By Arielle J. Patterson

Surrounded by shopping centers on Great Neck Road in Virginia Beach, Casby’s Kitchen and Tap looks to standout. Initially, Gals That Brunch (GTB) didn’t know what to expect when we made our reservation, but by the end of our brunch, we all decided that Casby’s was a new favorite.

Casby’s opened in February 2016. The building used to be home to a Highway 55 restaurant. The former exterior screamed 1950’s diner. Today, Casby’s has a modern, wood-crafted feel, but they left some of the old diner touches like the black and white checkered floors.

Casby’s prides themselves in being a neighborhood restaurant and tavern, that serves “new American” food, local craft beer and handcrafted cocktails. Their idea of new American cuisine can satisfy a simple eater and a more sophisticated foodie.

The Drinks

Obviously the first menu the Gals picked up was the one listing the brunch cocktails. All of Casby’s champagne cocktails and Bloody Mary’s are $3. Unfortunately, we didn’t find that out until the end of our brunch, otherwise, we would have been ordering them by the bucket. Some of our favorites were the Mango Sorbet Mimosa, The Elderflower, the Shrubpagne Cocktail and the Peach Manmosa.

I’ve recently fallen in love with sorbet mimosas, so when I saw Casby’s uses homemade sorbet in their grapefruit and mango sorbet mimosas, I knew it was a must-have.

Some of our Gals were feeling adventurous, so they tried something outside of the typical mimosa. The Elderflower has champagne and St. Elder liqueur. The flavor from the Elderflower liqueur gives the drink its peach/pineapple flavor.

The Shrubpagne Cocktail gets its name from the blackberry and tangerine shrubs that are mixed with champagne. The shrubs have the perfect balance of sweetness and acidity to make this unique drink.

A buffed up version of the standard mimosa is Casby’s Peach MANmosa. Not only does it have champagne, but this cocktail also uses peach vodka and peach bitters.

If brunch cocktails aren’t your thing (you’re probably reading the wrong blog), Casby’s also serves local drafts, domestic bottles and cans, wines and specialty cocktails.

The Brunch

Casby’s offers a variety options on their brunch menu. All of their breakfast choices are served with a side of home fries or cheese grits. Let’s start with some of our favorites.

The Merican is about as classic as it gets. Two eggs, served with your choice of bacon or sausage and a side of toast for $7.

If you’re looking for something more, try The Scrambler. Three eggs scrambled with sausage, ham, bacon, onions, roasted tomatoes and cheddar jack cheese ($9).

An original item on the menu was the Smoked Brisket Hash, which I was told to mention specifically because it was so delicious. Casby’s uses three types of potatoes: sweet potatoes, Yukon gold potatoes and purple potatoes, mixed in with smoked brisket and grilled onions. The hash is served with two eggs and an arugula and tomato salad on the side ($13).

Another unique option is the Toad in Da Hole. (No toads were harmed in the making of this dish) The “toad” is two eggs, served your way, with herbed goat cheese. The “hole” is griddled French bread ($12). While this dish may seem simple, the goat cheese adds a refined flavor that we hadn’t experienced before.

On the sweet side, Casby’ has a French bread French toast, dipped in a vanilla bean custard and served with whipped butter ($11). For an additional $3, you can get the French toast topped with a mixed berry compote.

For the Gals, like myself, who come to brunch with stomachs on E, you can’t pass up The Bomb Breakfast Burrito. This burrito is loaded with bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, potatoes and white cheddar, topped with a stout and cheddar cheese sauce. I’m almost positive that this $11 burrito was about the size of my forearm. The best part about this burrito is that you can enjoy it more at home after a post-brunch nap.

Casby’s menu features three omelet options, and yes, all three were tried by the Gals.

The Kitchen Sink Omelet has everything in it, except the kitchen sink. It has bacon, ham, sausage, roasted mushrooms, roasted tomatoes, grilled onions and cheddar jack cheese for $13. While this omelet is loaded, it won’t leave you feeling as full as the burrito.

For a vegetarian option, try the Cali Omelet. This has avocado, roasted tomatoes, roasted mushrooms, asparagus, arugula, smoked mozzarella and it’s finished with lemon oil ($11). Some of our Gals are still keeping true to their New Year’s resolutions. This is a perfect choice for those who wanted to eat a little healthier.

I’ve heard of an open-faced sandwich, but never an open-faced omelet. In the Casby’s Mess Open Face Omelet, curried eggs are topped with potatoes, onions mushrooms, roasted tomatoes, asparagus, roasted peppers, avocado, and goat cheese ($12).

Of course you can’t have a brunch menu without eggs benedict. Casby’s has a classic eggs benedict, a crab cake benedict and an original eggs benedict. The original Casby’s Benedict is meat free and has two poached eggs over blackened tomatoes and avocado, served on an English muffin and topped with hollandaise.

Casby’s brunch menu also includes a lunch side with a ton of options ranging from salads and shareables to burgers, sandwiches and pasta.

Around the Table

Casby’s was so amazing to accommodate our large squad. Not many restaurants allow us to bring 30 Gals, so when we arrived and saw that we had four tables in the main area and booths reserved, we were ecstatic. Thank goodness too because we had several new Gals joins us.

After a few brief introductions, we were all chatting like long-time friends. Since Valentine’s Day is creeping around the corner, my table talked about which dating apps were the best and the worst. It was a judgement-free zone, as we laughed and shared stories of some of the creepiest messages we’ve ever received.

While we sipped our cocktails, local artist Joe Heilman performed covers that made us want to sing-along with him.

This brunch was also the last one in Virginia Beach for one of our leaders, Francesca (aka Fancy Schmancy). She reflected on how GTB has brought her some of her closest friends. We hugged her goodbye knowing that she would be successful on this next journey in her life.

Note: the Casby’s Sunday Brunch menu we had differs from the one posted on their website. Some items and descriptions may have changed.