Best Baguettes

Who would have thought one of the biggest Washington food stories of the summer would be bad bread? Bad French bread, to be exact. After all, it's been only a couple of years since consumers were so scrupulous about counting carbs that bread was a bad word. But that's what happened earlier this summer when Marvelous Market, the specialty food store that was the first in Washington to specialize in traditional artisanal breads, got caught between bakers. Consumers who were used to fine, fresh baguettes could no longer find them there. And they didn't like it. The situation made us want to know more about baguettes and how our local versions stack up. Here is what we've learned.