New at La Provence: Breads To Go, Salmon, Leek Quiche With Salad for $5.95

Lesley Elliott

Special orders now being accepting for freshly baked bread at La Provence.

La Provence is letting the public in on its commercial business. The bakery and café chain (with 9 locations including Brickell, Coral Gables and Doral) is offering up the breads they bake daily for hotels and restaurants to their retail customers.

Most breads can be made with 24 or 48 hours notice and sent to any one of their retail stores, where buyers can pick them up. There will be a new "bread book" at each location hat you can peruse -- and then decide upon a plan of attack. It's going to be hard to choose.

There are sticks shaped like little torpedoes studded with olives, sun-dried tomatoes or walnuts and raisins (we tried these freshly out of the oven, could have eaten a baker's dozen); and traditional white pave dinner rolls, sourdough, and whole wheat. Buns in both large and small size can be ordered plain, with sesame seeds or onions. Multigrain and white pullman loaves; brioche with and without raisins; ciabatta, French baguettes, focaccia...they'll even do special items for parties, like flat breads and twisted parmesan sticks.

Lesley Elliott

We were invited behind the scenes of the actual bakery, an off-site warehouse filled with natural light and Frenchmen taking their jobs very seriously. We poked around, played with dough, and found out La Provence is committed to the process of old fashioned bread making.

They are also launching a new line-up of specials available throughout the week. Beginning on Monday, the "Menu du Jour" will consist of a blackboard item in the quiche, soup and "plat" category. Quiches like salmon and leek come with a side salad for $5.95, onion or butternut squash soup will set you back $4.65 (and comes with freshly baked bread), while main courses will range from $11.95 to $13.95, (served with a starch or a veggie, and sometimes both). Look for a classic blanquette de veau (veal stew), beef bourguignon, and a Provençale ravioli to appear in chalk.

Lesley Elliott

For now, anyone wanting to place a special order for bread can contact accounts manager, Marge, and let her know exactly what you'd like and where you want to pick it up. Email at marge@laprovencemiami.com or call her at the head office: 305-547-4667.

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