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| - Fourth Ward Bread Company off Graham Street in #CLT is a welcome addition to the neighborhood but a LONG time coming. The space is large with lots of places to eat or lounge. I loved their blackboard wall and bicycle coffee valet station. Let me get into the food before commenting on operations.
Most people know this place for their "Kronuts", but I agree with Kathleen Purvis/Helen Schwab's funny video on it - they are tough and not delicious. So move onto the goodness. Kathleen says their standout offering is the pain du chocolat but I would argue it's actually the egg and cheese croissant where as Tae-Sun mentioned, they bake the egg with seasoning and fresh chives right into the croissant with pure deliciousness and provides a really filling crunch.
For sweets, I'd vote any of their bread puddings. I wouldn't say "OH I'm a big bread pudding fan." It's usually heavy, and either too dry or too soggy. This is almost like a french toast bake but with absolutely delicious flavoring. I've tried Mocha, Chocolate, Blueberry and one other flavor they were giving samples of during their "soft opening" and each was totally delicious in every way. I couldn't even pick a favorite they were all fantastic. Another great pick? Their brownies, which far outshine their GIANT blondie brownies or cookies. Their brownies are like fudge and definitely my favorite plain chocolate brownie in town. YUM.
Their roast beef sandwich is HUGE and pretty good, though there's au jus on is so sometimes the bread can be soggy. There are roasted peppers/onions on it and it has decent seasoning but it really needs something else- like a horseradish spread or a spicy mustard. They offer 1 other sandwich and a bunch of pizza breads which I haven't tried. This town has a huge shortage of really good sandwiches (2 places I can think of), so I think they should totally expand their sandwich menu and their lunches would take off in a major way. I'd be happy to be a sandwich consultant or taster (hint hint).
Their coffee is pretty good, but I agree with Shalu- it's a bummer they don't have skim or 2% milk.
Let's recap my five star faves here:
- EGG & CHEESE CROISSANT
- BREAD PUDDING (ANY FLAVOR)
- BROWNIE
- COFFEE
Back to operations- I think they're bakers, and a friendly family owned business but clearly not experienced business owners. Not only did their upfit take forever, they teased us with signage for I swear a year until they opened. Not only that but they painted hours on the door a few weeks before they opened so there were poor sods like me who tried opening the door with no one in there. Not to mention their bizarre soft opening for a couple days and then closed back up and reopened weeks later. That's not a soft opening, that's called a trial run. They clearly need a marketing firm to advise them. Man, I'm harsh for a 4 star review! But my other operational complaint? Their hours. I can't tell you how many time It's been 8:20 pm and wanted to go there but they were closed. Argh. You want a bakery to be open for early breakfast or for post-dinner dessert. They don't have to be open 24 hours like Amelie's, but 7am -9 pm would be ideal especially since they have beer/wine. I'd love to meet a friend for wine and dessert .
I have faith they'll get more experienced and expand their menu so I look forward to coming back with a 5 star revised review. They're already MILES ahead of Nova's.
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