First Watch

First Watch is consistent. Every time I've been there. There is a comfort in that. They have the traditional, they have the healthy side, it is always damn good, but there are no 'shizams',nothing to wow you. Some mornings you just want to know that you can lazily walk into a place, know exactly what you are eating and order it exactly how you want it. Some mornings you don't want to be that into your meal, you just want to eat it in peace and read your paper, work on your emails (there is free wi-fi here), meet with your freinds, or have a business meeting. First Watch is your joint.

Their omelet choices are surprisingly creative and span the globe (well, the American version of global foods). Also, they use cage-free eggs if you are concerned about the chickens. Along with the delectable breakfast classics (chocolate chip pancakes made from scratch, you know, for the kids), First Watch is one of the only breakfast specific places that offers actually healthy options. If that is your cup of tea, then you definitely need to go here. They serve egg white only, plain oatmeal, fresh fruit, veggies, etc. They offer all of the nutritional information and ingredients for every menu item on their website and in the restaurant. The little page icon next to the item will bring up a page with the nutritional info. Great for special dietary needs or allergies.

For you coffee-holics they have Sunrise Select Coffee. I've never heard of it, but I'm no coffee maven.

They also have a Sunday Brunch. I've never been but hear its good. (Have you been to it? Want to be published?! Contact me and lets arrange it!)

Fair City Mall
9600 Main St.
Suite S
Fairfax, VA 22031

Belly Up to OCB Breakfast

For my family of six, breakfast is the best meal of the day. From the youngest to the oldest, everyone loves to eat breakfast. One early Saturday morning, we piled into the minivan to check out Old Country Buffet's breakfast buffet at Fair City Mall.

This was our first trip to OCB for breakfast and we were not disappointed at the vast array of breakfast items: pancakes, French toast (made from French bread), cereals, grits, biscuits, gravy, waffles, scrambled and fried eggs, bacon, sausage links and patties, fresh fruit, an entire taco/burrito bar, fried ham, muffins, and freshly made omelets.

We arrived around 8 a.m. (OCB opens at 7:30 on the weekends for breakfast), and found the restaurant uncrowded and the food hot and fresh.

The kids ate so much breakfast, that the two older ones weren't hungry at all for lunch and the two younger ones, barely at any lunch. Even my husband and I were not very hungry for lunch, either.

Here's a rundown on the children's breakfast bonanza:

N, age 7, ate three pancakes, a chocolate muffin, some scrambled eggs, bacon strip, sausage link, and a glass of chocolate milk.

L, age 5, ate two pancakes, a chocolate muffin, some scrambled eggs, bacon strip, sausage link and a glass of chocolate milk.

M, age 3, ate a biscuit, a pancake, a muffin, some scrambled eggs, bacon strip, sausage link and a glass of chocolate milk.

S, age 19 months, ate a biscuit, two pancakes, and a muffin and a half.

Overall, the food was hot and tasty. The pancakes were a bit dry, but with four or five different types of syrup to pour over them, you wouldn't really notice. The eggs tasted fresh and were not rubbery. I had a fresh omelet that was delicious. My husband said the coffee was rather tasty, too.

Consider OCB for your next breakfast out--I think you just might be pleasantly surprised.
[OCB Breakfast 7:30am - 11am Saturday and Sunday ONLY]

S. Hamaker