First things first: According to Le Pain Quotidien’s website, the name is pronounced “luh paN koh-ti-dyaN.”
Where did Le Pain Quotidien come from?? Seemingly overnight, this cafe and bakery sprung up on Purchase St. in Rye, in the space where I believe the Gap used to be. I run down Purchase St. on a regular basis and never spotted it, which demonstrates how clueless I am.
Look how nice this place is! Bright and airy with an abundance of wood and exposed brick.
What struck me immediately was a common feature at all Le Pain Quotidien locations (it’s a chain, though you wouldn’t know it): the large, wood communal table, meant to foster “family style” eating among friends — and strangers.
(Tellingly, the communal table was practically empty. I’m guessing it’ll take some time for people to warm to the concept…)
The back tables on the other hand were buzzing. There were many servers running around, and they all seemed to sport the same ponytail.
Up front’s where all the food eye candy’s at. Like the wall of artisan breads.
Gorgeous tarts and a mesmerizing, perfectly round chocolate cake at the bottom left.
Incredible looking pastries and muffins.
Le Pain Quotidien does breakfast, lunch, brunch and dinner, using mostly organic ingredients. On the menu are omelettes, soups, salads and open-faced sandwiches; for dinner, I saw dishes like a fisherman’s pot, roasted salmon, and sauteed shrimp and chorizo salad. I wouldn’t say prices are cheap, but the ingredients look to be very high quality.
There were several baguette sandwiches listed on the blackboard, so I picked one up — grilled chicken with hard boiled egg, mesclun and an herb dressing.
The sandwich was huge, about a foot and a half long. Everything tasted great, especially the crusty baguette and herb dressing (loved the dill), but I could have used way more chicken. A little thin and skimpy for such a hearty baguette.
Really nice place though, and a welcome addition to Rye’s downtown. I’ll take a new eatery over a Gap any day.
Le Pain Quotidien
30 Purchase St.
Rye, NY
914-967-1460
3 Comments
1 Jen wrote:
My understanding is that the Le Pain Quotidien chains also utilize local, organic, and sustainable ingredients, an added bonus.
Are there any other LPQs in Westchester that you know of?
2 Doug\ wrote:
Hi Jen,
They also use reclaimed wood for the furniture and tables.
Looks like there are no other LPQs in Westchester. There’s one in New Canaan, CT, but the rest are in Manhattan.
3 Lisa wrote:
They are opening a spot in Greenwich on Greenwich Ave by the Starbucks. Not quite in Westchester but perhaps in a useful direction for you.