By the Gastronome Gering

“Maison Breizh is really about bringing a more every day, coastal side of French cuisine to Alexandria — something rooted in craftsmanship and tradition, but still relaxed and approachable.”-Chef Michelle Poteaux

Located inside one of the DMV’s popular French eateries, Bastille Brasserie & Bar, Maison Breizh opened its “door” in early June at 1205 Pendleton Avenue in the Parker Gray District in Alexandria. We are still trying to get a handle on the pronunciation of “Breizh” even though the Chef told us more than once while we were dining. The best we came up with is it rhymes with “beige” only with a “br” at the beginning.

This Brittany-inspired galetterie-crêperie from Michelle Poteaux is located literally inside Bastille Brasserie & Bar. Since Bastille isn’t open for lunch, they utilize the back dining room and patio for customer seating. The room décor has been revamped and taken on a nice casual vibe.

When asked what prompted the Poteaux’s to launch this new venture, Chef Michelle was very forthcoming.

“After nearly twenty years of Bastille Brasserie & Bar, I found myself wanting to create something more casual, more regionally focused, and more reflective of the everyday French dining culture that often gets overlooked here in the DMV. That idea became Maison Breizh at Bastille.

This concept is personal for me. My first real introduction to galettes came through Christophe’s family in Cherbourg, Normandy, where I experienced how simple, comforting, and deeply rooted in place this style of food could be. Years later, I traveled to Saint-Malo, France, and completed an intensive hands-on program at Atelier de la Crêpe, focused on traditional galette and crêpe production, Brittany cider, technique, and regional culinary culture,” Chef Michelle tells us.

She continues, “While many Americans think of crêpes as sweet or dessert-focused, Brittany’s galette culture is centered around savory buckwheat crêpes meant for everyday dining. The menu at Maison Breizh will focus on traditional buckwheat galettes, crêpes, French cider, wine, and Breton-inspired dishes approached through a chef-driven lens.

For me, Maison Breizh is a natural extension of what Bastille has always tried to do: make French cuisine feel approachable without losing the craft behind it. Bastille helped challenge the idea that French dining needed to feel formal or intimidating. Maison Breizh continues that philosophy in a more relaxed, lunch-focused format.

I believe Alexandria — and the broader DMV dining scene — is ready for more nuanced regional French food beyond the usual stereotypes. Brittany has an incredible culinary identity, and Maison Breizh is my way of bringing that spirit here in a way that feels fresh, honest, and welcoming.”

In our opinion, she was spot-on with her idea.

We had lunch in mid-June accompanied by one of our longtime contributing writers, Sarah Becker, to commemorate her 30^th year of penning the “A Bit of History” column. It was a beautiful spring day so patio seating was in order.

I am a huge fan of crêpes and gallettes. Traditionally, a crêpe is made with wheat flour and is usually served with sweet fillings and a gallette is made with buckwheat flour and has savory fillings. I lean toward the gallettes because I feel like the buckwheat flour is a healthier option and I am a bigger fan of savory flavors. However, at Breizh, you can order a gallette with sweet fillings and vice versa with the crêpes, which is what I did on our visit.

The menu is straight forward with selections for every taste profile. The collage pictured with this column gives you a very good idea of what you can expect. In addition to the regular menu items, there are daily specials as well.

We ordered a bottle of a nice light white wine for the table and I ordered a “bowl” of traditional French cider to enjoy while we made our luncheon choices. Yes, you read that right. The cider is served in a small bowl. I had the 8-ounce Aval Blanc draft that is billed as “Bright, Juicy, Green Apple & Fresh Pear notes lead to a Round & Creamy finish, perfectly complementing our Brittany cuisine.” It didn’t disappoint. A nice selection of cider, wine and beer are offered – spirits are not.

For lunch, Bob opted for the La Bretonne gallette – house-made crumbled Breton sausage, paired with a delightful apple-onion compote, cider mustard, and a petite salade. Sarah chose to try the Jambon, one of the Maison Rolls which are French wraps made with a buckwheat galette, rolled & cut and served with Earth & Eats petite greens. The Jambon consists of Parisian ham, gruyère, and fresh lettuce, tomato confit and Dijonnaise and is served cold. My choice was the Galette Saisonnière aka of the season. It was filled with amazing traditional ratatouille. All three choices were big time hits.

We ended our meals with three of the crêpes: the Miel Citron – lemon-honey syrup and confit lemon; the Myrtille (I ordered this on the buckwheat gallette) – wild blueberry compote, lemon drizzle topped with toasted almonds and the Crêpe Saisonnière – I can’t recall what each of the ingredients was but fresh strawberries were the base. All three of them are well worth ordering again or even taking home. Bob treated himself to a cappuccino as well.

In addition to the crêpes and gallettes, they have Croustillants – house-made dips and spreads served with our buckwheat crisps – and a selection of hors d’oeuvres including oysters on the half shell and a shrimp salad.

We thoroughly enjoyed our experience and have recommended it to several people over these last few weeks and it appears to be off to a great start!

Remember that you enter the patio from Pendleton Street and not through the front door! Look for the blue sign!

Wednesday–Saturday, 11:30am–2:30pm

Maison Breizh at Bastille

1205 Pendleton Street

Maisonbreizhva.com

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