“I look at biscuits almost the same way I look at tacos–they’re open to your imagination as far as what you put inside of them or what you put on top of them. A steak is a steak is a steak, a biscuit is a multitude of possibilities.”
So says chef Jonathan Coombs of Preservation Biscuit Company, which is due to open in Falls Church early in January. The 23-year military veteran got his culinary associates degree in 2013 and embarked on a career that’s included appearances on TV’s Chopped and Food Fighters. Most recently, Coombs was executive chef, then general manager at Matchbox in Woodbridge. When it closed due to the pandemic, he jumped at the chance to perfect his biscuit recipe. The process took four months, he says, but the result is biscuits that are light and fluffy but strong enough to hold some serious, locally focused fillings.
The signature PBC features homemade chicken tenders, candied bacon, smoked Gouda pimento cheese, Napa cabbage tossed in mustard and a drizzle of hot honey. The Prime Time is an upscale, biscuit-based take on a cheesesteak with shaved prime rib, demi-glace, Swiss cheese, roasted red pepper coulis and onions. There are classics like breakfast sandwiches and biscuits and gravy, too. Besides biscuits, mac and cheese also receives Coombs’ perfectionist focus, including a version topped with the same pulled pork that appears in the Goodness Gracious sandwich. Dessert biscuits include the Strawberry Shortie pictured above, as well as the Apple of Our Eyes, layered with fried apples.
Come January, biscuit lovers will be heading to Falls Church for a taste of the iconic Southern food, filled with the fruits of Coombs’ imagination. // 102 E. Fairfax St., Falls Church
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