NO RECIPE TODAY BUT A PRE MOTHER'S DAY LUNCH AT GODFREYS IN FALLS CHURCH

Our son and daughter-in-law recommended this restaurant to us, having gone for the first time a few days previously. 

I usually prefer to stay home on Mother's Day but Gregg suggested we celebrate early, and I was all for that. We were given such a glowing report and were intrigued.  

The drive out there was very nice and the GPS took us down roads we rarely traveled, if at all, and we passed a few curiosities.  For instance, this perfectly good gate that had no driveway.  On our side was no exit to the road, just a grass trim about five feet wide, and the gate had bushes built up against the other side. We had stopped at a traffic light. I seem to notice oddities, things that are out of the norm. I would like to know the story of why.

There is a great deal of gentrifying going on, but I was happy to see the old strip of shops with the barber in the middle. They have seen better days but I enjoy them.

It has been a few years since we last visited Falls Church. We stayed on back roads instead of using the freeway, and even those were busy. 

Our son told us we should go in the off hours as tables get filled up fast and parking is a premium. We thought to go early but by the time we got there it was noon. As it turned out Gregg couldn't find a parking spot. There were towing signs on either side of this property. These adjacent properties had nearly empty lots.  Gregg dropped me off at the restaurant and found alternate parking in a public parking lot not too far up the road. In the meantime, I kept an eye on tables. 

There was extra dining outside in the front of the building and at the back. However, it was rainy and on the chilly side. There were beams over the sitting area, which at first I thought was a covered ceiling but it was open to the elements and all the seats and tables had puddles of water on them. 

I was curious about the mural on the wall and could find no information. On their website there was the same design.

A second floor up some very steep stairs provided another dining area, so another customer told me after she descended carefully, and I asked (way too steep for me). There were also meeting rooms up there, and Gregg thought accommodations. There was probably an elevator which I would have looked for later if necessary, but…

patience won out and as I kept an eye on where people were in their journey (i.e. are you near the end of your meal and are you about to get up and go, all this while trying not to look too obvious?) Gregg arrived and almost immediately a table became available. We were seated sooner than I expected.

Most everyone was very casually dressed. I felt quite comfortable in a tee shirt, cardi and jeans. The staff were kept hopping and I was impressed with their friendly attitude towards their customers. The gentleman who cleaned our table was very pleasant. You can pick up a menu at the counter and order your food before you sit down. I staked our claim by sitting and Gregg brought the menu over to the table. We looked through the items, made our choices and he went back to the counter to order.  

You are given a number and it wasn't long afterwards that we were served. A young man appeared and cleaned our table. With the amount of people dining we were pleasantly surprised how fast our meals were delivered, and the food was beautifully presented. Their website is here and you will see a short video and photos which will give you more of an idea what the place is like. Menu is at this link.

I had a vegetable bowl

It was excellent!

Gregg had a grilled cheese sandwich which he said was the best one he had ever had. 

Both were a ten out of ten. Gregg had a fresh fruit sparkler made with fresh fruit puree, organic Agave and sparkling water.  I had water plus a latte.  Next time I am going to order the London Fog, which is a hot tea made with Earl Grey, vanilla and honey. Our son recommended that which I had forgotten about until I saw it on the menu later.  I was enjoying my latte, which was very nice. Also, you don’t have to order a meal. You can just have a coffee and a pastry.  

The building where Godfrey's is now located was once an old motel and a Galleria florist shop. It is now a coffee shop, Parisian-style bakery and cafe which opened in September of 2023. We can highly recommend it for anyone who is visiting the area. You can either take-out or dine in. Reading online I learned that Godfrey McKenzie is its head chef and co-owner.  He and his partner run a first-class, smooth running establishment, and we are already looking forward to going back for our next special occasion. Definitely a great place to take company when visiting. I also found an interesting YouTube video here. It gives you a good tour of Godfreys. I do not get anything for this free advertising. If we go somewhere which we find is super nice, I like to let everyone know what an excellent time we had, plus telling a little bit about the place, and sharing the goodies. 

Here are the pastries! Oh my goodness! We finished our meal and we decided to take a dessert home for later. There was a lot to choose from.

Gregg's choice was the Bombe Vanille

Mine was the Tonka Tart

Now prepare for pastry overload!

And I didn't show the cookies available.   

It was a very short walk back to the car. It had been raining but fortunately had stopped by the time we left.

I took a few photos of the flowers and others. The pretty, rain-soaked green leaves are Heavenly bamboo, also known as Sacred bamboo and Chinese sacred bamboo.  Its botanical name is Nandina domestica.

A wall of Bearded iris, also known as Common flag, German iris and Rhizomatous iris. Botanical name Iris Germanica.  This was as close as I could get without trespassing. I only had my cell phone.

Below is Kousa Dogwood, also known as Korean Dogwood and Japanese Dogwood. Its botanical name is Cornus kousa.

We had crossed over at this traffic light, and was waiting for another light to change before we could cross the other road to get to our car. As soon as we sat down it started raining again. I lucked out as I had neither raincoat nor brolly.

And that was my pre-Mother's Day Lunch at Godfreys. We both had a splendid time!

Thanks for looking! I hope you all have a wonderful day!