Lunch at Tarrant's Cafe

Glistening chandeliers. Dark mahogany walls. Stained glass windows.

No, I'm not talking about Ron Burgundy's apartment. Although, I can't wait to see him again this year in Anchorman 2. 

I'm talking about Tarrant's Cafe, situated in a historical Broad Street building which used to be a drug store back in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Decor is the first thing I notice when I enter a restaurant, and the look and feel of the place hits the senses jackpot. You really do WANT to be there. Trust me, it's kind of a big deal.

Some of my favorite places to eat are old converted pharmacy's, like Brooklyn Farmacy & Soda Fountain, or current pharmacies with great diners, like Westbury and Westwood.

We came here for lunch and needed a reservation as the place was packed with business folks in meetings and those ladies-who-are-very-lucky-to-lunch. Which happened to be me this day -- thanks to my coworker for being born and picking Tarrant's for your birthday lunch!

So now that you know what the atmosphere is like, let's skip to the food. Because that's all the really matters, and if you're like me and indecisive with menus, it'll likely take you a good 20 minutes to decide. The menu is HUGE, I mean, they have everything under the sun from pizza to fish tacos to pasta. And it's all good. There's something for everyone to enjoy. 

First: a classic old pharmacy limeade. They do it right. Not too sweet or too tangy. We'll take another round, please. The She-crab soup I had for my appetizer was delicious! The perfect thickness and consistency with the right amount of crab, cream, and sherry.

I was going back and forth between the Chicken and Waffles and the Seafood White Pizza (shrimp, scallops, ricotta & mozzarella). Sometimes I question my own judgement, I mean, this is lunch after all...but when in Rome...

I wanted both, but couldn't pass up an opportunity for C&W - and I'm glad I didn't. This chicken was very crispy and perfectly fried, paired with a fluffy Belgian waffle and a side of crispy green beans. What I enjoyed most was the maple tahini sauce. All this for......$10.95. I love you Tarrant.

My coworkers enjoyed an enormous salmon salad, chicken salad, and spicy homemade meatloaf. We shared delicious hummus and sugary sweet potato fries to start us off.


And, let's not forget the birthday dessert...we had no idea how huge these portions would be, so we thought we should get two desserts. We got the Triple Berry Cobbler and the special Creme Brulee and shared among us. So decadent!

Needless to say, it was a long afternoon back at the office with our food babies..ZzZzZzZ...I can't wait to come back and try brunch, dinner, happy hour...basically I want to live here. See also: DELIVERY. and that's all I have to say about that.


3 comments:

  1. The just opened one up in the West End. I'm looking forward to trying it!

    Lauren
    cultivatecommunityrva.squarespace.com

    ReplyDelete