Le Pain Quotidien, a Brussels-Based Boulangerie Chain Rapidly Expanding in the DC Area

[cheezepowder]

I went to the Clarendon location yesterday and agree about the high prices. I was also disappointed that the Brunette praline spread was different. It had a thicker, more peanut butter-like consistency. I liked the old kind better. It used to separate into layers after sitting for a while and had a thinner consistency.

[stickmoon]

The prices in the Clarendon location are indeed high. And they're not keen on substitutions either. I watched as a family walked out because they were not allowed to substitute fruit in place of a side salad (the fruit was probably for their young child).

Speaking of fruit, I ordered the steel-cut oatmeal ($5.50) with extra fruit (+$2) and there was barely any fruit at all on the dish. Turns out by "extra" they mean one more strawberry, several blueberries and a blackberry. Lame.

[hillvalley]

Brunch at the Hill location yesterday with the parents. Halfway through the meal I turned to them and remarked that the management needed to do some sort of cleansing ritual because the service was as bad as it had been with Bread and Chocolate. My father replied they needed an extra strong one to go back to when Kresege's had a lunch counter on the corner.

[brr]

Looks like there is one opening in Dupont Circle in the spot where the hardware/bike shop and flower shop was (P and 20th or 21st)

[hungry prof]

The proliferation of these places is unfortunate. My experience at a couple of them now is that they stink. Just stink. So-so food at silly prices with clueless service. My wife picked up dinner at the one in Spring Valley a few weeks ago, and for $30, we got an unremarkable salad and a greasy lamb stew of some sort. At the Bethesda location, it took fifteen minutes and three different servers to finally get this brilliant answer to our question about the contents of a special vegetable quiche that they had that day: "Vegetables are in the vegetable quiche" (I'm not kidding). Can this insidious toothpaste be put back in the tube?

[Mark Slater]

The proliferation of these places is unfortunate. My experience at a couple of them now is that they stink. Just stink. So-so food at silly prices with clueless service. My wife picked up dinner at the one in Spring Valley a few weeks ago, and for $30, we got an unremarkable salad and a greasy lamb stew of some sort. At the Bethesda location, it took fifteen minutes and three different servers to finally get this brilliant answer to our question about the contents of a special vegetable quiche that they had that day: "Vegetables are in the vegetable quiche" (I'm not kidding). Can this insidious toothpaste be put back in the tube?

Based on my three visits to the Georgetown location, I wouldn't step foot in there again.

[MBK]

Looks like there is one opening in Dupont Circle in the spot where the hardware/bike shop and flower shop was (P and 20th or 21st)

They've been open a few weeks. Last weekend they were handing out samples of something they were calling a madeleine - but it wasn't. I got a baguette and wound up using it to make croutons. I, like Slater, am not likely to return.

[Waitman]

Based on my three visits to the Georgetown location, I wouldn't step foot in there again.

They've been open a few weeks. Last weekend they were handing out samples of something they were calling a madeleine - but it wasn't. I got a baguette and wound up using it to make croutons. I, like Slater, am not likely to return.

Surely you're not saying that the pretty people are wrong?

[brian]

Surely you're not saying that the pretty people are wrong?

There are probably better targets for celebrity food taste sarcasm than the couple who ate at Komi last week.

[Waitman]

There are probably better targets for celebrity food taste sarcasm than the couple who ate at Komi last week.

Were I feeling snarky I might suggest that one hardly needs to be a gourmand to suss out the hippest four-star in town and have one of your many assistants call in a reservation for you. And then call it in to the gossip columns, after.

Or I might suggest that people who spend there lives on sound stages probably feel a visceral pull towards a bread parlour that is in essence a sound stage tricked out to look (as I perspicaciously suggested after my first visit) like a set-designer's idea of a French cafe .

But that's not the way I roll. I'm sure they're perfectly wonderful.

And I am delighted to support the movie industry in our town and hope that Jake and Reese continue to support local businesses -- including those that actually need the publicity.

[chuchelo]

I've been to the Capitol Hill location twice and Georgetown once. I really want to like this place because it's good to have a cafe on which one can rely. Unfortunately, I don't seem to order the right things.

