Karisa: Some time ago there was a "Brunch for Four" Groupon available at a restaurant I'd never heard of. I'm a sucker for a deal, and of course a brunch-for-four, so I quickly purchased. It turns out the restaurant I'd never heard of is Tastebuds American Bistro. I've walked by Tastebuds several times on my way to Once Upon a Vine or The Mill on MacArthur. I really love the North Side, so I'm surprised it hadn't caught my eye. I will not make that mistake again!
I followed the Groupon suggestion and made reservations, even though that seemed silly, and I'm glad I did. We got a time 15 minutes later than standard brunching time, but with daylight savings, that was okay by us. I was first to arrive and was seated promptly. Water for everyone was quickly delivered, but then I sat for what seemed forever to place additional drink orders. I have no qualms about starting on my mimosa (and coffee) before everyone else gets there! Then, when everyone got there, the server delivered my drinks, but didn't take drink orders for anyone else; it was quite strange.
Once everyone eventually got drinks we got down to the serious business of ordering. Tastebuds menu is incredibly intriguing with a unique menu that is definitely still brunchy. I went with the mushroom bread pudding with parmesan eggs and a red wine sauce, and a side of grits. It was AWESOME! It was warm and gooey and tasted like butter (in agood great way.) The salad was almost as good, although obviously a salad is never as good as buttery bread pudding, but it helped cut the richness of the rest of the dish. The only downside was that my eggs were cooked through, without any runny egg yolk yumminess. The menu does say "fried" though, so I should have asked for details. Since we all raved about the food, I definitely won't just walk right by Tastebuds again. It's got some amazing food, and I'm excited to see what they put together for dinner. One interesting side note... for a somewhat 'fancy' (aka, white tablecloths) restaurant, there were a ton of (very well behaved) small children. Don't shy away, family folks!
Andrea: Brunch at Tastebuds this week was an unexpected pleasant surprise. I guess I shouldn't have been so surprised given that its neighbor, the Mill on MacArthur, is a gem as well. The space was bright with colorful artwork on the walls and lots of natural light. There were several things on the menu that caught my eye. I almost ordered the pork dish that Michele did, but instead settled on the roasted butternut squash, apple, caramelized onion and bacon crepe, served with an ancho-maple syrup (light and sweet) and a healthy portion of mixed greens with a peach bellini to boot. The bellini was smooth and tasted fresh with a good ratio of bubbly to fruit juice. The crepe was very well balanced and conjured memories of the autumn. The bacon wasn't overwhelming...I kinda almost wish there had been a little more bacon. Regardless, I enjoyed the accompanying syrup a lot and loved the nibbles of Michele's pork dish that I tried. I definitely recommend Tastebuds to the brunching community. For those of you who may not be familiar with the North Side/Bellevue area, give it a try!
Michele: Brunch this week was my first foray to the adorable commercial district on MacArthur Ave. Good or bad, I tend to stick to the same neighborhoods. MacArthur Ave definitely has a local vibe to it. On my walk to the restaurant, I participated in an inefficient yet adorable business transaction for some Girl Scout cookies. Tastebuds fits beautifully into this neighborhood scene on MacArthur Ave.
Upon arriving, I ordered my requisite coffee and Bloody Mary. My cocktail was a little disappointing. I love coarse ground pepper as much as the next girl, but this drink contained almost whole peppercorns. That's a little too coarse for my taste. However, the coffee was quite tasty, and the continuous refills were appreciated.
For my meal this week I selected the Crispy Pork Adobo dish. I had been trying to decide between this dish and another one. When our server said that the Crispy Pork was one of the better brunch items on the menu, she convinced me to take the plunge. The eggs were perfectly over easy, and the runny yolks added moisture to the crispy shredded pork on the plate. The vegetables on the plate were cooked perfectly and added a nice texture contrast to the pork. I was in heaven eating it, and so were Kathy and Andrea when they tried it.
I would definitely come back to Tastebuds. I'm excited to give their dinner menu a try and to check out their wine list. I would recommend this place for brunch, too. Tastebuds seems like the kind of place where you would run into your neighbors from up the street. I'm a little bit jealous of area residents who have this lovely restaurant right around the corner.
