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Breadline, 18th St. and Penn. Ave. Downtown - Sandwich Shop Now Owned by La Brioche Doree


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Like DC Duck, I coincidentally had my first lunch at Breadline in a long time today with a friend.

Some quick context:

- for me, had been at least 3 years since the last visit and that visit was a good couple of years from the previous visit

- 5-6 years ago and prior, used to go there all the time (i.e., at least weekly)

- way back during the Furstenberg era, most loved i) the bread of course!, ii) the creatively designed sandwiches, few in number with simple quality ingredients, iii) generously portioned salads as well crafted as the sandwiches (served with one of those magic rolls) and iv) though popular, plenty of seating

So, today there were a few most obvious changes including:

- not as crowded even at noon on a weekday. lots of empty seats and that didn't change during the 90 minutes or so we were there.

- salads used to be toward the back; now they're at front (maybe some process maven at corporate figured out that t that was more efficient for traffic flow?)

- they now serve breakfast with heavy promotion of "organic eggs" and the breads incorporated wherever possible (baguette french toast). these breakfast options are in cards on every table.

What didn't initially appear to have changed but actually did:

- the seating areas seemed as big as before and laid out similarly and, while this is more or less true, there is new seating and the upstairs area seems to accommodate even more with bench seating

- the bread. I ordered a "persian chicken salad" which was served with side roll that looked the part. It wasn't. On one hand, that roll had little in common with what MF used to do. It was lighter on texture and flavor. Greater rise to run and more yeast than before to drive costs down (source: MF's educational comments to City Paper in Taylor Gourmet cover story of a few months ago) . On the other hand, the roll is better than the admittedly very low standard established by spots like Au Bon Pain, Potbelly and the like. Maybe this is something that Mr. Bertan will work to improve. Or maybe they'll consider it not necessary given the market demand. Time will tell.

- value. the prices seems more or less similar to what I remembered but the value wasn't. I had to order a double portion of the "persian chicken" to achieve a reasonable lunch portion for the money. Spent just over $13 for the salad and a bottle of iced tea.

- branding. they're using the same logo and signage I remember with no overt sign of the corporate owners but, after being inside for 30 minutes, it did seem more polished and less authentic in ways subtle and tough to articulate. no suprise there.

Bottom line:

Judging from my salad and my friend's sandwich, Breadline remains a decent spot downtown to grab a sandwich or salad, especially when compared with the low price, low quality chains like ABP and Potbelly. On a given day downtown, spots like Brown Bag or one of the salad places probably offer better value with similar quality but more typical and arguably less interesting fare.

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I did not read this entire thread, just the last two posts on this page.  Reading those posts, along with the fact that the last post was two years ago, my guess is that this place is no longer on anyone's radar.  I'm happy that I hopped on here after lunch today as opposed to beforehand.

I have never been to Breadline until today.  Even though I have been active on this board for years, I remember almost no mentions of it.  I didn't plan on going here today, I was just walking around the city enjoying the weather, came across Breadline and said to myself, "OK, I'll give it a try."

It was good, damn good.  I had the chicken and fennel piadine.  The flatbread was awesome, so were the contents inside.  It was BIG, especially for the price ($8.00+).

I don't know what Breadline was like before, but if it was better than what I had today, it must have been pretty awesome.  I'll go back for this version either way.

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I agree with Jiveturk21.  My wife works nearby Breadline and it is in her regular rotation. I've been going there for years and it is consistently very good.  I especially like the lentil salad and my wife loves the chicken with coleslaw sandwich.  The brownies rock too. I would say it isn't worth a special trip, but definitely worth it if you are nearby.  Everytime I go there are still lots of happy people in line (although the lines don't appear to super long like years ago).

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He later corrected himself and said he mis-spoke.  He said it is open and that it had changed hands a long time ago, and that was what he meant -- the original home-grown shop had "closed".  It was a really poor choice of words.

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He later corrected himself and said he mis-spoke.  He said it is open and that it had changed hands a long time ago, and that was what he meant -- the original home-grown shop had "closed".  It was a really poor choice of words.

Oops!

---

That's funny! I just now (3 hours later) went back and read the correction. Both of us said "Oops!"

I'll go ahead and slap Tom on the wrist for this one because I spent five minutes shutting it down in the Dining Guide, and then had to spend another five minutes reopening it. :P

Edited by DonRocks
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