Photo above: Smoked pulled pork sliders
Editor’s note: Members of our staff, aka the Lunch Bunch, go out to lunch to give you the rundown on the food and the atmosphere at local restaurants (OK, admittedly we also like to go out to eat, so win-win!). This week: Beaufort Bread Company
By Kat Walsh
The sign outside reads bread, but step inside and you’ll instantly have two thoughts: “This isn’t just a bread company.” And “thank goodness.”
At the Beaufort Bread Company (BBC) you’ll find all the things the bread can be – the forms it can take, from Lowcountry sourdough to bourbon cinnamon rolls, and the wonderful, magical and sometimes surprising things it can be a vehicle for, everything from creative Sammies to hand-crafted fresh chicken apricot sausage. It’s a place to enjoy bread in all its incarnations – and share in savoring the experience.
The atmosphere is welcoming and casual, a quaint and cozy balance between “let us serve you,” and “we trust you to serve yourself.”
Customers place their own orders and get their own beverages from the drink bar. While waiting to place your order, take the opportunity to drool over the freshly made baked goods and the Chalkboard Specials, which reveal the delicious results of the team’s daily brainstorming sessions.
Owners Robin and Eric Staton love creating new combinations and their menus and specials reflect their belief in “thinking globally and purchasing locally.”
Some of my lunch companions arrived knowing exactly what they wanted to order, while the rest of us hemmed and hawed between this and that. Ordering at BBC is a difficult endeavor – just as you read one item that sounds delicious, you see the next offering which sounds amazing. In the end, it’s a win-win: No matter what you order, odds are, you’ll love it.
While waiting for our food, we made the most of our time carefully watching what others had ordered, matching what we saw on their plates to what we read on the menu and mentally making notes about what to try next time.
Irene Goodnight, our IGNO sales creator, wisely ordered her usual, the Asian Rice Noodle Salad. A temping tangle of rice noodles, ginger chicken, Thai peanut dressing, her order received many glances from her tablemates.
Betty Davis, one of our sales reps, returned to her beloved Farro and Beet Salad. A creative mixing of beets, craisins and walnut-goat cheese makes the salad a popular item with many.
Graphic Designer Hope Falls Oswald and I ordered the Cobb Salad.
“This is one of my favorites,” admitted Robin as she delivered our plates.
A standard on most menus in most places, the Cobb Salad gets new life in the hands of BBC with hearts of palm and a homemade white balsamic vinaigrette.
Elizabeth Newberry, one of our publishers, got the Buttermilk Fried Chicken Sandwich. When her order arrived, complete with Southern slaw and dill pickles, she practically clapped her hands in glee. As our group wrapped up our meal, Elizabeth looked down at her empty plate and said “I thought it would be way too much for me to eat, but …”
Kim Newton, our other publisher, ordered the daily special – smoked pulled pork sliders topped with sweet vinegar coleslaw served with hand-cut french fries. Like many of us, she had a hard time deciding exactly what to get, but as soon as her order was placed in front of her, she knew she had ordered well. After one bite, her reaction, “I’m so glad I ordered this.”
And there’s more to BBC than just lunch. Breakfast is served daily and a Saturday brunch offers, among other one-of-a-kind items, an omelette unlike any other. And don’t forget Flatbread Night.
Once a month, on Saturday night, the Statons create a menu of five different flatbreads, set up their wood fire oven out front, and set about building and baking made-to-order flatbreads.
January’s Flatbread Night is Saturday, Jan. 28. Three evening seatings are offered and carryouts are available.
Looking around the crowded yet cozy space, it seems that BBC is succeeding in its goal of creating “fun in your mouth cuisine.”
Beaufort Bread Company, located on Lady’s Island at 102 Sea Island Parkway, is open from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Brunch is served from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturdays.
