We ♥ Handsome Biscuit

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?

Charlie's Cafe

A. and I had a bad day earlier in the week. We don't have many, but when we do get one it tends to go sour pretty fast. It was one of those days when you haven't gotten enough sleep (me) or else the sleep you got wasn't good (her) and you keep taking off your diaper and hiding it in inconvenient places around the house (definitely not me, I swear). By lunchtime we were in need of a pick-me-up, so we called up some friends and headed down Granby to Charlie's Cafe.

Molly and I have decided that we are adopting Charlie's as Our Place. You know -- the place where you go so frequently that you get to know everybody by name and maybe, if you go there enough times over enough years, they reserve a barstool in your honor and name a sandwich after you? Everything is better at Charlie's. For instance, this is how the pancakes look at Charlie's:




And this is the kind of chocolate milk you'll get at Charlie's:

And that's not even special kid chocolate milk, mind you. It's just the way it comes! For everyone!

There are many things to love about Charlie's, including the extremely friendly staff and the ready availability of vegan and vegetarian options, which is sometimes hard to find in standard diner fare. But the best thing about Charlie's is that they serve breakfast all day, which means if you don't like how your day is going, you can have a symbolic do-over in the form of a fluffy Charlie's omelet with spicy, oniony home fries and crumbly-delicious beaten biscuits on the side. And so we did. We also ordered a restorative bag of the famous Norfolk donuts to go because nothing turns a bad day around like a bag of donuts, hot off the grill (pan? fryer? however it is that these particular donuts are cooked). They also come stuffed with ice cream but we're saving that for a cure for a really bad day -- you know, like when our house burns down or our dog runs away or something.

Little Zeke (a restaurant critic in the making) pronounced it: "Smiley Charlie's -- a place for kids!" Three years old and already on the lookout! I fully expect him to take over this blog one day when I have moved on to different things ("geriatric-friendly living in Hampton Roads"). Watch this space.

The Fred Heutte Center

In celebration of the first day of spring, I thought I'd post about one of our favorite outside spaces, which is the Fred Heutte Center in Ghent. The Heutte Center is located deep in a residential area, which means that unless you're a neighborhood resident, you probably haven't come across it before. I first discovered the center and its gardens as a student at Maury High School (it's a few blocks away) years ago, and was surprised that I hadn't ever heard of it before. It's relative isolation means that the Heutte Center one of those hidden gems and well-kept secrets you're always hearing about: peaceful, unspoiled, but also underappreciated.

The FHC takes up a just small plot of land in the middle of Ghent Square, but it's absolutely jam-packed with goodies. The center itself (which offers horticultural and fitness classes) is surrounded by perennial gardens lovingly tended by volunteer gardeners, and dotted with flowering trees, fountains and statuary. On one side of the main building, there's a camellia bower and on the other, an heirloom vegetable garden (the produce is donated to local food banks). And connecting everything together are paths that wind through stands of daffodils and hyacinths and magnolias.

There are so many things to do in the downtown area that the Heutte Center is often overlooked, but it shouldn't be. It's convenient to everything downtown, a great place to stop in the middle of running errands for a quiet moment or quick romp. As the weather has gotten nicer, A. and I have taken to packing a snack or small lunch in the picnic hamper and spending an hour there, looking at every tree and plant, and soaking in all of the gorgeousness. It's a nice way to recharge our batteries and to celebrate the season.

You can read more about the interesting history of the Heutte Center here.

HAPPY SPRING, EVERYBODY!