Plano Profile July 2010 : Page 72
taste & style F amily-owned Bread Winners Cafe is a bustling bistro with a neighborhood feel. John and Cindy Hughes opened their first location in Dallas’ Uptown area 16 years ago, later adding the inwood Village and Plano locations. regulars come here for tried-and-true favorites, like the popular raspberry Chipotle Chicken Sandwich and award-winning Chocolate Seduction Cake, but some venture out and explore other tasty options. enticing them (not so subtly!) is a display case filled with sweet, decadent temptations. William R. Park (Billy) is a fan of this eatery around the corner. nestled in lakeSide Market, not only is the restaurant a neighbor of PFAMily Arts—the performing arts academy and theater program founded by Billy—but it also reminds him of the cafés he frequented in new York when he was working on Broadway. He says it’s quite similar to one of his favorites, Café lalo, which was made famous in the charming movie You’ve Got Mail. original artwork on brick-exposed walls, interesting light fixtures, and a clay-colored stone-top bar make indoor dining a pleasure. When there’s a cool breeze, patio dining is a relaxing choice. Just keep the iced tea coming. The menu is eclectic and out-of-the-ordinary. Billy is well acquainted with the offerings, so we follow his lead—with some improvi- sational input of our own. DINING DIVAS Bread Winners Cafe offers blue-ribbon fare mushrooms, caramelized onions, and jack cheese. among our observations are how well the tangy mango salsa complements the fish tacos and how remarkably fresh all the food tastes. We were spot- on, as a subsequent conversation with the manager confirms that everything is made from scratch in- house. finally, Jean declares, “okay, i have to say this before anyone else does: I would order this again!” That’s Diva-code for, We really like this! Billy Park is the founder and artistic director of PFAMily Arts in Plano. Profile photo/Cindy Boykin ⊲ StarterS: Fish tacos and Pulled Pork Quesadilla These starters could easily be entrées (in fact the quesadillas are listed as the lunch special), but we decide a few bites would be a nice way to sample the menu. The soft tacos, filled with grilled cod, shredded napa cabbage, and sliced bell peppers, are served with two salsas: mango with fresh cilantro and spicy tomato. Very tasty. The quesadillas are perfection—tender pulled pork, roasted red peppers, 72 Plano Profile JULY 2010 ⊲ entréeS: Chef’s Spinach Salad, Waldorf Chicken Melt, and Portabella Patty Melt There are 14 main course salads listed on the menu, but we can’t get past the interesting spinach salad with goat cheese, blueber- ries, red onions, and candied bacon tossed with cider vin- aigrette. Billy’s usual order is Waldorf Chicken Melt, made memorable by diced apples and brie on sourdough bread. We also select Portabella Patty Melt, a Black angus burger capped with grilled onions, Swiss cheese, and portabella mush- room, on grilled marble rye bread smeared with red bell pepper mayo. Taking this opportunity to expand his horizons, Billy samples the salad and reports, “This is a nice combination of textures and flavors. You have salty
Dining Divas
The Dining Divas
Bread Winners Cafe offers blue-ribbon fare
Family-owned Bread Winners Cafe is a bustling bistro with a neighborhood feel. John and Cindy Hughes opened their first location in Dallas’ Uptown area 16 years ago, later adding the Inwood Village and Plano locations.
Regulars come here for tried-and-true favorites, like the popular Raspberry Chipotle Chicken Sandwich and award-winning Chocolate Seduction Cake, but some venture out and explore other tasty options. Enticing them (not so subtly!) Is a display case filled with sweet, decadent temptations.
William R. Park (Billy) is a fan of this eatery around the corner. Nestled in LakeSide Market, not only is the restaurant a neighbor of PFAMily Arts—the performing arts academy and theater program founded by Billy—but it also reminds him of the cafés he frequented in New York when he was working on Broadway. He says it’s quite similar to one of his favorites, Café Lalo, which was made famous in the charming movie You’ve Got Mail.
Original artwork on brick-exposed walls, interesting light fixtures, and a clay-colored stone-top bar make indoor dining a pleasure. When there’s a cool breeze, patio dining is a relaxing choice. Just keep the iced tea coming. The menu is eclectic and out-of-the-ordinary. Billy is well acquainted with the offerings, so we follow his lead—with some improvisational input of our own.
Starters: Fish Tacos and Pulled Pork Quesadilla These starters could easily be entrées (in fact the quesadillas are listed as the lunch special), but we decide a few bites would be a nice way to sample the menu. The soft tacos, filled with grilled cod, shredded Napa cabbage, and sliced bell peppers, are served with two salsas: mango with fresh cilantro and spicy tomato. Very tasty. The quesadillas are perfection—tender pulled pork, roasted red peppers, Bread Winners Cafe offers blue-ribbon fare mushrooms, caramelized onions, and jack cheese.
Among our observations are how well the tangy mango salsa complements the fish tacos and how remarkably fresh all the food tastes. We were spoton, as a subsequent conversation with the manager confirms that everything is made from scratch inhouse. Finally, Jean declares, “Okay, I have to say this before anyone else does: I would order this again!” That’s Diva-code for, We really like this!
Entrées: Chef’s Spinach Salad, Waldorf Chicken Melt, and Portabella Patty Melt There are 14 main course salads listed on the menu, but we can’t get past the interesting spinach salad with goat cheese, blueberries, red onions, and candied bacon tossed with cider vinaigrette. Billy’s usual order is Waldorf Chicken Melt, made memorable by diced apples and brie on sourdough bread.
We also select Portabella Patty Melt, a Black Angus burger capped with grilled onions, Swiss cheese, and portabella mushroom, on grilled marble rye bread smeared with red bell pepper mayo.
Taking this opportunity to expand his horizons, Billy samples the salad and reports, “This is a nice combination of textures and flavors. You have salty From the bacon, zesty from the blueberries…but the goat cheese makes it for me! It provides a nice little buttery finish.” Jean agrees, “Those blueberries are really good with the creamy goat cheese. Get a piece of every component in your mouth at the same time and it’s a little flavor explosion.” Impressed, Barbara offers, “This burger is so juicy, and I’ve never had a patty melt on marble rye bread before. There’s sort of an earthiness that comes from the portabella mushroom balanced with the sweetness of the onions and red bell pepper mayo.” Cindy understands why the Waldorf sandwich is Billy’s favorite.
“The apple adds flavor without being dominant,” she observes, “and it’s a healthy addition.” Nodding, Billy says, “That’s why I like eating here. I know I’m getting something healthy because there are so many fruits and vegetables in their combinations.” DESSERTS: Chocolate Seduction Cake, Red Velvet Cake, and Butterscotch Cream Pie Putting healthy considerations aside for the moment, we turn our full attention to dessert. Our server Jason, now well-versed in our sample-sharing ways, brings us slender slices of each dessert on individual plates. A sweet gesture.
The red velvet cake is moist, rich, and true to its origin, frosted with a luscious cream-cheese icing. The butterscotch pie is a surprise, but a pleasant one. Instead of having a firm texture, the butterscotch filling in this pie is silky and creamy, almost like a buttery tapioca pudding. And what can we say about the Chocolate Seduction Cake except we are seduced. And very happy. Bread Winners Cafe 4021 Preston, Plano, Texas 75093 LakeSide Market 972. 312.9300 breadwinnerscafe.com
Billy is the founder and artistic director of PFAMily Arts, which offers theater, dance and music classes for the entire family. Among his Broadway credits are The Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera and Gus the Theatre Cat in CATS.
Cindy Boykin, Barbara Walch, and Jean Newman are shining the spotlight on those who offer their creative talent, leadership, and support to the arts. Salute!
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