La Madeleine

3418 N. Lamar, 302-1486

701 Capital of Texas Hwy. S., 306-1998

9828 Great Hills Trail, 502-2474

Sun-Thu, 7am-10pm; Fri-Sat, 7am-11pm

This now-vast Texas-born bakery/cafe chain does a mean weekday lunch business and draws a thick Sunday-after-church crowd. Folks slide their trays down the cafeteria-style line to order quiches, salads, soups (among them an addictive tomato-basil cream concoction), and sandwiches on dense housemade breads and croissants. You can slip into La Madeleine to buy breads and a few other select specialty-food items from its bakery side, and breakfast (with good coffee) and dinner (with wine) are also served inside the homey, “French country” location.

This article appears in February 16 • 2001.

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