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A Baked Joint, Baked and Wired's Sister Restaurant at the Lyric 440K Apartment Building in Mount Vernon Triangle


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A 12.5 mile run in this weather will really do a number on a gal. After taking some time to stretch and foam roll at Vida Gym, I crossed the street to check out the new and nameless shop from Baked and Wired. The space is really open and has a very contemporary feel with bright white countertops and clean lines. There is a small retail area on the right after you enter with items such as pickles and jam made by Baked and Wired, coffee beans (Stumptown and Blueprint coffee from St. Louis), granola, bars of chocolate, and some baked goods. Additional baked goods (bread, biscotti, brownies, etc.) are behind the counter where you register. The place has a lot of seating, including a nice looking communal table.

The food offerings looked pretty tasty including the much talked about artisinal toast, quiche, and yogurt and granola. A good option for a light breakfast or snack. The coffee offerings were also pretty interesting ranging from regular drip coffee to pour over to espresso drinks and even iced coffee on nitro.

The service is still working itself out. Everyone was friendly and eager to help but it took awhile to ring up simple orders as the employees seemed to still be getting used to the cash register. Also, there were a few people behind the counter that kept asking people if they needed help which seemed to be confusing to people who were expecting to order at the register. Finally, when food and espresso drinks came out, one person was just shouting the name of the customer and it caused a bit of confusion. If the pace keeps up, I think it would be much better if they moved to giving people numbers at the register so food can be delivered to the appropriate table. 

I walked in around 10am and the place had seemed to settle into a good pace and not too busy, but within five minutes about a dozen people had streamed in and it was a bit more chaotic and busy. I ordered a pour over of the Blueprint coffee and a chocolate almond biscotti. I really enjoyed the pour over and the biscotti did a good job of holding me over until I could make my post run breakfast tacos. 

While I love Chinatown Coffee Company and La Colombe, this Baked and Wired sister place is the place where I would want to sit down and spend some time or meet with friends. 

In other news, on my walk home I saw signage up for L'Hommage Bistro Francais (from the owner of Alba Osteria) two doors down. According to the Washington Business Journal the place also has plans for a bakery and cafe, so it'll be interesting to see how A Baked Joint and L'Hommage co-exist. Then across the street, the Rays joint seems to be coming together (I saw dining tables set up!). If good Kushi (not the mediocre/bad Kushi of the later years) were still around and the strip club formerly known as the Cloakroom/Louis Rogue could be replaced with something respectable, the 500 block of K would be an interesting block to spend some time. 

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Im confused by eatruneat's post. Where is the new buzz bakery in town? Is this about the new Baked and Wired store?

I second mnnchas's question. There are several Vida Fitness locations. Where is this mystery place?  I'm guessing near Taylor and Mandu on K? Address please.

You're right - eatruneat wrote me and asked me to move the post to Baked And Wired's sister thread, and to edit it accordingly.

This bakery and coffee house is much (*much*) larger than Baked and Wired, and is tweeting under the name "A Baked Joint" (@ABakedJoint).

Two questions for our astute members:

1) Is it correct to place it in this part of the Dining Guide? (Go in and search it - I believe this may be the first restaurant in the Mount Vernon Triangle.)

2) Is it correct to have it in the "Coffee Houses and Roaster" forum instead of the "Restaurants and Dining" forum? I'm less sure about this question (*).

.

Either way, thanks to eatruneat for her report, and to mnnchas and jondagle for their eagle-eyed questions.

(*) I had originally moved it to "Coffee Houses and Roasters," then after looking some more, have moved it back to "Restaurants and Dining."

This sounds silly, but this one thread makes me feel proud, because we're really working as a team.

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ooh-will they have cupcakes from baked and wired available at this location too?

Unfortunately, no. There weren't any cupcakes when I went Saturday morning and articles I have read said explicitly that there would not be cupcakes. :angry: I am still hopefull that the owners change their minds on this at some point.

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Don - On the first question, I think you have it placed correctly.  On the second question, maybe the coffee experts can weigh-in.  Is there any way it can exist in both spaces, or is that a PITA?  

[it's a PITA for posters, since (in theory) they'd need to remember to post in both places. I think if its raison d'ètre is to be a coffee house, it belongs in one place; if it's more of a bakery or restaurant, it belongs in the other (of course, what does that make Baked and Wired?) - it's not a huge deal, but we may as well stick with the way things are currently done. It sounds to me like they serve a variety of food (and no cupcakes!), so it doesn't really hurt anything to leave it, for now, in Restaurants and Dining; we can always move it later.]

I'll say this much, not as a moderator, but as a regular old poster: they are *crazy* not to serve Baked and Wired's cupcakes. For those who haven't had them: They're as good as any cupcakes I've ever had in my life - they should take these and go national in a big way! Mr or Mrs. Velazquez are you reading this? Do you want an investor? Call me! Baked and Wired is one of the great treasures in all of Washington, DC - both for coffee and cupcakes, *but* we can get world-class coffee at other places; we can't get cupcakes like this anywhere else.

