Char No.4 01-02-2011

Location: 196 Smith St. BK
Time: 12pm
People: JBH, TH, RB, CK and myself

Feelings: Char No.4, the whiskey bar with Southern comfort cooking and smoked meats, has been getting great reviews everywhere. At 12pm on the day after New Year's Day, the place was packed with quintessential Smith Street clientele: hipsters with curly mustaches and tired parents with babies who desperately seek brunch cocktails.

This was the first time in a booth table with CK, and we quickly came to realize that booths are not very baby friendly. We were cramped into the booth with four people plus one baby with all our jackets and baby gear. I could not move an inch and was quite uncomfortable throughout the meal. Alas, the saga of raising a kid in a city.

Despite much discomfort, I enjoyed the pleasantly quick service and rustic decor. My Buttermilk Pancakes ($12) were as TH called them, "Bigger than IHOP's," but they were sadly quite dry and lacking in flavor. I just wish there was more of fixings or a drizzling of syrup.

We thoroughly enjoyed JBH's biscuit and spiced pumpkin butter that reminded her of pumpkin pie filling. Both She and TH did not quite enjoy Shrimp and Grits ($14) and thought the texture of grits tasted "more like a corn chowder than grits."

RB had the biscuits and gravy with poached eggs, which was decent but unspectacular. What he really enjoyed was their smooth winter ale draught, which he continues to talk about to this day.

Considering this is a whiskey bar and with a name like "Char No.4," perhaps what would be the best thing to order here is pork dishes-- ham, bacon and pork belly to be exact. After all, pancakes and seafood might not be whiskey compatible dishes. Everyone sans my vegetarian self enjoyed the chicken and rosemary sausage and bacon bits. All they really needed was a shot of bourbon to chase it down.

Char No.4 is no doubt one of the better brunch spots on Smith Street, and the popularity is ever growing. Where else can we find a whiskey bar that serves brunch on weekends? For vegetarians, the selections are limited, but if you enjoy meat and whiskey or a good pint of beer, this establishment is definitely the place for you.