Review

REVIEW BRUNCH BY TRAIN

Steps from the light rail in South End, Eight + Sand Kitchen’s menu does most everything right, and its mimosa is—dare we say—perfect

BY EMMA WAY

SIX MONTHS AGO, I sold my Honda Civic to reduce my carbon footprint. Now I use the light rail to commute, the bus to get to the airport and outlying neighborhoods, and my feet or bike to ll the gaps. (I’ll confess to ordering a fair amount of rideshares, too.)

The greatest challenge in all of this, though, is dining out. So many of my favorite Charlotte-area restaurants aren’t accessible via public transportation— looking at you, Kindred and Heirloom— and even more take two-plus bus connections to reach.

“Now approaching New Bern Station,” a robotic voice says as the Blue Line train slows to a stop in South End. I look out the window, see white patio furniture tucked under a sign for Eight + Sand written in script lettering, and hop out.

Inside, the café is as bright as this sunny December morning, with crisp white subway tiles, natural wood tabletops, and oor-to-ceiling windows. An L-shaped counter includes a full-service bar on one side and a station to order meals on the other.

I scan the menu and decide to split the breakfast bowl ($7.95) and the shakshuka ($9.95) with a friend. I order a mimosa ($8) for myself. A er I take a number, I nd a seat beneath string lights and next to some house plants with vines climbing down a bookcase. “Here Comes the Sun” plays so ly in the background as a server arrives with my mimosa.

An e ective test of a brunch menu, I think, is its basic mimosa. It’s the same reason I always order Bolognese at an Italian-American restaurant rst; if the restaurant can’t get that right, best to not order anything else. Any restaurant can serve a mimosa, but it takes a certain level of care to make a memorable one.

This mimosa comes in a wine glass with a sizable pour—no measly ute lls here. It’s about 85 percent Champagne and 15 percent freshly squeezed orange juice, light and delicate and dangerously delicious. I could have ordered four more; I didn’t drive, a er all.

Three familiar restaurateurs are behind Eight + Sand Kitchen: Inizio Pizza owner

EIGHT + SAND KITCHEN

135 New Bern St., Ste. A Entrées: $5.95-$12.95 (704) 370-9696 Shakshuka is a common breakfast dish in Israel. (Top, left) A mimosa and sangria.