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I have had some really pleasant food at A Baked Joint in recent weeks and surprisingly none of food I had was a baked good. I have a huge sweet tooth and was positive that I would gain ten pounds and empty my bank account at this place, but to date I have had coffee, breakfast, happy hour snack. I have also put A Baked Joint in the rotation of places to stop and pick up a bag of beans for home brewed coffee.

A former co-worker moved into the neighborhood and we met up for a drink after work one day a few weeks ago. Happy hour prices are $2 off glasses of wine and $5 beers on tap. My friend ordered a glass of white wine and I had a glass of 3 Stars Peppercorn Saison. We were both a little hungry and decided to split a Veggie #1: smoked eggplant puree, roasted sweet potato, goat cheese, crispy kale, and peppers agrodolce served on focaccia bread ($10). The sandwich was really really good. The flavors worked together really well and with the bread, which was also delicious. And it was surprisingly filling as I only needed a light snack when I got home to complete my dinner.

MichaelBDC and I stopped by again this past Sunday for breakfast. The place was packed but we managed to find a two top and did not have to eat standing up. I ordered a pour over coffee and a breakfast sandwich consisting of North Carolina country ham, two organic fried eggs, cheddar cheese, and mayo on a bollilo roll ($6). The yolks of the eggs were already runny and making a mess out of the sandwich, but that's what I like about breakfast sandwiches. The roll was also really enjoyable, with just enough bread that was firm on the outside and warm and soft on the inside. I could have done without the mayo, and maybe added a slice or five of avocado, but other than that, this was an ideal breakfast sandwich. It's hard to find a good simple breakfast sandwich but I think I finally found it after over a decade in DC. The only downside was that the egg was a little over salted, but hopefully that is not the norm here. MichaelBDC ordered a slice of veggie quiche ($4.50) and a meat&cheese biscuit consisting of ham, jalapeno, and cheddar ($3.50). I had a bite of the biscuit and it was delicious. I would get a breakfast sandwich made out of this biscuit next time, though it may also be overkill. The quiche was a bit of a disappointment. Not particularly flavorful or memorable, although cooked well. I couldn't even tell which vegetables were in it, or if there were any veggies in it.

A Baked Joint is a really great addition to the neighborhood. It doesn't look like they are going to be serving cupcakes any time soon (a menu of baked goods has a line about how the slices of cake are just like cupcakes), but there are plenty of baked goods to choose from. It seems like the neighborhood is loving this place as much as me. MichaelBDC and I were there at 10am and the place was already packed. Lots of people in workout clothes (me being one of them), which is very fitting for the area. I will have to try some baked goods soon.

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I had a tasty and trendy nitro cold brew coffee the other day after working out, and picked up a loaf of whole wheat sourdough to take home.  No complaints about the bread, which was used to make a week's worth of BLTs and plain tomato sandwiches.  I really dug the vibe, with The Smiths playing not-too-loudly, and a fairly eclectic crowd hanging out socializing, working, and reading.  Great 3rd place for the neighborhood.

I see the veggie #1 sandwich entering my life very soon.

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Had a nice breakfast here this morning.  Sausage and Herb Biscuit Sammie with a fried egg.  Savory and just the right amount of grease to help with the hangover from the previous night's Christmas parties.  Also a slice of fresh baked wheat bread with nutella and sea salt, which seemed odd but went really well together.

Wife had the Creme Brulee French Toast, a Sunday-only special, and declared it the "best French Toast she's ever had."  I sampled and it was incredibly sweet without being treacly.  She also got a cold "Chaider" which is apple cider with chai concentrate, and liked it so much went back to stand in the line out the door for 10 minutes for a not-free refill.

We love this always-packed addition to our neighborhood.

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The goat cheese and herb biscuit I devoured after a long run today was absolutely delicious. I've been quite happy with the vegetarian options here.

Devouring one of their biscuits while waiting for a pour over after a long run/workout would have been my ideal Saturday morning until a few weeks ago. That's when I finally ordered the savory oatmeal with kale, caramelized onions, smoked ham, pecorino, and a poached egg. Add a few dashes of hot sauce and there is almost no other way I would want to refuel after a long run.

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i love their cheese herb biscuits! i think the ones at the gtown location are a bit better--the ones i've had downtown are often a bit sweet for my taste, perhaps because of the onions--but the big advantage of the downtown location is that they don't seem to run out of the biscuits unlike the mothership, which always runs out of them, and early. 

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Is this still the place to get a a special treat in D.C., or has it been overtaken? What about the bread?

The bread at their sister restaurant, "A Baked Joint" on K St. NW is pretty good.  I had a great baguette and loaf of whole wheat sourdough there pretty recently.

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