Brunch at Char No. 4, revisit

This morning, I met with Susan K. and Reka at Char No. 4 for brunch. Steve and I have been to Char a couple times for the morning meal, but Reka and Susan have only had the pleasure of dinner there. It was high time that they also experienced brunch and the (in)famous bacon cheddar grits that I adore.

Char fills up around 11AM, so we were sure to get there before that in order to secure a booth. Only parties more than two will get seated at booths, and there are only about six booths, so be prepared to wait for one. Char has a patio out back, but until the weather turns warmer, it's still closed.

It was hard to give up the grits this morning but I wanted to try something else. Besides, I knew Steve was going to get them and Susan was getting a side order of them, and I knew I wouldn't go without them!

I tried the biscuit with sausage gravy, house-made sage sausage, and sunny-side up egg. Yeah, it's pretty heave on the fat. And the cholesterol. And the sodium, no doubt, but it was also heavy on flavor. Delicious, savory flavor.

The biscuits at Char are one of my least favorite things because I think they could do them better, but coated with gravy and an egg, the biscuit passed muster for me. The sausage was subtly sage-y and even thought it didn't have the consistency of a breakfast link, it was quite fine.

Reka tried Char's take on eggs Benedict, but as it was made with the same sausage gravy as I had, she missed the classic tang of Hollandaise. The smoked ham was very good.

Susan K. had the buttermilk pancakes which were obviously made with a ton of butter, or at least griddled generously in it. They outside edge of pancakes was the best part - crispy toasty.

We ordered sides of aforementioned grits, bacon, and roasted potatoes. The potatoes were new to me, and I quite loved them. They were flavorful and cut small enough so that the entire outside could crisp up. I'm not always a fan of home fries, but these were some of the best I've had.

I love that Char is so close to home. It's a real gem of a place that consistently serves quality, careful, decedent, and pleasing food. I've been there half a dozen times now and I'm never disappointed.

Except with the coffee. We don't care for the coffee. It's a little strong and always tastes just a little burned.

Other than that, this place is stellar and I love eating here. Figures - it's owned by a Texan!