Le Vert Quotidien

Today I stopped by Le Pain Quotidien for lunch. It was a beautiful day in DC so I decided to walk to Dupont. Le Pain Quotidien is located on 2010 Massachusetts Avenue NW which is right off the circle making it convenient for those traveling by metro.

Le Pain Quotidien was originally established in Brussles, Belgium on October 26, 1990 by Chef Alain Coumont. After much success of his store, he went on to open one in New York. It was such a huge hit that the restaurant grew into a chain, with 114 restaurants around the world.

Chef Alain Coumont's philosophy for his restaurant is simple: bakery and communal table, breakfast, brunch, and lunch. The restaurant encourages people to come together at their community table and eat with strangers, becoming closer with others and being transported to the Belgian country side, where most of the foods listed on the menu can be found.

"It's good for our bodies, our communities, and our earth"- Le Pain Quotidien

Le Pain Quotidien is committed to promoting and implementing sustainable practices. The restaurant has been Green Certified due to the many eco-friendly practices they have implemented:

• Use of organic ingredients from local organic farmers
• Use of reclaimed wood from old Belgian train cars and Gypsum in construction
• Energy efficient lamps, environmentally friendly cleaning supplies and packaging
• Creation of many of their own fresh and organic products such as jams, chocolate spreads, olive oil, granola, etc.
• Windows are double paned to conserve energy
• To-go-cups are made of corn and the spoons are made of potato starch: will disintegrate within 30-90 days at a compost site
• Use of fair trade coffee
• Store recycling programs
• Recycled and chlorine free paper products

I enjoyed the restaurant very much. It definitely had a quaint European feel to it due in part to the furnishings and the bakery at the front. All the meals were priced reasonably and they had a greater selection of foods. I actually had a hard time choosing, so I ended up getting a refreshing and tart lemonade/tea drink and a Salade Niçoise. I havn't had a good Salade Niçoise since I was in Europe and this salad was very good and fresh. You can definitely notice the difference when you order an organic meal. It just tastes so much yummier!

And of course bread was served on the side. It would not be called "The Daily Bread" for nothing!