in Riverview on Granby Street and we can't wait to check it out (the top pic is Anouk at the old location over the summer). Try: the sake Bloody Mary and a bag of fresh Norfolk donuts.

Now I'm hungry. Happy weekend, all!

There's a little place, tucked inside a nondescript shopping center off of Tidewater Drive in Norfolk, where you can get some of the best pastries in the area. It's called Naa's Bakery, and Anouk and I met Miss Molly and Little A. there last week to get ourselves sugared up before a park playdate.

Naa's has been around for the better part of a century, and as soon as you walk in you realize why it's earned its place as a Norfolk landmark, alongside places like Doumars and Charlie's Cafe. There's a sweetly (no pun intended) old fashioned charm that you just can't find anyplace else that makes you think it probably hasn't changed very much over the years. The long bakery case houses dozens of delicacies, from thick slices of homemade cake to feathery fluffed doughnuts to whimsically iced cupcakes and cookies. We had a hard time deciding what to order because everything looked so good (and a hard time meeting the $5 credit card minimum despite the half-dozen or so goodies we ordered -- seriously, the prices are so reasonable). As we sat at our table in the front of the bakery and sampled bites of each others' desserts, we chatted with the friendly staff behind the counter and it was a little bit like stepping back to a simpler time and place. The ladies behind the counter made us promise to come back -- they didn't have to twist our arms.

Have you been to Naa's? What were your favorites? In case you were wondering, our top picks were the plain glazed doughnuts and the thickly iced black-and-white cookies. Although everything we sampled was delicious. So much yum in one small place!

Every now and again, Anne's work-at-home daddy comes downstairs and suggests that we take our lunch hour off premises. When that happens, we grab our things and rush out to one of our many, established favorite area restaurants, but sometimes the adventurous spirit strikes us and we seek out a new place. Last week, we hit up Handsome Biscuit on Colonial Avenue, and as soon as we had our first bites of our lunch, we knew it was going on the list.

Handsome Biscuit (which opened just a few weeks ago) is a quirky place -- and we love quirk. The menu features sandwiches made on fluffy homemade sweet potato biscuits, with a whole slew of inventive add-ons and sides (caviar! pickled veggies!) They also feature a selection of Dr. Brown's sodas and even biscuit bread pudding (to die for). So far each of us has already picked a favorite -- PB&J for A., barbecue with slaw for J., and eggs over easy with bacon and cheese for me.



Eating out with a picky toddler can get more than a little repetitive, so whenever we find a place that offers kid-friendly food and also something new and interesting for an adult palate, we can't resist telling the world about it, even if that might mean that we'll have an even harder time getting a table in the lunch rush! But in this case, the buzz is well-deserved.

I am head over heels with the restaurant renaissance that's been happening in Norfolk lately. Handsome Biscuit is a welcome addition to the roster. We love you, Handsome B.! We'll be back soon! (I promise).



Happy Friday! Where/what will you be eating this weekend?