Charlotte By The Palate - Episode 2

Stop two on our tour of Charlotte by the Palate: Famous Toastery. We stopped by the University City location for a kid-free late Sunday breakfast.

Upon arrival, we immediately noticed the large crowd waiting outside to be seated. Always a good sign. I went to put our name on the list and was given a wait time of 35 minutes.
Note: this will NOT be a quick place to eat on the weekend unless your going for call-ahead take out.
Alas, we were seated in an intimate little nook in the middle of the restaurant. The vibe here is pretty chill. We kind of just rolled out of bed and were not at all out of place. It's a bit noisy, as expected when the place is always packed.
When seated, you’re given the name of a person who will come and take the order for the table but they say, if you need anything, grab anyone who walks by.
Shortly after being seated, we were greeted by a friendly waitress whose name slips my mind. She took our drink orders and returned with cornbread and apple butter. The small cornbread cubes had just the right amount of sweetness although they were a little dry. The apple butter was a bit sweeter than the cornbread and added just enough moisture to each bite. It’s always nice to get ‘free’ bread at a restaurant, but this I could’ve done without. It wasn’t bad, but wasn’t much to write home about.

I decided to order the southwestern omelet (filled with chorizo, tomatoes, bell peppers and cheddar cheese) with breakfast potatoes and cinnamon raisin toast.

Southwestern Omelet Plate

My partner in crime chose the #4 burger (bacon and cheese, customized with only onions and mayo) with breakfast potatoes.

(#2) Burger

So let's begin with the dish I have the most experience with - The Southwestern Omlette. At about $12 I'd say this is worth the price tag. There was chorizo, tomato, bell pepper and onion in EVERY bite. The egg was cooked perfectly (nothing worse than overcooked eggs... except undercooked eggs). In case you're wondering, there is a bit of spiciness thanks to the chorizo. The true star of this dish for me was the breakfast potatoes. By FAR my favorite food is the potato in almost any form and these were Dee-VINE. Nice little half- to one-inch cubes sauteed ever so carefully with onions and specially chosen spices then steamed to tender perfection 😢 It was truly an amazing experience for the palate. The cinnamon raisin toast was average. Nothing special per se, but I do appreciate that this was an option verses the typical "white or wheat" offered at most places.

On to the #4/#2 burger. As mentioned, the initial request was a #4 burger (bacon and cheese) but the kitchen forgot the bacon hence, the #2: cheese burger. Very average choice right? No! Not at the Famous Toastery. The first thing you'll notice is that the burger is wayyyy too big for the bun. And that is A-ok in our book. Upon first bite, my partner in crime noticed how fresh and flavorful the beef was. As an onion fiend, I was thrilled to see how many grilled onions the kitchen blessed this burger with. Of course I took a bite (for research purposes). I too, noticed that the beef was extremely fresh and flavorful paired with a perfect egg bun. The omelette was great, but I had burger envy indeed. I will return to this brunch spot for a burger.

Overall, I give this place 4.5 out 5 stars. I think I'd prefer to have a waiter/waitress who was "assigned" to my table so I don't have to keep an eye up to flag one down if needed. I dig the concept though.

Keep tasting, folks.

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