Brunch Review: Bay Local

Here goes nothing: yet another non-Richmond brunch review. I promise I'll be getting back into Richmond restaurants soon. We're keeping it semi-local at least this time with a review from Virginia Beach. When we went to this place, I was already amped. Mainly because I was in Virginia Beach, but I was convinced it was going to be a good brunch. We waited about a half an hour for it, and after eating it, I am wholly convinced I would have waited even longer if needed. It was that good.

Now would probably be a good time to tell you what it was called, which is Bay Local. The atmosphere was awesome, with a very elegant beach theme. If I could decorate my kitchen like it, I would. Our waitress was also phenomenal. I went to Bay Local months ago at this point, and I still vividly remember how awesome she was. So check plus for both of those categories.

I was really excited about their drink menu, but I definitely messed up on my first drink selection. I got the sorbet mimosa, but it was good, and not great. The sorbet stayed pretty separate from the champagne, so it was basically just dessert and drinks in a cup and not an actual mimosa. I'd suggest sticking with a crush or a regular mimosa instead. Much better.

For food, I ordered chicken and waffles. Seems like a pretty standard order, but their execution blew me away. The plate of food they brought over to me almost made my eyes bug out of my head. Not only was it chicken and waffles, but there were eggs AND tater tots thrown in as well. But what's more than the quantity of food, was that it was a ton of really excellent food. The chicken was seasoned just right, perfectly crispy on the outside, while tender and juicy on the inside. The waffle had hints of vanilla, which played well off of the light spice in the chicken. Even the tots were delightful. You bet your ass I cleared my entire plate of every bite of this glorious food.

I'm nervous I'm going to start drooling on my iPad as I relive this meal. I've had lots of plates of chicken and waffles before, but this one takes the cake. They were able to take a pretty standard brunch item (I mean, what's more lunch-breakfast than one solid breakfast item being paired with one solid lunch item) and perfected it.