Free Wilma Posted January 19, 2014 Share Posted January 19, 2014 This new venture opened recently in the Belle View Shopping Center, just a bit south of the beltway, off the GW Parkway. it has taken literally YEARS for their doors to open, but I'm glad they finally have done it. they seem to be first and fore-most a bakery of BEAUTIFUL European-style breads and pastries. However, in recent days they are adding to their cafe menu. there doesn't seem to be a regular standing menu for the cafe food. Each day's menu is posted on a chalk board outside and posted on their Facebook page (where they post captivating photos of dishes while they are being prepped in the mornings). they seem to have a couple of soups and sandwiches daily. I tried their Asian flank steak sandwich with cucumber cilantro lime slaw on wonderful bread. my friends enjoyed the butternut squash soup which they reported had a nice spice to it. My daughter and I split one of their HUGE chocolate eclairs and both wished we hadn't have shared! I've gotten their pain au chocolate and ham and cheese croissants for breakfast too. all have been a delight! this establishment is just nowgetting on their feet in regard to decor. they have a big glass wall that separates the cafe area from the significantly large working bakery area. the cafe is slowly adding artwork and more tables. Once they work out those minor details, it will be a wonderful spot to sit and eat. I'm definitely looking forward to warm weather when they can open their big French doors that lead to the sidewalk. Outdoor dining maybe?? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheezepowder Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 Thanks for the report Free Wilma! From their Facebook page, it seems like they opened in Nov so I've added them to the 2013 openings list. (Website is here). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 I have a hunch about this place, and I'm initializing coverage in Italic. Thanks for posting, Free Wilma. I wonder if it's the same Panas name that has empanadarias in Bethesda and West Dupont, both of which are very good. i have been to both, and they're both worth going out of your way for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
durwoodx Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 I've been buying their stuff at the Old Town Farmers Market for years and years. Very solid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cajcaj Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 Not sure how long they've been open (and if its really been since Nov, I'm not sure why they're not more together) but they do need to get a bit more organized. We were there on Monday around 12:30 - I asked the gentleman manning the register if there was a menu and he said no, no menu. We saw people eating egg sandwiches though, so we just asked for 2 of those - we asked for it on a bread that we saw in the display and he began to tell us they couldn't do that, but then the lady cooking (later heard she's the GM and chef) said "If that's what they want, that's fine". Later as we were eating, we saw someone write up the sandwich and a soup on a chalkboard and hang it on the wall of the kitchen. It was a very confusing process.. That said, our egg, bacon, arugala and red pepper sandwiches on asiago bread were good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
durwoodx Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 Say hi next time! We were also there on Monday apparently at the exact same time - we noticed all the things you mentioned happening as well. I personally thought the egg, bacon, red pepper sandwich was just smashing. The egg was cooked perfectly with just a bit of crunchy edge and the red peppers really blended well and put it over the top for me. The sweet potato (I think?) soup offered was nothing special, but the Bacon, Leek, and Potato Chowder was quite good. More of a thin, broth chowder than you usually see with substantial hunks of bacon. All of the bread products we sampled (croissant, various loaves, and a couple of different cookies) were all winners as well. Hopefully they get the shop running smoothly, because the product is really very good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted March 21, 2015 Share Posted March 21, 2015 I have a hunch about this place, and I'm initializing coverage in Italic. I'm hearing mixed reviews of Bread & Water Company - has anyone been recently? Better still, are there any regulars here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkstar965 Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 Wasn't 'Bread & Water' the stereotypical threat made to bad kids in the olden days to discourage bad behavior; claiming that's what they fed to prisoners? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rufo Tabayoyong Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 Bread and Water followed by a trip to neighboring Unwined just a few doors down is one of my favorite combos in the neighborhood. I'd be interested to hear some of the negatives on Bread and Water, but I'll give my pros and cons. As far as the bread goes, it is delicious, the offerings are varied, and for anyone near, there is no better bread to be had. I have had a couple desserts and a dip which were also quite good. Further, my wife once brought home a porketta they made which was a herby hunk of pork with nicely browned skin about the size of dinner plate. It was designed for more portions than it ended up being. On the more critical side, while I have had a really good sandwich, I also had one, a sausage sandwich, that I think they just overreached on. Construction made it hard to eat and it just didn't come together well. My wife had a similar comment about a sandwich of hers. (I am a very into the balance of sandwich's build). However, my biggest gripe is that it takes an astoundingly long time to get a sandwich. They warn you and say everything is made fresh, but outside of baking the bread for each sandwich, I just can't explain what occurs between ordering and delivery. Lastly, they are at times just quirky. I arrived at 1115 once looking for a sandwich for the road and was told I had to wait 15 minutes for lunch to start. I was the only one there and I guess the rules are the rules, but it was strange customer service at best. Last quirky thing: They serve breakfast, and I once asked if they make an egg breakfast sandwich. I was told they only have one sandwich, which is some French toast contraption, but they that they make omelets. I don't design menus, but if serving breakfast and you run a bakery with amazing bread around AND you already make eggs and have cheese in the cooler, I just don't understand stand why they wouldn't lash those things together. Quirks aside, I like the place, my neighbors say good things about it and I'd be sad to lose it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free Wilma Posted March 25, 2015 Author Share Posted March 25, 2015 The slow service continues to be standard....and somewhat baffling. I LOVE their quiche. It's light, fluffy and flavorful. It comes with a simple but well-dressed side salad and is a terrific breakfast or lunch item. Clearly, it's been baked in advance. Why, then, does it take more than 20 minutes for it to be ready for me to carry out (or eat-in!) Yes, there are a few other customers in the cafe...but time management is definitely an issue. That said, the baked, pastry goods are consistently delicious and beautifully prepared. That is easily the strength of the establishment....and will keep the business afloat. The counter service for the cafe is somewhat of an afterthought...even though once you actually receive the food, it's generally quite tasty. Now after being open more than a year, I keep thinking some of the kinks will work themselves out. But alas, that's not the case for the cafe food preparation speed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farmer john Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 I sold at the same Farmer's Market as Markos for several years. Great baker, not the most organized. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 On 3/25/2015 at 9:20 AM, farmer john said: I sold at the same Farmer's Market as Markos for several years. Great baker, not the most organized. There are three locations now - the original, one in Torpedo Factory, and one in Pentagon City. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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