Weezie’s Kitchen a pleasant place for lunch

Weezie's Kitchen, in Carytown across from Cary Court Shopping Center, is a pleasant, inviting place.

The staff is friendly, the atmosphere welcoming. On the warm, springlike day we visited, the double doors facing Cary Street were opened wide to beckon the customers and the fresh air.

Prices on the lunch menu range from $7 (soup du jour and grilled cheese sandwich) to $10 (crabcake sandwich and steak sandwich). Every sandwich comes with a substantial side dish that's included in the price.

I ordered the meatloaf sandwich ($9), which came on a sub roll with grilled onions, mushroom and melted cheddar, and a squash-and-onions side. The sandwich was fine, but the meatloaf wasn't Mom's (or mine, when I used to make it). Not bad, just different. It was more burger-y than loaf-y, but it's not like I didn't finish it or enjoy it.

The squash-and-onions dish, cooked with pieces of bacon, was delicious and added a nice, something-other-than-fries wrinkle to the meal.

My friend ordered the crabcake sandwich (served on a Kaiser roll with spicy tartar sauce, lettuce and tomato). She found it underwhelming -- it wasn't bad, she said, just too much filler and a far cry from the crabcakes she is used to getting near the bay. But her disappointment was somewhat mitigated by her side of macaroni-and-cheese, a generously sized dish filled with creamy pasta shells.

"This," she said, between bites, "is really good."

Weezie's is an easy place to like. It's open early and closes late, offers a relaxed setting and doesn't scrimp on portions. I'll gladly return for lunch and try another sandwich, or maybe just order a bunch of sides.

Contact Bill Lohmann at (804) 649-6639 or .