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

Arties

Artie's ... If you've never been there for a meal, put it on your list. This restaurant, part of the Great American Restaurants (a local chain), is amazing and is a must in general. But to get to the point, they do an exceptional Brunch.

Only open for Brunch from 10:30am - 3pm on Saturdays and from 10am - 3pm on Sundays, Artie's keeps incredibly high standards for service, decor, and food. It is worth the wait to the weekend hours. From the time you walk in to the time you leave, you will get more than you could ever hope for in a casual dining experience. So much so that you almost feel as though you are in an upscale restaurant.

Its great for couples, singles, friends, and families with kids. The prices are a little more than your IHOP down the street but not by too much and the quality blows IHOP clear to Timbuktu. The ambiance is so cool. Its a classy New England Boathouse inside, with a deck, classic wooden boat models, and murals of boating scenes. Your hosts and servers are so happy, its almost ridiculous. Their smiles are infectious but they won't snuggle up to you or sing to you (ie. its not TGI Fridays).

Every dish I've had there for brunch is tastey. My favorite is the French Toast, thick and crunchy, with a granola crust, fried to perfection... I never knew french toast could taste so good. I don't especially like the way they do their scrambled eggs (in terms of texture) but they sure taste good. If you go for the Brioche French Toast Grand Slam, you get to taste the exceptional French toast, the eggs, the bacon (perfectly cooked), the home fries (I didn't know I liked home fries until I had these), and the yogurt dipping sauce. My other favorites are the Bubble and Squeak and the Brunch Crab cakes, both served on unbelievably fresh, moist, and flaky biscuits. But be adventurous, you won't be disappointed. And be sure to say yes to the offer of bread to start - warm lightly fried dough balls rolled in sugar and a dense breakfast loaf. Oh, and try some of their fun brunch drinks.

Always call ahead (703-273-7600) to Artie's, as they are often on a wait. Calling ahead gets your name on the list and starts your wait before you even get there. They only take reservations at off peak hours.

-- S. Coffin