Finding worldly bites for $12 & under.
Don’t let the vagueness of Bakery, Bread & Grill’s name deter you from this anything-but-ordinary spot.
This Pan-American bakery offers pastries, breads and cakes, but the real draw are the rotating offerings of its daily lunch special, which includes a generous entree and a drink for $8.95. The choices curiously range from crunchy paella to salmon teriyaki to spicy jambalaya.
The can’t-miss dish is the lomo saltado, a Peruvian stir-fry of caramelized white and red onions, red and green bell peppers, tomatoes and juicy strips of flank steak. The stir-fry is coated in a delicious, mildly black-peppered gravy with a just-right consistency.
As if the stir-fry and accompanying white rice weren’t enough to make the lomo saltado worth the visit, the heaping portion hides an awesome surprise buried underneath: fries. This strategic placement creates the perfect byproduct: gravy-soaked fries. Let me repeat: Gravy. Soaked. Fries. The fries in this particular lomo saltado are thick and pillow-y, allowing for better absorption of every last drop of gravy.
For a power move, add a hefty appetizer of saltena ($2.50), a Bolivian pastry filled with chopped hard-boiled eggs, cubed potatoes, shredded meat and peas in a sweet sauce and topped with a spicy green salsa. Bonus points also go to Bakery, Bread & Grill for adding authenticity to the global-ish experience with its quirky continental European chalkboard decor and continuous telenovela broadcast over two giant flat-screen televisions. / Bakery, Bread & Grill, 11186 Lee Highway, Fairfax
MORE | Global-ish
