So I guess we were not very affected by this restaurant since it is has taken almost a week for any of us to write our review on it!
Our Restaurant Club choice for the month was brunch at Millie's Diner in Church Hill (the first brunch experience for our little group), which is reported to be one of the best if not THE best brunch in Richmond. The evidence for that was clear considering we got there at 10am and still had to wait a full hour before getting seated. So make sure you are not starving when you get there or you will be in trouble. I considered running across the street to the gas station for a snack several times! The place is rather small, so it seems more packed than it is, but the bar area was slammed and you had to struggle to get through to the bathroom or your seat.
The best thing about having to wait an hour is that you can go ahead and get your drink right away as soon as you put your name down, and somehow they keep track of all that! Mimosas, Bloody Marys, and Evil Keevils (? apparently rum punches) are the specials. Almost everyone waiting had a drink in their hand, which I am sure makes the time pass a little easier. I myself only ended up getting orange juice with the food (being slightly hungover from the night before), and it tasted fresh squeezed, though I can't be sure, but for $3.50 I hope it was!
The restaurant is very cute despite its size, with an interesting and scattered decor. Meghan described the staff as "hipster," and the kitchen is a tiny little area right in the front window (which makes it very hard when you are hungry and have to watch them make everything right in front of you while you are waiting outside!). But I must say the service was impeccable. Despite the crowd everyone was very on top of their game, the food came quickly and everyone was extremely friendly. While checking out the chalk board menu at the bar for a considerable amount of time (yes another chalk board!) both the bartender and one of the cooks commented that they had the same green t-shirt for their dodge ball team that I was wearing ;)
Now to the food. Definitely a Mexican themed breakfast menu, lots of beans, tortillas, and spicy stuff. It is not your typical IHOP breakfast! Before I review the food, I must confess I am not a huge breakfast person, so my view is probably a little skewed. It was very hard for me to choose what to get, but having heard from a friend that I had to get a "Mess" I opted for the Cajun Mess, which was pretty much eggs scrambled with a bunch of stuff in them. Sadly the waitress informed me they were out of the crawfish meat that usually goes in it, but I went for it anyway. I would have thought that a meal titled Cajun would have been a little more spicy but it was not too bad, so don't be scared of trying it. The cheese melted on top was very good and it was an adequate breakfast, but for me nothing to write home about.
The best part of the meal was the HOME FRIES! I could have ate an entire plate of just those. They were delicious! If I go back again I am getting an extra order of them, let's just get that out of the way now. Apparently the meals also come with whole grain toast, but all of us were too chicken to ask if it was free or not, so we passed. Looking a the menu online now it seems that it is free, hehe, oh well.
And the prices were not bad, $14 being the most expensive for steak and eggs, though the drinks are where they get you, $6.50 for each alcoholic one.
All in all it was a fun experience, and if I were over in that area during the brunch hour one weekend I would strongly consider dropping by and trying out another dish, but having to wait an hour for breakfast might possibly deter me away unfortunately. Perhaps I will make it a point to eat a little beforehand so I can mingle happily in the bar area for a little while.
But I think unless you love this place, or are very dedicated to trying it out, my guess is you wouldn't be frequenting it very often...but considering the number of people waiting around outside for an hour on a slightly rainy Sunday, I guess alot of people love it!
Be Real.
~Samantha
