An especially adventurous day in Philadelphia required us to start with an abundantly sustaining breakfast. A visit to Le Pain Quotidien was just the thing we needed. The company is Belgian, and the name means “Our Daily Bread” (easier to spell), which is fitting for a bakery/restaurant combo.
A Walk-able Itinerary
The walk from our hotel, The Logan Philadelphia, was only a few short blocks. Our Daily Bread is located just off the main route of the art district. From the outside it had the appearance of any inner city restaurant, but we would soon experience it’s unique appeal. The bistro-style tables outside hinted that this place probably has a good lunch crowd.
Once inside, we immediately smelled the fresh baked goods. A display of pastries looked tempting, but we knew our day would require a meal heavier with proteins. The early hour we arrived meant that the seating was readily available. We chose not to sit at the communal table, but it began to fill up before we finished our meals.
An Our Daily Bread Experience
We started by ordering a pot of coffee each. Now these pots are not what we see at many restaurants, they each hold about as much coffee as we knew we should have. The over-sized cups don’t have handles, which actually added interest to our morning routine.
Omelets were the chalkboard special for the day, and it looked like just the thing for our protein fix. Mine was a mix of three eggs, herbs, and diced tomatoes. The meal included a salad, and some fresh bread. Now we were a little taken back by the addition of salad to our plates. This was not some special breakfast salad, this was just a regular mixed green salad. As unusual as this was to us, it worked well with the overall dish.
Crystal has a thing for avocado, so I could even guess which variety she would pick. Hers was also stuffed full of diced tomatoes, and came with an identical salad, as well as the fresh bread. The meals were good and filling, but the star for me was the bread. The Daily Bread is appropriately named, and it was well worth the stop just to be able to taste theirs.
Too Full For Dessert
We finished our meals, as well as our coffee, and decided it was time to continue our exploration of Philadelphia. My wish was to grab some pastries for the road, but I was so full I decided against it. Looking back, I mentally kick myself for not getting another taste of their delicious breads. I guess we will just have to make another journey to the East.
