Rhone1998 Posted November 2, 2013 Share Posted November 2, 2013 Has anyone tried the recently-opened Fresh Baguette in Bethesda? The pictures on their Facebook page look great, for whatever that's worth. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 Has anyone tried the recently-opened Fresh Baguette in Bethesda? The pictures on their Facebook page look great, for whatever that's worth. Yes, I bought a ficelle. Nice flavor, crumb neither too dense nor too airy, golden crust barely crispy. I wouldn't know an authentic baguette if I tripped over one, but I thought this a very good loaf of bread. I spoke at length with one on the bakers and sampled some of the pastries, but not extensively enough to compare to other nearby places. Dude knows what he's doing, though. I have hopes for this place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoramargolis Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 Finally got to Fresh Baguette in Bethesda--on Bethesda Avenue in the block that backs up to the Giant. Excellent baguette--J likes it better than Leonora. I haven't yet tried the gougeres or the mini pecan and pear tarts I also bought, but the bread is spot on. Just down the street from A&H Gourmet Seafood, so a convenient 1-2 shopping spot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoramargolis Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 Excellent ficelle from Fresh Baguette. Not as happy with the ham and cheese fougasse, which left a lingering taste of garlic powder, but I couldn't stop eating it because I had missed lunch and the little cubes of smoky ham were so tasty, and the bread was chewy and good. Of note, while I was there, a British woman came in to pick up an unbaked frozen lattice crust apple tart, which the young woman baker had made on request, in the customer's own tart pan. The Brit lady explained that she was having a dinner party on Monday, when the bakery is closed, and she was so happy that Fresh Baguette had accomodated her in this way. The baker wrote out directions on a card for thawing, egg washing and baking the tart and handed the card to the customer before she left. She had already paid for it and I thought it was rude to ask how much they'd charged her. But how convenient is that--to be able to serve a pastry-chef-made tart right out of your own oven at a dinner party? It was in her own pan, so she could even say she'd baked it herself, which wouldn't be a lie. The lemon tart was a cup-shaped dome of filling in a pate sucree crust, good lemon flavor and not too sweet, but the texture was a bit too much gelatin-ous. The pecan-chocolate tart was seriously yummy, made with very good quality chocolate. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LauraB Posted March 30, 2014 Share Posted March 30, 2014 There are a few posts about this place in the thread 'A decent freaking baguette.' However, I could not find a thread devoted exclusively to Fresh Baguette, and I think it deserves it. I stopped in here several weeks ago and the moment I opened the door I was overcome with nostalgia. This place smells exactly like a boulangerie in France. It is owned by a former attaché at the French embassy and most, if not all, of the staff seem to be French. Everything is baked on the premises. Offerings include baguettes, ficelles, sweet pastries, savory pastries, and sandwiches, among other things. During my first visit, they had an item on the counter that looked like a large bun and it was called 'Pate Lorrain.' (I can't figure out how to put an accent on the 'e' in Pate.) I was told there was a pork and veal meatball inside the bun. I bought it and, WOW, it was possibly one of the best things I've ever tasted, and that's saying something. The pork/veal meatball was surrounded by a really delicious and warm broth and the pastry was light and wonderful as well. I also bought a baguette that turned out to be perfect. Yesterday I stopped in for a second visit, this time with MrB, prior to seeing a movie. To my great disappointment, they did not have the Pate Lorrain -- they don't make it every day. Next time I'll call ahead! They did have a lovely apricot pastry fresh out of the oven -- Moulin aux Abricot. We bought one and split it. The apricot portion was divine -- reminiscent of the apricots of yore, not the tasteless things you find today. The pastry, while not as light and flaky as I might like, was still very good. I would love to try one of their sandwiches. I was hoping to pick up a couple to take home for dinner yesterday, but when we emerged from the movie it was pouring and we made a beeline to our car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 Coverage of Fresh Baguette is initialized in Italic. Do you blokes know how hard I work? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoramargolis Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 i have gotten FB ficelles several times, and have to say now that I have had Praline and Lyon baguettes several times, and LeoNora many times, that Fresh Baguette's bread blows the competition out of the water. I hope that they can attract enough business to stay open. The location is a bit off the beaten path, and I hope that they are doing enough wholesale business, because customers don't yet seem to be packing the place, as far as I can tell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LauraB Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 i have gotten FB ficelles several times, and have to say now that I have had Praline and Lyon baguettes several times, and LeoNora many times, that Fresh Baguette's bread blows the competition out of the water. I hope that they can attract enough business to stay open. The location is a bit off the beaten path, and I hope that they are doing enough wholesale business, because customers don't yet seem to be packing the place, as far as I can tell. I agree that their long-term viability is a concern. The first time I visited a few weeks ago it was in the middle of a weekday and I was the only person there. My second visit was this past Saturday in the late morning and I was heartened to see that the place was very busy -- during the short while we were enjoying our purchase, there was a steady stream of customers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMVDining2 Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 Love love love the place. Their chocolate torts are heavenly while the baguettes are some of the best. It's a gem in Bethesda and I hope they thrive despite the so-so location. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MsDiPesto Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 Is this a place worth going to after work, or are they closed, or everything is sold for the day, or just the stale stuff is left? