Our Fabled Nest

As much as we love our munchkins, it is nice to have that one-on-one time with just the hubs and I. Our life centers around a beautifully curated adventure filled joyful life. That cup overflows into virtually everything we do. It is just us and how we purposefully decided to live. We take turns planning a fun date for one another each month. A small date: new restaurant, something fun, – whatever we choose – we focus on quality time together. We usually gravitate towards either a cheaper meal and pricier activity or vice versa. Fancy is something we don’t do a lot, but it is nice to get dolled up once in a while! Being foodies, we more often than not love to cook at home, but this once-a-month date is a real treat for us!

We landed in central Virgina, when we decided on our redo. Almost an hour away is the city of Richmond. Quite beautiful, very diverse, culturally rich but seemingly overlooked destination. We love our little RV Park – our home base! We adore being in the country, away from the hustle and bustle of the city, but love the option of being close enough for a visit. Belle Isle, Maymont, Buttermilk trail, Canal Walk and so many more gorgeous places; plus, the city is steeped with history. Museums, tours, restaurants -Richmond has it all and we haven’t even had the chance to really explore it all!

Our date, hubs surprised me with was Burton’s Grill. Newly opened, about six months ago, it is kind of the “shiny new toy” according to our waiter. We first fell in love with Burton’s Grill, a few years ago, in New Hampshire. Gluten free food is hard to find… especially decent good mood happy dancin’ kind of food. Our first visit, I could practically eat anything on the menu, and it was not a grainy, crumbly nor flavorless or just steamed veggies. Nope! Anything and everything were on the menu! So, you can image my squeal of excitement knowing we have a Burton’s an hour away!

Being gluten free for over a decade at this point, I have a few select places we’ve tried that I cannot scream enough good things about – from the service to the gluten free menu, to the separate fryers and prep areas – gah I could go on! There are a few places that get the severity of gluten intolerance (or celiacs) and I love having that freedom to enjoy whatever I want (even though it is just one meal). Burton’s Grill is just like that and so much more! Beautiful restaurant, wonderful service – our waiter was on top of it! Being the newest restaurant, they have incorporated their gluten free menu with their regular menu. A lot of options were naturally gluten free, while some of the others were gluten free optional. As in, they have a gluten free version available! I love Burton’s for their separate fryer and prep area!

Being the newest restaurant, they are running a brunch special on the weekends until 3p. We arrived just in time to try out their brunch options! Eating out, more often than not, the hubs usually will order gluten free as well. Our usual is to share a bite or split our meals; so, we both are able to try new foods. For drinks, he starts with an Old Fashion, and I chose the Harvest Sparkler. Mine was a literal autumn hug in a mug- non-alcoholic spiced cider, lemon, and a smidge gingery from the ginger ale. It reminded me of a crisp autumn day in October where the leaves are swirling about, and an apple pie is baking away in the oven – perfection! Brunch, one of their appetizers is a gluten free bag of donuts. Thirteen lightly fried, cinnamon powder sugar loaded puffs with a rich cream cheese frosting for dipping. The other appetizer, we knew and loved from New Hampshire, were the General Tso Cauliflower. Big fans of Asian inspired cuisine – a smidge spicy but sweet and the creamy garlic aioli- ooh yum! As a main entree, even for brunch, there were so many options! Salads and bowls, with optional proteins. Brunch mains like gluten free gravy and biscuits, mediterranean frittata even French Toast! Sandwiches such as burgers, BLTs and lobster roll even graced the brunch menu. Diverse, well curated menu – sure to please anyone!

Hubs settled on the French Toast, gluten free, loaded with fresh berries, dusted with powdered sugar and can’t forget warm maple syrup for drizzling. While I mainly eat plant forward, a good burger is hard to pass up; so, I chose RVA Brunch Burger. Loaded with candied bacon, fried egg and a hashbrown, all tucked in a gluten free bun with sweet potato fries. Delicious, everything was perfection! Our usual tradition is to split whatever meal we decide on. I snagged a few bites of French Toast and had half the burger. But, for me, those sweet potato fries were the real star! Somethin’ so right about fried sweet potatoes lightly salted- my favorite combo!

Good mood food is always a date, we look forward too! I appreciate the thought and detail in everything Burton’s Grill does for not only the gluten free diners but regular ones as well. Even though, we loved our meals, date nights are so much more than about the food. I love the chance to reconnect, to catch up, to reminisce and plan future adventures.

Cheers to the next adventure!