Kathy: Our brunch at Tastebuds fell on the most perfect pre-spring day, which only made the north end cuter. I'd never been to the area before, and our brunch cemented my desire to go back. It's simply freaking adorable there. The restaurant is completely charming too. I ordered the pear-ginger bellini and while it came properly served in a champagne glass (not over ice as is typical for Richmonders), and while the juice to champagne ratio pleased me, it was not as flavorful as I expected. I was quite happy with my tea order, served in a medium size mug and plenty of delicious tea options left on the table. The waitress even came over to refill my hot water without my asking, which is basically the fastest way to get me to fall in love with you (in addition to feeding me chorizo cakes - more on those now). I ordered the chorizo cakes with fried eggs, which came with a side salad and a warm black bean salsa. I also ordered a side of girts. During the meal, I described the chorizo cakes as such: "I want to place these chorizo cakes on my eyes, so they are the only thing I see forever." If that was not actually a weird thing to do as well as medically impossible, I really would follow through on that. The cake, made of chopped up chorizo and potato, was spicy, though not too much so, and I'm still thinking about it this following day. The eggs were cooked perfectly over-hard, as I'd asked, and the bean salsa was very tasty, a great compliment to the flavor of the chorizo cakes. I almost could not believe the grits - incredibly creamy and incredibly delicious. I am most definitely putting Tastebuds on my go-to list for future brunches.
Rating: 4
Food - Very Good. Kathy is planning to start a life with her chorizo cakes (after they're done making out under the bleachers behind the middle school.) Food was cooked just as we liked and seasoned very well. Menu wasn't expansive but had variety and some interesting options not available at all brunching establishments. Side salads made us feel healthy and they had a nice little vinaigrette.
Service - Good. Our server wasn't super personable, but she did a good job taking care of us. She accidentally refilled Kathy's tea cup with coffee, but quickly rectified the error and we all had a giggle. It took a little while for us to give our drink order (and she didn't ask for all of our drinks at once...coffee/tea was ordered separately than the others.)
Atmosphere - Good. Very colorful and eclectic wall hangings - some paintings of landscapes, some floral paintings, a corner of photographs of cityscapes, several mirrors. Tables and chairs kinda plain. Cool ceiling. Lots of natural light. Although the tables were relatively close together, the volume level was really manageable. We were surprised by the number of families with small children (all well behaved!)
Coffee/Tea - Good (C)/Tea (VG). Coffee is from local roaster Blanchard's. We though the flavor was good and we each had several cups (which were average size), but most of the pours weren't hot enough for at least one of us. Tea selection was very good and stayed on the table. Kathy's cup was filled without asking. No frowny face in this cup!
Mimosa/Assorted Champagne Beverages - Good. We tried three different varieties (traditional mimosa, peach bellini, pear-ginger sparkler). All were served in champagne glasses sans ice (like Kathy likes 'em). Of the three, the pear-ginger was the least flavorful.
Bloody Mary - Fair. Almost whole peppercorns. Not especially tomatoey.
I followed the Groupon suggestion and made reservations, even though that seemed silly, and I'm glad I did. We got a time 15 minutes later than standard brunching time, but with daylight savings, that was okay by us. I was first to arrive and was seated promptly. Water for everyone was quickly delivered, but then I sat for what seemed forever to place additional drink orders. I have no qualms about starting on my mimosa (and coffee) before everyone else gets there! Then, when everyone got there, the server delivered my drinks, but didn't take drink orders for anyone else; it was quite strange.
Once everyone eventually got drinks we got down to the serious business of ordering. Tastebuds menu is incredibly intriguing with a unique menu that is definitely still brunchy. I went with the mushroom bread pudding with parmesan eggs and a red wine sauce, and a side of grits. It was AWESOME! It was warm and gooey and tasted like butter (in a
Andrea: Brunch at Tastebuds this week was an unexpected pleasant surprise. I guess I shouldn't have been so surprised given that its neighbor, the Mill on MacArthur, is a gem as well. The space was bright with colorful artwork on the walls and lots of natural light. There were several things on the menu that caught my eye. I almost ordered the pork dish that Michele did, but instead settled on the roasted butternut squash, apple, caramelized onion and bacon crepe, served with an ancho-maple syrup (light and sweet) and a healthy portion of mixed greens with a peach bellini to boot. The bellini was smooth and tasted fresh with a good ratio of bubbly to fruit juice. The crepe was very well balanced and conjured memories of the autumn. The bacon wasn't overwhelming...I kinda almost wish there had been a little more bacon. Regardless, I enjoyed the accompanying syrup a lot and loved the nibbles of Michele's pork dish that I tried. I definitely recommend Tastebuds to the brunching community. For those of you who may not be familiar with the North Side/Bellevue area, give it a try!