First of all, I drink tea, not coffee. I ordered tea with milk, please. The tea arrives with no milk. I ask for milk. During this lull in service, I begin to pour my tea and see that my tea cup is not clean. When the milk arrives, I inform the waitress that the cup is dirty and ask for another. She brings another cup which is clean and I pour the hot water over my tea bag only to discover that this is not the tea I ordered. This requires another exchange, complete with new tea and tea cup. Yikes! I'm already exhausted and all I wanted was a cup of tea.

I love soft boiled eggs. Very homey and nutritious. Very scary at LPQ. Liquid yolk? Yes, perfect!!! Liquid egg white? DISGUSTING... I send it back and order oatmeal which was really delicious.

All in all, it's too much work! Next time, just the tea and a roll or something baked.

[Pat]

All in all, it's too much work! Next time, just the tea and a roll or something baked.

If that's all you want and you're on the Hill, just go to Marvelous Market. That's a very well-managed MM. There isn't too much seating inside, but it's less hassle than LPQ, unless you're really set on table service.

[chuchelo]

If that's all you want and you're on the Hill, just go to Marvelous Market. That's a very well-managed MM. There isn't too much seating inside, but it's less hassle than LPQ, unless you're really set on table service.

I'm really set on table service. I want a nice place to hang and think and just be for a little while.

[Pat]

Pre-snow, a friend and I hit the Capitol Hill location for her birthday breakfast, and it seems that portion sizes have increased. I figured I was splurging so ordered multiple items, despite the prices, and we ended up with way too much food . My friend loves the quiche there but had stopped ordering it because it was expensive and she'd leave hungry. She had complained to management about the portion size. Lo and behold, there was more food on the plate when she ordered it this time. It included a salad and a slice of melon. The amount of bread that came with my egg was more than I expected. (My friend, who has ordered it before thought it was about double what it used to be.)

The bread basket is beautiful and full with a bountiful assortment of breads. We didn't need to have ordered it because there was enough food, but the remaining pieces will be put to good use at home. (When I ordered the bread basket, our server hesitated a bit. I realized later that she must have been wondering if we understood how much food we were getting. )

I also ordered hummus, figuring it would make a good spread for the breads. It's a very thin hummus, with a lot of olive oil on top and a few (nicoise?) olives. It was different from what I am used to but absolutely delicious. Brought the remainder of that home too.

Food quality and service continue to be excellent. Tables are still too small.

[ktmoomau]

Went to the location on Capitol Hill for a mid-afternoon late lunch. Had a really nice salad with white beans, proscuitto, arugula and a little parm-reg. Service was efficient and professional. Was surprised with the amount of salad selections that looked good. I didn't realize their menu was as diverse as it was. The salad was really nicely flavored and had a good mix of ingredients without being so normal that I didn't want to eat a salad.

[boomergma]

Just had a bad experience at the Bethesda location. Poor service, waited 30 minutes for our food. I ordered an avocado, chickpea, and cucumber tartine without spicy tahini. When it came it was extremely spicy, even though the server said it didn't have the tahini. We also had to wait too long for our check.

[Cuddlyone]

Ate lunch at Bethesda location today. Quinoa and arugula salad was very good and nicely composed. Service, though, was awful. Waitress was surly and ridiculously slow. A quick lunch turned into an hour of torture.

[LauraB]

We also have had ridiculously bad service at the Bethesda location. We've made 3 visits over a wide span of time. Each time, the service was unbelievably bad. We finally decided: 3 tries and we're out.

[darkstar965]

Hmmm...3 DR posters all have lunch at the same outpost of the same generally mediocre chain and then post about it on the same day.

I also had lunch at the Bethesda location today; probably my first visit to a LPQ at any location in at least a year. Also found the service to be seriously lacking in a way that had me pining for self-serve options like those offered at Home Depot and CVS. Had one of their cutely named but carelessly assembled open sandwiches.

Then again, can't have too high a bar for a chain like this I suppose. At least they didn't say they were getting all their bread from the legendary Sarcones.

[Pat]

Hmmm...3 DR posters all have lunch at the same outpost of the same generally mediocre chain and then post about it on the same day.

It's possible that more than one of them might have been there at the same time.

