&grain

Been here a couple of times already and waited to post in order to give a fair review. I picked today to post because I went to &grain and didnt reailze they were closed on Mondays and boy was I dissappointed. I left scratching my head not knowing where else I could go that would be a reasonable substitute, this is how I know that this place is something special.

What I love about &grain is that that bread is made on premise and that it is true artisan bread. To me this is what makes the sandwiches so good, not to mention that your gonna find just a regular ham a cheese here, instead a ham and brie baguette served with baby spinach and dijon dressing is their interpritation. Thats also what so great about this place that not one thing on the menu is boring or ordinary. It looks like they spent a lot of time to take normal and make it exciting. Not one thing in that place have I seen anywere else. I have posted pictures of the "soda" they carry, a company called "Dry Soda" with really interesting flavors. The coffee (STUMPTOWN) is roasted in Brooklyn according to the staff and delivered on a weekly basis and you can definitively taste the difference. The space itself is so inviting and once inside you almost forget your in garwood and feel that your your at some hip cafe in the city. Id come back for the atmoshpere alone. They bakery is exposed behind floor to cielling glass and you can actually see the bread being made in front of you.

The way the place is set up is sort of like a SMASHBURGER, you place your order at the front counter and your given a number and told to have a seat where ever you like in the restaurant. Once the food is ready it is bused to you and when you done you can either leave the plates on the table or bring them back to the trash station (similar to Panera). I've had several items off the menu and it seems to be depending on what you order dicates the wait time. I was told its a scratch kitchen and everything is made to order. I ordered an egg sandwich one time and it came right out then on another visit the Baked French Toast and that took a little while, the owner did come out and check on me and explained that due to the way the French Toast is prepared first cooked on a flatop griddle then baked in an oven is why the wait is a little longer.

My only suggestion is to open on Mondays!!! I need my STUMPTOWN fix!!!

Hubby and I have been here several times and have never left disappointed. We've tried the quiche, prime rib sandwich, Cobb salad, french onion soup, turkey club, ablt, and bacon egg & cheese sandwich. The quality and taste of the bread has always been amazing and I'm not usually a huge bread fan yet this places leaves me aching for more.

Having read the other reviews, please don't mistake price for quantity, but for quality - and this place surely serves quality food items.

We also had an opportunity to meet the owner who came to introduce himself to us personally and thanked us for coming in during the weekend of the most recent snow storm. He is a really nice guy as a previous reviewer mentioned.

FYI free refills on iced tea and the dry sodas are good!

Really enjoyed this place!  It's not your run of the mill Panera... atmosphere is much nicer & food is better quality.  Yes, it's a little more expensive - but NEWSFLASH - you get what you pay for!   I was there yesterday for the first time - will definitely go back.  The space is large, but seating was somewhat limited for the square footage - I think they will have to add seating once this place gets rockin' which I think it will especially when the weather turns nice and people come out of hibernation.  Good luck to the owner(s)... very nice concept!!