Bayou Bakery, Coffee Bar & Eatery

Want It! Knead It! Chef David Guas Opened Bayou Bakery's Doors in November 2010

The Courthouse neighborhood of Arlington, Virginia finally has its filling of sweet Southern goodness from celebrated pastry chef David Guas. The long awaited community coffee house and gathering spot, Bayou Bakery, Coffee Bar & Eatery, made its debut in November 2010.

As the name says, this is an establishment with southern hospitality – and plenty of sugar – in its soul. It comes by it honestly. Louisiana native David Guas welcomed a partnership with Passion Food Hospitality, the warm and inviting restaurant group he calls family, the team who gave him his start 12 years ago at Washington’s DC Coast and their four subsequent restaurants. This is the first acquisition of its kind for partners Jeff Tunks, Gus DiMillo and David Wizenberg, who saw that stepping forward to support their long-time friend was a clear win-win situation.  Guas, a native of New Orleans, is Bayou Bakery’s operating partner and chef, producing all the delectable southern sweets and balancing the menu with a selection of savory casual eats.

Guas’s dessert style, best described as elegant comfort food, has earned him accolades and recognition from Esquire, Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Pastry Arts and Design and Food Arts magazines; his comfortable down home persona gets him numerous invitations to appear as guest chef on The Today Show and on the PBS Chefs A’Field series.  Now, having left the corporate structure, bid farewell to most of his consulting clients, and published his first cookbook, critically acclaimed and James Beard- and IACP-nominated DamGoodSweet- Desserts to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth New Orleans Style [Taunton Press, Fall 2009,] Guas is finally living his dream of serving a neighborhood clientele his own creations in his own bakery.

Bayou Bakery, Coffee Bar & Eatery has captured the growing desire that people have to connect and build a casually cool community.  New Orleanians take their rituals seriously, and Guas hopes to instill in his atmosphere that same familiar ceremonial quality that will be as soothing as an old friend.  The barista service, for example, featuring distinctive Counter Culture coffee, has created its own loyal following.  Guas was reared in a household with a native born Cuban father, where he developed a discerning palate for coffee and espresso and its preparation.  The Cuban technique of pressing sandwiches also comes naturally, and Guas serves a variety of original pressed-to-order hot sandwiches on New Orleans-style French Bread: Veg Head - grilled portobello, asparagus, red onions, and smoked gouda; Creole Pilgrim—blackened turkey; and Muff-A-Lotta—ham, salami, provolone, and olive dressing. Guas’ Louisiana country cooking will shine in Boudin and Andouille sausages, savory Breakfast Biscuits, Pimento Cheese, and "Chew Dat" hot plate dinner specials.  Hot Beignets and Chicory-Coffee Pralines are good-to-go, along with Guas’ layered cakes, pies, puddings. Oh-so-heavenly Heavenly Hash will be the perfect complement to the steaming hot coffee.

Once the word gout out, Guas has had a hard time keeping his signature treat in stock:  ‘porKorn’ is what he calls his salted-caramel-fresh-popped-corn infused with a touch of bacon drippings and savory bits of Alan Benton’s bacon. And there is one secret ingredient and let us see if you can taste it.

Located on the corner of North Courthouse Road and 15^th Street, a lively spot where each Saturday the Farmer’s Market emerges in the morning hours, Bayou Bakery, Coffee Bar & Eatery underwent extensive interior renovations before it opened as a “funkified” yet traditional coffee house and retail bakery, full of casual charm and vintage Southern character. Wide-plank wood and weathered looking concrete cover the counters; warmed cement flooring and booths, banquettes, and bar-like seating accented with fashionable patterns and a deep southern palette of tropical lush greens, mossy gray, cypress brown, and sun-flower yellow anchor the interior.  Bustling sounds of the kitchen – shielded by re-claimed shutters – are a source of entertainment filtering through to the dining area.  Black and white photographs grace the walls and original drawings on distressed panes in the lower windows catch the sunlight playfully.  For quieter gatherings and cozy conversations, the lounge area is partially sectioned off in the rear.  The entire space accommodates 60 seats, with room for an additional 25 out on the patio during the warmer months. 

Open Monday through Sunday, the counter-service bakery and eatery is now the DC area’s go-to spot for southern pies, puddings, and hot beignets.  It is the Courthouse neighborhood’s favorite new coffee joint.  And as the sole source of that finger-lickin’ porKorn, don’t be surprised if you find a line out the door….