Date: August 9, 2008
Time: Approx. 8pm EST
Baker's Crust - Norfolk, VA
This was my first time going to the Baker’s Crust. After we walked in, we were greeted and sat down promptly. There wasn’t a wait at all and on a Saturday night, that’s amazing. We had the option to eat outside but decided to eat inside because it was kind of muggy out and getting dark.
Once we sat down and ordered our drinks (I had some great tasting peach tea), they brought out some bread and butter. It wasn’t out of this world but was still pretty good. I’m a bread-lover though so I have to say I’m a bit picky. 
They only serve breakfast until 11am so that made our menu choices a little more limited. Still, there were some good options. I was craving some French Onion Soup but unfortunately, it isn’t vegetarian (when asked, the waitress wasn’t sure if it was beef or chicken broth but she knew it wasn’t vegetarian). They do have a Mushroom and Brie soup that is vegetarian. I tried some of my friend’s and it was really good. The mushrooms weren’t too overpowering.
I ended up ordering their Baker’s Combo which allows for a cup of soup, half of your choice of sandwich and/or half of your choice of salad. You can choose two of either and I chose to get their Roasted Tomato & Fresh Mozzarella Panini and their Wine Country Salad. This combo was $8.99 which I didn’t think was bad. When it came out, the salad was enormous (for being a half-salad). The panini was delicious and was smothered with pesto sauce – yum! The salad was mixed greens garnished with strawberries, grapes, diced pears, and candied pecans. It came with raspberry vinaigrette dressing. This salad could be too sweet for some people. I am a sweet-tooth so it was perfect for me.
For dessert, the Baker’s Crust has plenty of options though they seemed slightly overpriced. I was in the mood for chocolate so I ordered their Ultimate Chocolate Lava Cake for $6.99. This cake comes with a side of Vanilla Bean ice cream. I was surprised when they brought it out because they also included some whipped cream with strawberries on top free of charge. The chocolate was extremely rich and the ice cream made it a perfect combination.
All things considered, I was very pleasantly surprised with the Baker’s Crust. I didn’t realize they would have such great food. They had a couple different options for vegetarians in salads and a couple paninis (besides what I got, there’s also an Avocado Goat Cheese panini), as well as at least one soup option (Mushroom & Cheese soup is probably vegetarian too). Of course their breakfast menu has many vegetarian options as well if you go before 11am.
August 10th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
Their Panini Grilled Avocado was great. I had a side of chips with it, which was subpar. Some of the chips left a burnt aftertaste.
I would definitely go there again. I’d like to try their Roasted Tomato & Fresh Mozzarella Panini next time.
August 31st, 2008 at 8:58 am
Date: August 30, 2008
Time: Approx 2:00 pm EST
The atmosphere was very busy inside so we asked to sit outside. The option to sit outside makes this place sit very high on my list. My overall experience was great. Service- our server was excellent, atmosphere- very nice, food – very tasty. I will go back again very soon.