It’s Friday Eve, people. We’re in the final stretch of the week and the weekend is so close, I can almost touch it. I don’t know about you, but this week has been unbelievably long. I guess that’s what happens when you have a short week before—it kinda throws your entire clock off.
I wish I had my long weekend back. Two days just seems too short for a weekend. I find myself reminiscing about my Labor Day weekend during the day—apple picking, an extra day of sleeping in, and breakfast at Bob & Edith’s Diner in Arlington.
It was early Sunday morning before Ashley, Colin, Erin, and I drove out to Hartland Orchards. We couldn’t go apple picking on an empty stomach, so we headed to Bob & Edith’s for a cozy, comforting breakfast. Bob & Edith’s is a Virginia chain with two locations in Arlington and one in Springfield. Open 24 hours, this diner serves up classic breakfast in the coziest way. Though I don’t know if there is an actual Bob or Edith. I’ll have to ask.
With ample street parking that’s free on Sundays, we parked and walked inside. It’s walk-in only, and the space is fairly small, with a few tables for parties of three or more. Plenty of tables for two, though.
We walked in, gave the hostess our party size and waited in front for 15 minutes or so. It’s a good thing we came when we did since a line quickly began to form right after we arrived. The time passed quickly, but we all found ourselves willing people to finish their meals so we could be seated.
We finally sat down and within a minute a waiter came by to take our drink orders: three coffees and a tomato juice. I usually don’t drink coffee, but after getting only six hours of sleep—a girl gets desperate. Bob & Edith’s is a dry restaurant, so no chance of getting a mimosa or Bloody Mary here.
We ordered our food and patiently waited, tummies rumbling. The music playing was an interesting selection of today’s hits like Rihanna and Lady GaGa. We enjoyed the mirrored décor that gave the restaurant a cool vibe that reminded us of the diners you see in the movies. A great thing about this place is the coffee. There were free refills and no shortage. Every few minutes or so, a waiter came around to top us off. Greatly appreciated. I think I was on cup three by the time the food arrived.
Ashley ordered the French toast with scrambled eggs and bacon on a separate plate. The French toast was served warm and the table was equipped with a maple syrup squeeze bottle—made it easier to distribute the syrup and avoid a mess on the table. I tried a bite, and the French toast was fluffy with a crisp coat and a robust cinnamon flavor—fitting for fall activities. Unfortunately, Ashley said the eggs were cold, but the bacon was crispy, just the way she likes it.
Colin ordered the country fried steak with a cheese omelet, which he boasted as the best in the area he had. The properly peppered sausage gravy added a great smoky flavor and was a perfect accompaniment to a well-cooked the steak. The breading on the steak was excellent—not soggy yet absorbed the flavor of the gravy. The cheese omelet was your standard firm omelet. Tasty with a good proportion of American cheese.
Erin ordered turkey sausage with over easy eggs and home fried potatoes. According to her, the turkey sausage was dry and overcooked and unfortunately, so were the eggs. The potatoes lacked the “fried” element of home fries and were in fact soggy and needed more seasoning.
I ordered the eggs benedict with a side of bacon. Disclaimer—I forgot that eggs benedict came with ham, in which case, I wouldn’t have ordered the bacon. An oops on my part— oh well. There was definitely ham on that benedict. Lots of ham. In fact, it was too much ham. The ham overwhelmed the benedict and the English muffin disappeared. The ham and the hollandaise were oversalted, but nothing some pepper couldn’t fix. The poached eggs were nice and runny, which is just how I like them. The bacon ended up being bacon shrapnel, and if you read my review of Mr. Henry’s, you know how I feel about bacon shrapnel (summary: not a fan). Unlike Erin’s potatoes, mine had that fried element to them, though they did need more seasoning. Overall, I was content with my meal.
There is charm in the flaws of our meal. Some places try too hard to be perfect and even though there were improvements that could’ve been made to our meal, it sated our hunger. If anything, we appreciated the flaws. The company, the vibe, and the homey food set a pleasant tone for the rest of the day.
That's a wrap for this review. Hope your weekend is amazing and full of good food :)