As you walk past Baker & Nosh you can see them baking the bread through the windows and that alone is enough to encourage you across the door step, my only moment of brief hesitation was when I looked in to see if there was any spare tables (only a couple left). But as I had walked over from Lincoln Square through the gusting remains of snow so I was not going to be distracted from the mission in hand.

The sandwich menu alternates between 3 choices on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and a different 3 choices on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

I hit this place up on Friday so had a choice of

“Beeler’s Ham, Swiss, Sweet & Spicy Mustard, Arugula”,

“Roasted Mushrooms, Peppers & Onions, Pesto, Arugula”

“Roast Beef, White Cheddar, Arugula, Pickled Onion, Horseradish Mayo”

I went for the Roast Beef. It was built inside a crusty roll, crunchy on the outside but soft and moist inside. All the components worked together, none of them overpowered the others. I was a bit worried about the horseradish mayo, but I had no need, it was just the right level and complimented the rest. The beef was great and the cheese tasty. The sliced pickled onion really made the sandwich and I could have taken a pot of this home with me to add to my own sandwiches.

You could really tell that everything was freshly made here, behind the counters were shelves of freshly baked bread, and baskets of cakes and pastries, plus a nice selection of decent cheeses.

Despite the snow outside this place was full of customers and you could hear mutters of appreciation from all the tables. I regretted not getting a bowl of the pea soup, I overhead two ladies enquiring how it was made and they were astonished to hear that it was actually vegan and did not have any cream in it. Sadly they got the last bowls so I couldn’t add that onto my lunch to see if I concurred with their quiet ravings.

As a diversion from having to think about the soup I decided to look at the cheeses . The young lady behind the counter gave me a sample of the red leicester which was so good that I took a quarter slice of that home for my supper and a couple of small bread rolls to complement it.

Just looking at this on my counter at home is making me peckish already, but I shall resist the temptation… oh come on who am I kidding  just let me finish this blog entry and I shall crack open a nice bottle of red wine so I can really get down to some munching.

Baker and Nosh is located at 1303 Wilson Ave, about 5 mins along from the Wilson Red Line CTA station. The 78 Bus also runs past.

They have only been open for about a month, but from what I have seen and tasted, they will be a welcome addition to the area.

Website: http://www.bakerandnosh.com/