Midtown Lunch

Today Morgan is reporting on the semi- fancy, semi- chain, Le Pain Quotidien, the name of which I could not pronounce even with a gun pointed to my head.

The first PA location of Le Pain Quotidien opened in Philadelphia on January 19th. Think classy, organic Cosi with a liquor license (eventually). You can be seated and served by a waiter, or order food, pastries, and beverages to go.

Truthfully, I was a little hesitant about trying out LPQ. I checked out the online menu of soups, salads, and open-faced sandwiches and only counted 7 selections under $10 for lunch. Of these, none really appealed to me. I was pleasantly surprised, though, when I actually arrived at the restaurant. There were way more selections within the Midtown Lunch price range than the menu let on. There was a cold case of prepared sandwiches and salads (all <$10). A menu next to this case listed all their to-go selections which included several more items under $10. Also, a black board on the wall listed the current selection of take-out baguette sandwiches and these were just $7.50 a piece. That seemed to be the way to go.

I settled on the first listed baguette sandwich. It sounded plain, just ham and cheese and mustard on a baguette, but it hearkened me back to my time in the French countryside: stopping in sleepy towns, sipping red wine outdoors and snacking on plain baguettes with some sliced cheese nestled inside.

My nostalgia may have raised the bar somewhat, but my sandwich from LPQ was quite disappointing. The bread was too hard and crusty and had a little bit of a burnt taste to it. The ham and gruyere and mustard were delicious, but I had to discard the top half of the baguette to enjoy them. I was really sad that I passed up what looked like a delicious goat cheese and mixed nut salad in the prepared case.

The pastry case at LPQ is just a thing of beauty. Carmel apple cannelles? Yes please! There is an open section with muffins, cookies, croissants, and such. Also, beyond the register, there’s a refrigerated pastry case with tartes and mousses and similar. My sweet tooth was crying out to me and I had managed to snag a sandwich for $7.50 so I ordered a pistachio tart to go with it. I should have asked for the price first, though, because the tart itself was $5.40, more than I would have spent on dessert. There is a list of pastries with prices on it near the register, but they aren’t labeled in the cases, so be careful there.

The tart was tasty. A nice, dark, caramelized, crunchy outside gave way to a smooth and chewy inside. I also loved the topping of chopped pistachios. The only thing I didn’t like was the strange, turquoise-ish coloring of the inside. It just didn’t read “organic” to me, and I figure that’s what I’m really paying for here. So yes, tasty, but still a let down of sorts.

If you decide to dine in, there are two large, communal-style tables but there is also normal café seating at little tables for 2. They also have a small selection of organic spreads, syrups, and condiments. What specifically caught my eye was an organic, Belgian praline spread. But, at $10 a jar, I passed for now. But you could easily put together a nice little gift basket from their offerings.

The + (what someone who likes this place would say)

• I love organic lunch options
• I like wine/beer with my lunch
• Beautiful pastry selection

The – (what someone who doesn’t like this place would say)

• I don’t believe in $14 salads
• Hard baguettes make me sad

Le Pain Quotidien, 1425 Walnut St (@ 15th) , 215 751-0570