In case of a natural bread disaster, it's always good to have a place like Bread & Cie nearby. It's also a sumptuous place for lunch.
Famished from a day of hiking, merrymaking, and general carousing last weekend, we happily sank into some chairs around lunchtime, grabbed some delicious coffee, and refueled with a couple of sandwiches and a handful of pastries. My husband chomped through a California Mufeletta that was piled with genoa salami, roasted red peppers, provolone cheese, red onion, tomato, fresh basil, olive tapenade, dripping with Tuscan olive oil and balsamic vinegar and served on a house-baked Ciabatta. I ordered a Black Forest ham and swiss cheese sandwich with springy, fresh baby lettuces and slathered with pineapple salsa on their seedless rye bread.
Both sandwiches were quite tasty, but my husband was a little dismayed that they were so obviously chilled. I mean, I completely understand why a busy place like Bread & Cie needs to make sandwiches in bulk and keep them refrigerated until ordered, but next time I think we'll order and drive home before we chomp, thus getting the sandwiches to room temperature and improving their flavors. The eclair we ordered for dessert was roll-your-eyes-back-and-give-up-eating-anything-else-like-ever delicious.
In addition to their substantial list of sandwiches and large variety of tempting pastries, Bread & Cie's cafe also offers soups, salads, Focaccia pizza, cheese plates, and breakfast specials. I'm particularly interested in their "Picnic Lunch Box," which includes a specialty sandwich of your choice, Bread & Cie's seasoned bread chips, and a slice of lemon cake served in a carry-out picnic box. Sounds like a perfect addition to a coastal hike in Torrey Pines.