[bookluvingbabe]

I haven't been to the Bethesda location in the last few weeks but I often end up there for breakfast as my gym is around the corner. The service is uniformly terrible. I've spoken to the manager , who often seems to change, and I've yet to see any progress.

And yet, I still go.

Sigh...

I also really like the cobb salad.

[kirite]

I haven't been to the Bethesda location in the last few weeks but I often end up there for breakfast as my gym is around the corner. The service is uniformly terrible. I've spoken to the manager , who often seems to change, and I've yet to see any progress.

And yet, I still go.

Sigh...

I also really like the cobb salad.

Any reports on LPQ in Arlington?

[Pool Boy]

I only go there to buy bread.

[beachgirl54]

When my mom was in the hospital at Cornell Medical Center in NYC, I ate lunch at LPQ every day - it was a block away, and it wasn't the hospital. The service was simply awful every single day but I like the food, and I didn't have to think about anything but eating.

I've eaten at other LPQs in NYC, and the Georgetown one as well a few times. Simply awful service in each one.

Have only had counter service at Arlington but I'm thinking the company Employee Manual must give instructions on poor service instead of good service.

Any reports on LPQ in Arlington?

[Cooter]

Any reports on LPQ in Arlington?

We were their first customers on mothers' day and it was pretty good with service that was just fine. Of course it may have helped that it was far from crowded the whole time we were there. Foodwise, I'm blanking on what my wife got, but she was happy and my parmesan and something scone special was good. Coffee was strong and yummy, too.

The only "weird" thing was that we ordered our two year old the "sugar waffle" from the childrens menu thinking that it would be a waffle with powdered sugar. Well, it was, but it also had what appeared to be rock salt sized hunks of rock candy throughout. Our daughter, of course, loved it and all was well after almost an hour of vigorous playground time in the clarendon center playground.

[DC Deb]

Hmmm...3 DR posters all have lunch at the same outpost of the same generally mediocre chain and then post about it on the same day.

I also had lunch at the Bethesda location today; probably my first visit to a LPQ at any location in at least a year. Also found the service to be seriously lacking in a way that had me pining for self-serve options like those offered at Home Depot and CVS. Had one of their cutely named but carelessly assembled open sandwiches.

Then again, can't have too high a bar for a chain like this I suppose. At least they didn't say they were getting all their bread from the legendary Sarcones.

I stopped in at the Bethesda location to get a cup of coffee. The pastry counter directed me to the hostess who got snarky at me because I didn't want to sit down. I told them that I just wanted coffee, to go. Three different people could not come up with a decent answer for me. What a cluster.

[bookluvingbabe]

I stopped in at the Bethesda location to get a cup of coffee. The pastry counter directed me to the hostess who got snarky at me because I didn't want to sit down. I told them that I just wanted coffee, to go. Three different people could not come up with a decent answer for me. What a cluster.

It also makes me nuts that they charge $3 for coffee when you dine in (and have never offered me a refill) but the to go coffee is under $2. WTF?

[jayandstacey]

I haven't been to the Bethesda location in the last few weeks but I often end up there for breakfast as my gym is around the corner. The service is uniformly terrible. I've spoken to the manager , who often seems to change, and I've yet to see any progress.

I just came from my first trip there as we stopped in for breakfast 'unplanned' without having read any reviews. The service was really excellent - attentive, cheery and anticipating our needs. While the breakfast was on the relatively expensive side (the drinks really pump up the check - $3.10 for iced tea? Is there an inorganic option?); the food was decent, the overall experience was fine and I'd stop in again.

[hoosiereph]

Made the mistake of poking my head in to the Mosaic District location on Sunday. They have imported the same surly service from Clarendon or Bethesda or Paris, or wherever. And the muddy, indistinct coffee fared poorly in comparison to the free sample I had just had from the nearby MOM market. It doesn't matter because I won't be back.

Next door a fresh fish market, MediterraFish, has opened. Chatted with them for a while -- apparently they are the wholesalers who supply a number of restaurants, notably Nostos -- and are adding a small retail outpost to their business. They're still moving in (was hard to tell from the street that they were, in fact, open), but had a few varieties of whole fish laid out in ice and several pre-filleted options. I assume their opening means that Jeff Black doesn't plan to have another fish market as part of his coming Mosaic restaurant.

