2. Cassatt’s
4536 Lee Highway, Arlington | 703-527-3330 | cassattscafe.com
Enjoy eating brunch in an art gallery? Then this Lee Heights café, named after Impressionist painter Mary Cassatt, is your place. The walls are filled with works for sale by local artists. A basket of house-made pastries is a cut above the usual: Chocolate is spread throughout the inside of a croissant, rather than chunked up in the middle, and a raisin-bran muffin is so moist and flavorful that it singlehandedly rescues all such muffins from their dry, tasteless reputation. Even the hot chocolate, made with steamed milk and a blend of Penzeys Spices, is noteworthy. The Monte Cristo sandwich, made with French toast, is nearly perfect (powdered sugar would jack up the “oomph” factor) and the Italian frittata, with tomato, spinach, mushrooms, onions and dabs of feta cheese, is served open-face with a potatoes-and-cheese mix on the side. Tables are close together, which allows—if you are so inclined—for friendly conversations with a stranger over her napping baby’s head.