The founders of Each Peach Market always envisioned their storefront in Mount Pleasant as a gathering place. Except there was no room to actually gather. “Without any seating, it's hard to stay there very long,” says Emily Friedberg of the tightly packed space, which she owns with friend Jeanlouise Conaway.
So when the building two doors down became available, the pair decided to open Pear Plum Cafe, a new all-day bistro-meets-bar with ample seating. (And, Conaway notes, room for strollers, a frequent sight in the family-friendly spot.)
Pear Plum serves a daytime menu of coffees, teas and such hearty breakfast sandwiches as Canadian bacon with a poached egg and cheddar cheese on ciabatta ($6) and house-cured gravlax with cream cheese and capers on a bagel ($9).
Toast offerings include crème fraîche with seasonal fruit and honey ($3.50); peanut butter and honey ($3.50); and avocado with pickled radish and sesame seeds ($4.50). Pear Plum partners with local bakers for many of its products, including pie from Acme Pie Co., pastries from Bluebird Bakery, kolaches from Republic Kolache Co. and bread from Lyon Bakery.
Come evening, the lights dim, candles appear, portions increase and a full-bar becomes available. Charcuterie, cheese and cured-fish platters can please a crowd ($15-$20), and tartines can be topped with chicken liver; egg salad; hummus; bresaola and arugula; or carnitas, pickled onion and radish ($10-$12).
The cocktail menu, featuring many locally made liquors, includes such standards as a gimlet, a French 75 and an old fashioned ($10-$12) as well wines by the glass starting at $5. The most expensive bottle of wine costs $40.
Brunch service is in the works, and the duo is toying with the idea of such themed evenings as oyster night.
“The cafe is an extension of our playfulness with food and our excitement over fresh local ingredients,” Conaway says. “Little things get us excited, like, 'Oh my God, we can make shrubs and serve kombucha on tap.'”
And for those hoping to use Pear Plum as a satellite office, you can expect a liberal WiFi policy. Friedberg and Conaway are experimenting with discount possibilities, like getting cheaper drinks in exchange for closing your laptop.
“We want to encourage you to stay,” Friedberg says.
Pear Plum Cafe, 3065 Mount Pleasant St. NW.
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