Bourbon & Brunch: Char No. 4

I met up in Brooklyn with Sara (of NYC Nom Nom) and her fiancé (that's right! Engaged! Congrats and Mazels all around!) Mike--after some wandering we stopped for lunch at Char No 4, recommended by one of Sara's friends. Char is in one of my favorite Brooklyn 'hoods, Cobble Hill. It's a great place to walk around, barhop, restaurant-stroll, you name it.

The entrance is a bit nondescript, but the wall of bourbons inside is most certainly not! Bourbon is a main claim to fame here, so we each tried a drink accordingly:

Sara had a Noreaster (on the right): Ginger beer, lime, maple syrup. Quite lovely! Mike had the bloody mary, which came with a slice of pickle and a hefty dose of heat, which tickled and prickled nicely long after your sip.

Mine was the Bourbon Bonnet, with fresh pineapple juice, habanero peppers, cherries, and a bit of brown sugar. YES. I wish I had another one of these right now-- sweet/sour and so refreshing!

I was also impressed, yes, I said it, with the ice cubes---they're pretty striking all on their own!

We shared an appetizer for the table: smoky, deep-fried pork nuggets. These were tasty on the first bite, but one was plenty for me. PS: That hot sauce is no JOKE, son.

I'd had some eggs already that morning, so I opted for a lunchier option: their pulled pork sandwich, which came with baked beans and pickled veggies on the side.

I don't know if I've ever had a more melt-in-your-mouth pulled pork. Wow.

The beans were also delicious, not sweet, and everything on that plate was even better that night (I had half the dish at lunch, half for dinner).

Mike's dish was impressive looking-- poached eggs over a giant biscuit that was more the size of a serious Belgian waffle. He generously let me try a bite and damn, that was a good biscuit.

Sara went for a breakfast sampler dish: it came with a poached egg, cornbread, ham, home fries, and cheese grits. I am not a grits person, but I had at LEAST 2 bites of these. Mmmm cheesy. The home fries were tasty, not greasy at all.

Everything was great. The food, the service, the prices. Our server went above and beyond in making sure none of the dishes contained peppers (Sara's allergic), and even made sure she knew Mike's & my drinks were spicy and she shouldn't sample them. I loved our experience at Char No 4 and will happily return for more bourbon & brunch!

Char No 4

196 Smith Street

Brooklyn, NY 11201

(718) 643-2106

Follow @Lkpnyc