French Bakery & Delicatessen

Pastrami Sandwich King!!!. I visited Norfolk 2 years ago and a friend brought me a pastrami sandwich, we sat back and ate this and it was the best thing I ever ate. It was made from a full loaf of bread and piled high with cooked pastrami, onions, tomato's, mustard, and a black pepper based mixture. Too finish it off, an orange donut.

I just came back to Norfolk and my friend popped in to say "hi". It was 4pm and I wanted a pastrami sandwich, he said we have to hurry since it closes at 5.

We drove past the zoo, and a few questionable neighborhoods when we parked in front of an older place with bars on the front. Looks like your walking into a prison. (this is my first time coming to the shop) The street is busy, and cars come up on you as you scurry to the sidewalk for safety. The front of the building is showing it's age, and the letters are starting to shrink on the sign from the sun and time. "French Bakery", we step inside. for me it's like stepping into a time machine. Everything screams 50's and 60's. The photo's on the walls are yellowed with age, some are photo's and newspaper print together in a frame.

Some of the photo's look like the shop inside, but different.

As we enter a smaller man with thinning hair looks up from a laptop and yells out "Where have you Been?!". I'm amused, and smile. Again he says "Where have you Been? It's been a year!" said in a not so nice tone. My friend opens up, it's only been 4 months. The man replies "Well, that was last year, it's been a year!" still looking with at us with wide open eyes.

There are 3 sizes of sandwiches Small, Med, and Large, and they only offer 7 or 8 different kinds of sandwiches, (pastrami is at the top, and the prices are posted). My friend said we wanted a Large Pastrami Sandwich for a visiting friend, "OK what will you have A Medium?" No, Just a large for him, "So a Medium for you?" and again, No just a large for him. They made small talk while he made the sandwich. He started the gas grill behind the bench, and put a large pan with Pastrami and onions on to cook. He took out a long loaf of bread and cut it open. Once the pastrami was finished he went to work behind the bench, a short time later he handed us a paper wrapped 14inch long 5 inch tall sandwich. Tied in the center with a small string to hold it together.

We went over too the pastries where we did not dare ask what we wanted, but we were told what we were going to get, and how many. For example he said “how many éclairs do you want? Six?”, No two is just fine, then we asked for a slice of cake, to take to a friend as a sample. He pulls out the cake and puts the cutter down to mark out 3 slices, to which we had to quickly say, No “a” slice. (watching this I see him smile, as he is trying hard to up sell) “Add some chocolate covered bacon to that!” (This was something new he was trying, it tasted interesting, wouldn’t buy it thought, even though he swore by it)

Everyone that reviewed this business has said that everything tasted good, and you know what. It does. Sure the éclair is $7.00 but it’s the size of your hand, and weighs a pound. Not a cheap mass produced piece of air. What you have is a man that spends his day making nice things too eat, and if your coming in expecting to be coddled by an European style artisan baker your going to be mistaken. But if your prepared to haggle for a product of eggs, butter, cream, sugar into a baked brioche pastry your at the right place.

While the French Bakery on Granby St. may not be the Champs Des Elysees the bottom line is the pastries still have the same effect on the waist line, Viva La France.…