[kirite]

Made the mistake of poking my head in to the Mosaic District location on Sunday. They have imported the same surly service from Clarendon or Bethesda or Paris, or wherever. And the muddy, indistinct coffee fared poorly in comparison to the free sample I had just had from the nearby MOM market. It doesn't matter because I won't be back.

Next door a fresh fish market, MediterraFish, has opened. Chatted with them for a while -- apparently they are the wholesalers who supply a number of restaurants, notably Nostos -- and are adding a small retail outpost to their business. They're still moving in (was hard to tell from the street that they were, in fact, open), but had a few varieties of whole fish laid out in ice and several pre-filleted options. I assume their opening means that Jeff Black doesn't plan to have another fish market as part of his coming Mosaic restaurant.

We had breakfast there yesterday and did not encounter surly service. But the food was mediocre at best. A tasteless tomato omelet with a tiny amount of avocado on top. Wilted meslun in a wan dressing. Dry, uninteresting bread. Hard, uncomfortable wooden chairs made me sit on my coat.

Jeff Black recently announced that he has pulled out of his Mosaic District restaurant.

[RJ Cooper]

I am one who would never criticize or speak badly about any restaurant venture. I was with people this morning and asked for an ice cold pastry to be warmed and was told the following, "No, we don't reheat our pastries because they are baked everyday but not on the premises." Holly customer service good thing you don't work for me you would be escorted off the planet. And wtf does it matter? Do you have an oven? oui?

[sandynva]

the only location i've ever been to is the georgetown one, and when i've been there alone the service has always been fine. however i also used to go with friends with a two year old, and when we all went together service was absolutely charming. they'd rush to get the little one a croissant asap, coo over her, were completely understanding about her and her parents having to get up and walk around, etc.

[Jeff Heineman]

Just to put it in perspective, Matt and I dropped $80 (all-in) at Le Pain Quotidien this evening.

How was your Tartine?

[DonRocks]

How was your Tartine?

I just read through this entire thread for the first time. Aside from the high prices (how did we manage to drop $80 without even getting dessert?!), the food was pretty good, my Sauvignon Blanc was pleasant and reasonably priced (oh, *that's* how we managed to drop $80 - but I only had two tiny glasses), and our server was very nice. We were content with our food that was fresh, clean, and walked on the mild side (call it bland if you'd like), but agreed this is a restaurant best left for breakfast or a light lunch. I also tried their Noisella for the first time ever, and cheezepowder's post above rings a bell with me - the texture is too thick for its own good.

[Tujague]

Today I went to LPQ for only the third time: I've been to the Capitol Hill location once before for coffee, and to the Palisades (?) once for lunch--not really impressed but didn't have enough food to form an impression. Since Pound wasn't open this morning because of snow, I met with my usual Tuesday group here. Service was slow, but that was partly because they only had one server, and the manager was also trying to fill in at table waiting (apparently Peregrine was also closed). Coffee is okay, though I find the small pots don't keep it particularly hot or provide good value. But the avocado toast is really pretty terrific here--mashed avocado with slices on top, nicely garnished with chia seeds, a citrus vinaigrette, slices of chioggia beets, and carrot strips--if a bit expensive at $9.95 for four good-sized slices. Not planning to rush back, but if I did find myself there for breakfast, I wouldn't hesitate to order that again.

(Another off-putting note: A boor from another table hovered over me while slathering his bread with the various spreads on the table, without saying excuse me or anything. What the hell is wrong with people?)

[DonRocks]

(Another off-putting note: A boor from another table hovered over me while slathering his bread with the various spreads on the table, without saying excuse me or anything. What the hell is wrong with people?)

You don't really need to ask this, do you?

[hopsing]

I went to the LPQ Farragut West location for breakfast the holiday Monday.  The coffee was good but as Tujague notes the little pots are not good for keeping coffee hot.  I wanted a waffle but my spidey sense made me ask if it was freshly made.  No, they just heat it up.  What about the brioche French toast. Yes, that was fresh.  Well, it wasn't bad but it wasn't my idea of French toast--not sure if there were any eggs used.  Next time I'll stick with the baked goods and forget the hot stuff.