Michele: Brunch this week was my first foray to the adorable commercial district on MacArthur Ave. Good or bad, I tend to stick to the same neighborhoods. MacArthur Ave definitely has a local vibe to it. On my walk to the restaurant, I participated in an inefficient yet adorable business transaction for some Girl Scout cookies. Tastebuds fits beautifully into this neighborhood scene on MacArthur Ave.
Upon arriving, I ordered my requisite coffee and Bloody Mary. My cocktail was a little disappointing. I love coarse ground pepper as much as the next girl, but this drink contained almost whole peppercorns. That's a little too coarse for my taste. However, the coffee was quite tasty, and the continuous refills were appreciated.
For my meal this week I selected the Crispy Pork Adobo dish. I had been trying to decide between this dish and another one. When our server said that the Crispy Pork was one of the better brunch items on the menu, she convinced me to take the plunge. The eggs were perfectly over easy, and the runny yolks added moisture to the crispy shredded pork on the plate. The vegetables on the plate were cooked perfectly and added a nice texture contrast to the pork. I was in heaven eating it, and so were Kathy and Andrea when they tried it.
I would definitely come back to Tastebuds. I'm excited to give their dinner menu a try and to check out their wine list. I would recommend this place for brunch, too. Tastebuds seems like the kind of place where you would run into your neighbors from up the street. I'm a little bit jealous of area residents who have this lovely restaurant right around the corner.
Kathy: Our brunch at Tastebuds fell on the most perfect pre-spring day, which only made the north end cuter. I'd never been to the area before, and our brunch cemented my desire to go back. It's simply freaking adorable there. The restaurant is completely charming too. I ordered the pear-ginger bellini and while it came properly served in a champagne glass (not over ice as is typical for Richmonders), and while the juice to champagne ratio pleased me, it was not as flavorful as I expected. I was quite happy with my tea order, served in a medium size mug and plenty of delicious tea options left on the table. The waitress even came over to refill my hot water without my asking, which is basically the fastest way to get me to fall in love with you (in addition to feeding me chorizo cakes - more on those now). I ordered the chorizo cakes with fried eggs, which came with a side salad and a warm black bean salsa. I also ordered a side of girts. During the meal, I described the chorizo cakes as such: "I want to place these chorizo cakes on my eyes, so they are the only thing I see forever." If that was not actually a weird thing to do as well as medically impossible, I really would follow through on that. The cake, made of chopped up chorizo and potato, was spicy, though not too much so, and I'm still thinking about it this following day. The eggs were cooked perfectly over-hard, as I'd asked, and the bean salsa was very tasty, a great compliment to the flavor of the chorizo cakes. I almost could not believe the grits - incredibly creamy and incredibly delicious. I am most definitely putting Tastebuds on my go-to list for future brunches.
Rating: 4
Food - Very Good. Kathy is planning to start a life with her chorizo cakes (after they're done making out under the bleachers behind the middle school.) Food was cooked just as we liked and seasoned very well. Menu wasn't expansive but had variety and some interesting options not available at all brunching establishments. Side salads made us feel healthy and they had a nice little vinaigrette.
Service - Good. Our server wasn't super personable, but she did a good job taking care of us. She accidentally refilled Kathy's tea cup with coffee, but quickly rectified the error and we all had a giggle. It took a little while for us to give our drink order (and she didn't ask for all of our drinks at once...coffee/tea was ordered separately than the others.)
Atmosphere - Good. Very colorful and eclectic wall hangings - some paintings of landscapes, some floral paintings, a corner of photographs of cityscapes, several mirrors. Tables and chairs kinda plain. Cool ceiling. Lots of natural light. Although the tables were relatively close together, the volume level was really manageable. We were surprised by the number of families with small children (all well behaved!)
Coffee/Tea - Good (C)/Tea (VG). Coffee is from local roaster Blanchard's. We though the flavor was good and we each had several cups (which were average size), but most of the pours weren't hot enough for at least one of us. Tea selection was very good and stayed on the table. Kathy's cup was filled without asking. No frowny face in this cup!
Mimosa/Assorted Champagne Beverages - Good. We tried three different varieties (traditional mimosa, peach bellini, pear-ginger sparkler). All were served in champagne glasses sans ice (like Kathy likes 'em). Of the three, the pear-ginger was the least flavorful.
Bloody Mary - Fair. Almost whole peppercorns. Not especially tomatoey.
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