Les M.
Yelp
I'm lucky to have both a health club and my physical therapist in the neighborhood so I can drop by this PCC to grab a balsamic vinegar roast chicken and the Fougasse Ciabatta.
The staff, except for one odd exception, do go out of their way to be helpful.
Yesterday was a noteworthy example. The past two times I've walked in, the Fougasse Ciabatta (Boulart brand) sitting behind glass in the coffee area has been sold out.
I asked the young woman working in this section why this PCC didn't order more from the bakery which delivers the olive ciabatta daily.
She didn't seem to know that, as one of her co-workers pointed out to me a few minutes later, that they had frozen olive ciabatta in back.
In fact, the olive ciabatta is delivered frozen and actually shipped from Quebec.
Another PCC staff person explained to me that none of the breads, including the Macrina, are actually baked the same day. They are, in fact, he said, baked the previous evening in large batches to be delivered around the City.
This information "solves" the mystery of why Seattle bread (PCC, Metropolitan...) doesn't taste the same as bread purchased in a boulangerie in France: it's probably 18-24 hours old!
Unlike France, where even the small boulangeries bake their bread continuously throughout the day, in the U.S., with its emphasis on mass production lines, this is rarely done. In fact, I don't even know if such bakeries exist at all.
Perhaps the Essential Bakery outlet in Fremont, which is more than a distribution/retail point, has fresh baked bread.
The third PCC staff person was very helpful (you wouldn't be able to find someone at Metropolitan, etc. who understands and has the time to explain the retail bakery system here in Seattle).
Smaller bakeries, he suggested, have closed shop due to competition from the chain-line bakeries.
When you're paying "top dollar" for bread, it seems insane that you can't get it "fresh."
I haven't been to the Macrina on 2nd Avenue in Belltown in 10+ years, but I recall that they breads tasted as they had been baked on the premises and only hours earlier.
I once worked at Grand Central Bakery in Pioneer Square. All the bread and pastries were baked the same day and "on location."
It doesn't seem like much "progress" when Seattle has such mediocre bread.
No wonder Boulart in Quebec can ship (air freight) frozen bread almost across the North American continent: there is a paucity of decent bread.
The Macrina bread at PCC is wrapped in cellophane, air-tight, which results in there being no crust. (apparently, customers prefer this, due to the Covid-19 crisis).
*****
The second PCC staff person actually went into the freezer section and pulled a loaf of olive ciabatta. It only took a couple of hours to de-thaw. I would let it sit out for another few hours, as it wasn't "croustillant," at the French say. But it was delicious (and expensive, at $5 for about 12 ounces).
*****
Staff are consistently relaxed, friendly and helpful, which makes grocery shopping (which I am not very fond of) less of a pain.
Wide aisles, high ceilings, quality produce and groceries (plus a roof-top terrace), and unharried staff in an interesting location off the Canal make this PCC a really good place to shop.
The cafe section is open but seems forlorn, the bar next to it being closed. The sandwiches are premade earlier in the day but the staff can heat them up.
The pizza I do find unappetizing. The food sitting in heated steel trays, though I haven't tasted it yet, seems like not such a good idea, but maybe that has to do with my experience eating in cafeterias.
A large part of the row of prepared food in the middle of the store is a copious selection of salads. As we head into autumn and winter, it would be nice to have a greater selection of hot food (including the taco and sandwich bars, built from scratch).