Junction Bakery & Bistro Starts Serving Dinner With a New Menu in Del Ray | Eater DC

"I've learned that Junction Bakery & Bistro will reintroduce dinner service under new savory chef James Duke, who is shifting the menu toward American comfort foods with a few Asian detours and expanding the restaurant's strong bread program. Duke's new dinner offerings include a Thai street noodle soup made with his own red curry paste, shredded chicken, coconut, Kaffir lime and a host of garnishes; a hot fried chicken sandwich on a cheddar chive biscuit with aged honey, smoked gochujang “Louisville fire” sauce (similar to Nashville style but named for Duke’s family) and dill pickles brined in-house; and a lobster roll on brioche with a lemongrass-and-garlic butter sauce, while standbys like General Tso’s cauliflower and a turkey banh mi remain. To complement a $5 bread basket, Duke is churning his own butter with rotating infusions (garlic, vadouvan, miso, yellow curry), and the kitchen has started producing house hot sauce and mumbo sauce to sell at the grab-and-go counter. He’s also offering family-style to-go options—a whole roasted chicken with salad and fingerling potatoes for $21, and a boneless short rib pot roast (similar to beef bourguignon) that feeds two to three for $25—as part of an emphasis on value, and dinner will be served from a counter daily from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. The bistro, which opened in summer 2016 and was named one of Washingtonian’s 10 best new restaurants, drew Duke because he saw untapped potential and liked having an outstanding bread program at his disposal." - Gabe Hiatt