two minute lunch: the village

I've been to The Village a few times but never for lunch before since I work downtown. A canceled event at VCU left me hungry before heading to the office so I decided to stop in and grab lunch.

The Village is a classic college restaurant/ diner. Sit at the bar or seat yourself, service has always been fairly fast and the giant 'boots' of soda mean I don't need constant refills. The Village has a full bar, which is nice, though I've never gotten a drink there. I was there at 11:15 but I saw a lot of folks ordering breakfast, which isn't really my thing. (My favorite breakfast foods? Hashbrowns and bacon.) The french toast with banana and peanut butter that went past after I ordered was really tasty looking and a future possibility.

Most of my meals at the Village have involved forms of cheese and potato. My first visit I got the potato skins with bacon, which were solid. Today I had the loaded baked potato with chicken and cheddar. (In my head, the chicken made it a healthy option.) This is the type of food that rarely is shocking but when it's good, it's oh-so-good.

Blackberry photo, apologies.

What has transcended from good to sublime at The Village is the "fried cheese," essentially balls of delicious mozzarella fried and served with marinara. My friends insisted we share these on our first visit and I find myself craving them at odd times. Just don't, as I tried to do, get them to go. Like most delicious fried items, being shoved in a box and being allowed to cool create unfortunate situations. So take the time and grab a booth. Enjoy.