Metropolitan Bakery readying Metropolitan Cafe
The sit-downer will be next to the shop on 19th Street in Rittenhouse.
Metropolitan Bakery's James Barrett and Wendy Smith Born are a few weeks from opening Metropolitan Cafe, next to the Metropolitan Bakery's 19th Street shop at 264 S. 19th St., south of Rittenhouse Square.
The cafe's menu seems extensive: soups, green salads as well as grain salads with housemade dressing (plenty of vegetarian options since Born is a vegetarian), pressed sandwiches, bagels with housemade cream cheese, and cheese plates sourced from the Rittenhouse Farmers Market and beyond. I'm hearing of fennel pretzels with a housemade Victory Brewing Baltic Porter blend mustard, housemade pickles, baked root vegetable and potato chips, top-crust pot pies, and sourdough waffles.
Barrett also plans to update the original Julia Childs chocolate mousse - the first dessert he ever made, when he was a teenager.
It will will serve coffee and espresso drinks (Green Street Coffee Roasters), plus teas, juices, and the like.
Born and Barrett are nearing 20 years in business, including a partnership with fellow White Dog Cafe alumnus Kevin Klause at Farmicia in Old City.