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Deb Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 I stopped by for a pain au chocolat and coffee last week. It was early afternoon (around 2) and I was the only person there. The staff was friendly and was able to answer any questions. They had a sign saying that they cater but did not have any brochures. I was not crazy about the pain au chocolat because it was not very flaky. There was a thin layer on top that was crispy but under it was a thick layer of spongy dough. There wasn't much filling (only 2 "fingers") and it was leaking grease on the bottom. I realize that it was baked in the morning but it should have been flakier. I also bought some mini pastries which were very good. The chocolate barquette was my favorite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pool Boy Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 This my absolute go to place for baguettes. They keep making bread throughout the day at the just enough pace. It is really, really good.I cannot speak for any of the pastry as yet, nor the sandwiches. But man the baguettes (and they have several varieties) are truly great. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 ^Agreed. Last time I went in there one of the staff stopped my from picking up a ficelle, saying that more baguettes were just coming out of the oven. They were, and they were great. With Burst Furst about to open, it's time to hold a blind baguette tasting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pool Boy Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 ^Agreed. Last time I went in there one of the staff stopped my from picking up a ficelle, saying that more baguettes were just coming out of the oven. They were, and they were great. With Burst Furst about to open, it's time to hold a blind baguette tasting. OK, Burst Furst, do tell. Simple googling is leading me nowhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LauraB Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 OK, Burst Furst, do tell. Simple googling is leading me nowhere. I believe Elizabeth is referring to Mark Furstenberg's new place on Connecticut in Van Ness called Bread Furst -- it's supposed to open tomorrow according to the latest email from him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine Posted May 6, 2014 Share Posted May 6, 2014 ^my typing skills are deteriorating fast, but not as fast as my proofreading skills. Laura is correct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pool Boy Posted May 9, 2014 Share Posted May 9, 2014 OK got a baguette again tonight for 'Cheese, Baguette, Wine' dinner. The cheese was good, the wine was a nice ripassa, but the bread steals the show -- AGAIN! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pool Boy Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 OK, a first for me - a subpar baguette. Still tasty and better than most, but the ratio of crust to firm interior bread was out of whack.I've also tried their four seed (grain?) version which is fine in a pinch. And the facille, which is too airy for me, but tastes fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhone1998 Posted September 5, 2014 Author Share Posted September 5, 2014 I can't recommend the sandwiches like I used to. The bread is still great, but both the roast beef and turkey sandwiches we had tonight were extremely skimpy on the (nothing to write home about) fillings and just overloaded with mustard. I found them out of balance and just not enjoyable. But for what they do best, their baked goods, they are still very, very good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pool Boy Posted September 5, 2014 Share Posted September 5, 2014 Except for that one dud baguette awhile back, I have no complaints. But I have only come here for their namesake - they are not convenient for lunch from my office (and my coworkers are too lazy to walk this far!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jsenter Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 I brought my wife there the other night for a sandwich right before going to preschool parent teacher night. We eat our sandwiches and bought 10 small pastry's for the kids and a baguette. When we got home the 1.5 and 3.5 were push each other away from the box of pastry's so that they did not have to share and my wife eat 1/2 the baguette while she was up working. I guess they really like the baking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pras Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 Just stopped by and got a hot baguette. Very good. Will definitely be back! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pool Boy Posted June 6, 2015 Share Posted June 6, 2015 It should be noted that I saw a sign in the Bethesda Peets Coffee that it was selling certain Fresh Baguette pastries. Fascinating. Even more so in that just up the street TOut de Sweet (Have not been in ages) sells Peet's Coffee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pras Posted June 9, 2016 Share Posted June 9, 2016 This place deserves a bump. Just walked down the street because I had a hankering for carbs and it is a beautiful day to get out of the office for 15 minutes. I got a rye baguette, which is possibly better than the white as it has a bit more flavor. I also saw on the counter the most amazing looking meringue, studded with baby chocolate chips. The meringue will be my afternoon indulgence! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pras Posted July 26, 2017 Share Posted July 26, 2017 Exciting news to report. They have opened their second location which is located in Rockville--804 Hungerford Drive, Rockville, MD 20850 (former Banner Glass location, which is slightly offset from the road), 301-417-8628. Thy Rockville location has a much larger capacity which will produce bread and pastries to be sold on premises and also service their growing commercial business. Items sold in Bethesda will still be made on site at the Bethesda location. Are third location in Georgetown is in the works also. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoyS Posted January 2, 2020 Share Posted January 2, 2020 Popped into the Bethesda location a few times in the past month or so...and the baguettes (all flavors) still are very good, however, I'm rather disappointed with their eclairs. Tried one of the coffee eclairs and the first bite tasted stale and dry. Mentioned this to the employee and she gladly handed me another. Second one was also dry on the first bite, so she just comped me the price of the eclair. I broke the eclair in two for more investigation...and the pastry creme inside was still frozen in the middle. Ick. The employee told me the eclairs come to the Bethesda location frozen. This is the third or fourth time I've had this eclair experience there, and I have finally learned my lesson. Perhaps the Rockville location has fresh options. Until then, I'm still in search of a great eclair! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC Horoscope Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 On 3/27/2020 at 4:22 PM, Ericandblueboy said: Thought it might give each other ideas based on where and what you're ordering for take-out or delivery. Fresh Baguette, Bethesda! Ordered for pick up (you schedule your time, so that might be why I had a parking spot in 1 of their 3 spots. But there was also on street metered parking). You can walk in and I was surprised to see people walking in and ordering. Everyone was masked and standing apart. Traditional baguette Rustic loaf Cheese Gougere Brownie Banana Pear Elegance Dark Chocolate So good to be able to walk in and smell what was baking! Parking spaces taken up at Pescadeli & Butcher's Alley farther down Bethesda Ave., which I wanted to try as well but couldn't. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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