Durhamite going to Charlotte--good place for Guglhupf or Vin-Rouge-style bakery breakfast/brunch?

[thessalian]

Have a concert coming up in a few weeks, will need a substantial, carby breakfast/brunch before facing Ikea the next day. :) It'll be a weekday, though, so I know that will leave out a lot of true brunch options.

For reference, Guglhupf and Vin Rouge are two of my favorite brunch spots. I also like Rue Cler's beignets, although their Croque Madame doesn't hold a candle to Vin Rouge's.

Also wouldn't mind suggestions for quick eats before a nighttime concert. We won't have much time between checking into the hotel and the concert itself, but I'd rather not do fast food if there's a good option. (Don't know yet where hotel will be be, show is at Time Warner Arena.)

[thessalian]

FWIW, we also ended up going to Soul Gastrolounge. I'm not going to claim to be the most knowledgeable foodie in the world, sort of a pre-foodie finding my feet, but I was sort of underwhelmed. The service was a bit weird. We came 20 minutes after opening but they kept putting the specials card on our table, then taking it back off because they weren't available yet (they placed it and removed it 3x, it was so weird), also something about the sushi station not being set up yet. (Again, we came in 20 minutes after opening, plus time to sit and order drinks, read menu, etc, so it was about 5:40 by the time they started telling us things that indicated they were not ready for dinner service.)

Food was hit and miss--could have been poor ordering on my part, though. Mini burgers were tasty but kind of overcooked/tough, like little meatballs. French fries were good. We ordered a sushi roll ("crunch roll") which came deep fried, and hot, so much so that the yellowtail inside was actually cooked through--basically like eating fried fish rather than sushi. Again, maybe this was just bad ordering on my part. Our dessert (two cupcakes) took about 20 minutes, so we thought maybe they were baking them, but they arrived at slightly below room temperature. Two salted caramel cupcakes. They were delicious, but one had a caramel topping and one didn't.

Place was certainly packed by 6pm, though, so I guess they're doing okay.

[ickymettle]

Yeah, Soul is more of a later-in-the-evening spot. You probably threw them off by getting there so early. The best things there are usually the specials, and the lamb lollipops, sticky veal shortribs, pork belly tacos, and tuna tacos are what I would recommend the most from their regular menu. The skewers are pretty good too.

[thessalian]

Ah, see, I was trying to beat the crowds (which were indeed there by 6) and make it to a 7:30pm concert. I saw those pork belly tacos and almost went for it, should have trusted my instincts.

[bbqme]

If you haven't already done so, you should try Cowfish. Sounds similar to Soul but better executed food. It too can get quite packed.

[RonboNC]

Amelie's is insanely good but not certain for brunch/breakfast. However, they are open 24 hours a day and if you have a sweet tooth, this place will cure it. Don't miss out on their pecan tart or salted caramel brownie. No joke when I say the brownie will change the way you look at pastries!

[carolinadawg]

Not certain about what? They have breakfast sandwiches, soup, tartines and regular sandwiches, in addition to their fantastic baked goods.

[RonboNC]

Uhm, not certain about brunch or breakfast just like I said, CarolinaDawg. I've only been to Amelie's once so I have no clue about their brunch offerings. I'd expect them to be good but can't vouch for them directly...

[carolinadawg]

Ok. "Not certain" is pretty vague and can be interpreted many ways. In any event, Amelie's b'fast and lunch savory items are great!

[thessalian]

Is Amelie's the one that's always crowded? I think I found this one somewhere (yelp, tripadvisor, something) but people mentioned difficulty parking and long lines.

[southernitalian]

I've never had difficulty parking and never experienced long lines.

[lynnlato]

I've never had problems w/ parking either. They do a good amount of business but the line has always moved quickly when I've been there. In any case, it's a great place, locally-owned & the pastries are so good. :)

[phalanxausage]

Nova Bakery is excellent, as well.

[wintersummer]

I'd say Amelies. We were there several months ago and loved it.

[bbqme]

Sunflour. Although their website highlight their sweet treats and breads they also do tasty breakfast/lunch biscuits and sandwiches as well.

http://www.sunflourbakingcompany.com/

[thessalian]

Thank you, this sounds like a real possibility!

EDIT: Looking at the menu, this looks like an absolute winner and exactly what I was looking for. Thanks so much.

[bbqme]

You're welcome! I eat there just about every time I visit my brother in Charlotte because it's so good!

[Nocturnalbill]

It really is excellent. Great food and coffee. And the savory end of things is really lovely.

[thessalian]

Thanks, we went to Sunflour for croissant sandwiches and coffee/french press tea. Food was great, services was excellent and friendly. Thanks again!

[carolinadawg]

Really hard to offer many suggestions without knowing more about where you'll be staying/looking to eat. I've never been to Guglhupf or Vin Rouge, but I think maybe Cafe Monte might be similiar. Its in the Southpark neighborhood. Amelie's might be another good choice, its in the NODA neighborhood between Uptown (where the arena is) and Ikea, so you stop there on the way. Vapiano might be a good place for a quick bite near the arena. Its on Tryon Street, a couple of blocks away. Sort of an upscale italian cafeteria, which sounds weird, but its pretty good.