Restaurant Spotlight of the Week:

Bread Box

Bread House

1109 Broad St., Falls Church, VA • (703) 538-6466

Hours: Mon - Sat: 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.;

Sunday: 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Just as a perfect circle is one of the most difficult shapes to paint, so too is good bread more difficult than it appears and always deserves more credit than it is given.

While not a traditional restaurant, the Bread House on the 1100 block of Broad Street offers more than just loaves. The shop which was opened less than two months ago is a starting gate for a morning commute, a refuge for a wholesome lunch, and a last stop in the trek home for dinner.

The interior of the store is bright and welcoming. With a distinctly European style the counters feature tile designs and the main bread rack in the middle of the store offers up a bounty of options.

The owner, Mirjana Varga, is an ever present entity in the store. From the moment it opens in the morning until closing time she is everywhere , welcoming in customers, suggesting breads, offering samples, all the while keeping the business in order. And just as good bread can provide traditional comforts, so too does Varga impose a sense of neighborhood community inside her store as she converses with patrons whom she always manages to remember.

But the name Bread House doesn't convey completely everything that is available. For those on their way to work the shop offers an alternative to the heavy and overly sweet muffins and scones sold at chain stores like Starbucks. To go along with its freshly prepared varieties of Mayorga coffee, a brand roasted just half an hour away in Bethesda, Maryland, The Bread House sells a selection of scones, muffins, and other pastries baked fresh every morning.

The cranberry and blueberry muffins are a special treat. The top of the muffin is lightly glazed and dusted with brown sugar, while the bottom of the muffin, usually thought of as the less appealing part, is light, fresh, and bursting with berries. Less sweet options include croissants and miniature twists, light, crusty and simple.

For lunch, the store sells wrapped sandwiches made on their bread and sold in a case in the front of the store. The bread serves as a brilliant palette for the sandwich ingredients. Some simple, others sophisticated, they all share a wholesome completion that practically radiates individual attentiveness.

Among the choices include turkey and brie on whole wheat, the French classic Jambon Beurre (ham and cheese on baguette) and roasted chicken breast. Particularly tasty is the curry chicken sandwich with chicken breast, raisins, almonds, and a well blended curry. The chicken is succulent and the spices are fascinating without being overwhelming.

The vegetable sandwich ranks among the best and puts to shame the banal lettuce and pepper travesties usually representing the genre. With grilled Portabello mushroom, zucchini and Roma tomato with pesto and goat cheese all on wheat bread, it is a direct refutation to those who think vegetable sandwiches have to be boring.

As a stop on the way home the Bread House is an ideal place to pick up a loaf of bread to go with dinner. A mile away from breads baked from frozen dough, or sold sliced in plastic, Bread House breads are prepared from scratch daily and in a wide array of choices. The seven grain bread is rich and nutty and goes great with soup or just plain with a little butter, the raisin nut bread is fantastic, managing a natural sweetness without being sugary, and the pumpernickel is fragrant and meaty.

For dessert the bakery offers a selection of homemade pies, pastries, and cakes, some traditional apple pies, others decadent chocolate creations. While they always offer desserts made to order, during the holiday season they welcome requests to make pies and cakes the for Thanksgiving and Christmas.