I’m picky about a lot of things. You can ask Jake. He’d roll his eyes and say it was an understatement. I fully admit to this.
Bread is one of the things I am picky about. I don’t like the plain old white sandwich bread that you can get at the grocery store and it lasts for weeks. What exactly do they put in that stuff to make it last so long? When you have freshly made bread, it lasts maybe a week before it starts to mold and go bad. I shudder to think what’s in there making it the other stuff last so long.
Good bread is a weakness for me and I think I’ve found a great place to stock up on the good stuff.
Con Pane Rustic Baking Company in Liberty Station is a little bakery making fresh breads daily. They have about 26 artisan breads, with a number of daily breads and weekly breads available, such as french bauguettes, rosemary olive oil, Point Loma sourdough, raising & hazelnut, challah, gruyere & chive and even a pane cicoccolata (or chocolate bread).
Jake, T and I visited on a Saturday. The weird thing about Liberty Station is that driving around in there, it feels like no one is actually there. You can’t see people milling about so it feels empty. But as soon as you step inside a place, it’s filled to the brim with folks. There was quite a long line for people getting sandwiches at Con Pane and we quickly joined the fray.
[Ultimate PB&J – honey roasted peanut butter with preserves – $4.95 for a whole]
Jake went uber simple by getting this Peanut Butter and Cherry Preserves sandwich for lunch. You have a choice of either Cherry Preserves or Raspberry and he went with the cherry (I would have gotten Raspberry, but that’s just me).
It was served on thickly cut, lightly toasted bread. The warmness from the bread made the peanut butter all nice and melty and took this from being a boring sandwich to something that seemed very “gourmet”. I snagged a bite. It was heavenly.
[Almost Grilled Cheese – triple cream french brie & gorgonzola, over toasted on rosemary olive oil bread – $7.15 for a whole]
Jake took one look at the menu and he instantly knew what I was going to order before he even asked me.
Either he knows me really well or I’m just really predictable.
The Almost Grilled Cheese called out to me softly and I answered that call.
That day they were out of gorgonzola, so I subbed it with gruyere and it was just as tasty. The rosemary olive oil bread was the perfect compliment, giving a hint of herbs mixed with the warm, gooey, melted cheese.
I’m pretty sure I gave a little sigh of happiness after the first bite.
[Italian Salami with house roasted roma tomatoes, spicy pepperoncini, olive oil infused with house made basil pesto sauce and romaine lettuce – $4.75 for a half]
T got a half sandwich – an Italian Salami sandwich. This photo makes it look like there was no bottom half for some reason. His wasn’t toasted so it wasn’t as exciting to me, but the thick cut slices of bread were still pretty heavenly. I love that the sauces and everything are all made in-house!
[From L-R: Butter Toffee Peanut Butter, Vanilla Bean Shortbread, Milk Chocolate Chunk & Walnut – $1.75 each]
We also tried a few cookies. My favorite was the butter toffee peanut butter, but they were all very good. Nice crunchy cookies that were not overbearingly sweet – just the right amount of sugar so not be too sugary but enough to add that nice sweet, richness. Really good flavor on all three!
[Chocolate Brioche Twist – $3]
I also took home a snack to have for breakfast the next day. It was excellent warmed up with bits of chocolate throughout it – not too overly sweet either, same as the cookies. A good breakfast (or anytime) pastry!
In addition to sandwiches and cookies, you can pick up loaves of bread to take home, order coffee and espresso drinks, bread plates, granola and even box lunches. It’s a wonderful little place for fresh, baked goods and excellent sandwiches on their artisan breads.
I’ve already been back here just to get more bread for the week. I totally love the Gryuere & Chive bread toasted with a smear of avocado on top. It’s a heavenly way to kick off your day, in my opinion.
Con Pane Rustic Breads & Cafe
2750 Dewey Road, Suite 105
San Diego, CA 92106
(619) 224-4344
Hours:
Closed Wednesdays
Mon-Fri: 7 am – 6 pm
Sat: 8 am – 6 pm
Sun: 8 am – 4 pm
Con Pane makes my all-time favorite sandwich in San Diego – the Turkey Cobb. You have to try it next time, Mary! On the rosemary bread!
Hi Kathy – Sounds delicious! I’ll definitely have to try it.
I know it’s just a PB & J but I would have a seriously tough time deciding between those two. I wonder if they make their own PB and preserves or which brands they use.
Hi Rodzilla – I’m 95% sure the lady that helped us told us the preserves are made in-house. Not sure about the peanut butter though, but it was really good. I’m a huge sucker for anything cheesy, so it was an easy decision for me – but I can’t wait to try their other goodies.
Hey Mary – We often get their Rosemary and Olive Oil bread during the spring and summer.
Hi Kirk – I had the Rosemary Olive Oil bread with my cheese sandwich and it’s so good. What I really want to try is their weekend-only chocolate bread – it sounds so intriguing!