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A Cozy Country Cafe With Gourmet Tastes Thursday, November 23, 2006; Page GZ05.
There aren't many country stores left where you can sit around in front of the fireplace and swap tales with friends. Pistachio, a year-old bakery and cafe in Laytonsville, is a cross between a country store and a European coffeehouse.
Located in the Red Barn antiques center, Pistachio has a couple of tables and a few comfortable chairs around a corner fireplace. But the pastries and sandwiches turned out of Maximo Morales's open kitchen are not country store fare.
Before opening Pistachio, Morales was a general manager for the French bakery chain Le Madeleine and earlier was an executive chef for Marriott. He chose the somewhat remote location because he wanted to be involved with the community. Pistachio has become the gathering point for Laytonsville residents, drawn by the coffee and conversation.
Pistachio does a little bit of everything: morning pastries, luncheon sandwiches, a few hot plates, warm bread, elegant desserts, catering and weddings. Everything is baked on site, from the croissants to the empanadas. Sandwiches include tuna with lemon, onion and dill sauce; sliced turkey with raspberry sauce; sliced roast beef with Cajun cream sauce; and my favorite, roasted white meat chicken salad with Granny Smith apples, walnuts, dried cranberries and tarragon sauce. The cheesecake is creamy, the eclairs are bakery perfect, and the dense apple cake (or as it's called here, apple bread pudding) is perfect for cool autumn nights and chilly mornings.
Pistachio, 6860 Olney-Laytonsville Rd., Laytonsville, 301-216-2783. Hours: 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday; 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Sandwiches, $5 to $6; salads, $4.50 to $6; hot foods, $3.25 to $4.50; breakfast pastries, $1.89 to $1.99. Accessible to people with disabilities.
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