Mosaic Cuisine & Cafe - Eclectic Food for Rockville, Maryland

It's a weekend morning, and you are thinking about brunch, maybe even breakfast, possibly lunch.

Where to go? Think no further. Drive straight to Rockville 's Mosaic Cuisine & Cafe, because despite its puzzling name, Mosaic has a definite theme: waffles.

Waffles, waffles everywhere. It's a celebration of waffles, both sweet and savory, most presented as sandwiches, and all guaranteed to please and capture the imagination. What owner/chef Thierry Jugnet had in mind originally when he decided to put the waffle on a culinary pedestal is anyone's guess, but what he has fashioned out of a simple egg-and-flour batter are some truly memorable dishes.

The cafe is open from early morning until pretty late in the evening, and you can kick off the day with several breakfast waffle choices. The two sweet waffles include plain with syrup ($3.95) and a slightly fancier one with strawberries and caramel cream ($5.95).

Still in the breakfast mood, but wanting something sturdier? Jugnet offers several savory waffle sandwiches (Belgian waffles are split in half, horizontally), which are filled with eggs, eggs and bacon, or other savory fillings. These range in price from $5.75 for the plain waffle to $8.50 for a waffle with a smoked salmon and lemon-cheese sauce filling. My friend selected the Egg'n Bacon Savory Waffle, filled with scrambled eggs and maple-cured bacon. A little jug of maple syrup comes alongside.

Lunch specials

But if none of the breakfast varieties please, turn to the lunch menu. There you'll find even more waffle sandwiches, ranging in price from $6.99 to $8.75. Are these a gimmick? Maybe, but the corned beef waffle sandwich turns out to be a delicate and sophisticated interpretation of the classic deli corned beef sandwich, piled high with often-greasy slices of corned beef slathered in tons of mustard. Served with an unusual coleslaw of shredded cabbage and thinly sliced sweet bell peppers, all dressed with a sesame-oil based dressing, this is one memorable corned beef sandwich - no mustard needed.

Other savory waffle luncheon sandwiches include a roast beef served with red onion marmalade; grilled veggies; pecan-grape chicken salad; and tuna salad with provolone cheese.

But Mosaic is not just all about waffles: Jugnet gets serious about other dishes, too, and his assorted salads - including a saffron risotto salad with veggies and grilled chicken breast ($8.75) and a warm goat cheese cake salad over leaf lettuce and mesclun ($9.25) - should make lunchtime salad-eating take on new meaning.

Even more serious fare turns up on the dinner menu: boneless chicken Basquaise ($12.75) and a Parmesan-crusted pork medallion ($14.50) are among the full-course eats. And savory tortes with assorted fillings baked in a pastry crust ($12.95 to $13.95) should tempt just about anyone. But the kitchen slips in a few "wafflleissino" sandwiches for dinner, including the paprika-Parmesan chicken breast ($8.75).

The few desserts have a French accent, ranging from pot de créme to créme brulee, with the ubiquitous crêpes added for good measure. How could anyone ignore crêpes with strawberries and caramel sauce ($4.29)?

There's a trick to making these delicate pancake-like treats - cooking the batter fast and keeping it intact - and Jugnet has definitely mastered the skill.

In keeping with the Frenchness of the menu, the decor is as bright and sunny as a morning in Provence, accented by colorful prints. All this should make Washingtonians wistful on a gray spring morning.



	Waffle House - the Mosaic May 2005 It's a weekend morning, and you are thinking about brunch, maybe even breakfast, possibly lunch. Where to go? Think no further. Drive straight to Rockville 's Mosaic Cuisine & Cafe, because despite its puzzling name, Mosaic has a definite theme: waffles. Waffles, waffles everywhere. It's a celebration of waffles, both sweet and savory, most presented as sandwiches, and all guaranteed to please and capture the imagination. What owner/chef Thierry Jugnet had in mind originally when he decided to put the waffle on a culinary pedestal is anyone's guess, but what he has fashioned out of a simple egg-and-flour batter are some truly memorable dishes. The cafe is open from early morning until pretty late in the evening, and you can kick off the day with several breakfast waffle choices. The two sweet waffles include plain with syrup ($3.95) and a slightly fancier one with strawberries and caramel cream ($5.95). Still in the breakfast mood, but wanting something sturdier? Jugnet offers several savory waffle sandwiches (Belgian waffles are split in half, horizontally), which are filled with eggs, eggs and bacon, or other savory fillings. These range in price from $5.75 for the plain waffle to $8.50 for a waffle with a smoked salmon and lemon-cheese sauce filling. My friend selected the Egg'n Bacon Savory Waffle, filled with scrambled eggs and maple-cured bacon. A little jug of maple syrup comes alongside. Lunch specials But if none of the breakfast varieties please, turn to the lunch menu. There you'll find even more waffle sandwiches, ranging in price from $6.99 to $8.75. Are these a gimmick? Maybe, but the corned beef waffle sandwich turns out to be a delicate and sophisticated interpretation of the classic deli corned beef sandwich, piled high with often-greasy slices of corned beef slathered in tons of mustard. Served with an unusual coleslaw of shredded cabbage and thinly sliced sweet bell peppers, all dressed with a sesame-oil based dressing, this is one memorable corned beef sandwich - no mustard needed. Other savory waffle luncheon sandwiches include a roast beef served with red onion marmalade; grilled veggies; pecan-grape chicken salad; and tuna salad with provolone cheese. But Mosaic is not just all about waffles: Jugnet gets serious about other dishes, too, and his assorted salads - including a saffron risotto salad with veggies and grilled chicken breast ($8.75) and a warm goat cheese cake salad over leaf lettuce and mesclun ($9.25) - should make lunchtime salad-eating take on new meaning. Even more serious fare turns up on the dinner menu: boneless chicken Basquaise ($12.75) and a Parmesan-crusted pork medallion ($14.50) are among the full-course eats. And savory tortes with assorted fillings baked in a pastry crust ($12.95 to $13.95) should tempt just about anyone. But the kitchen slips in a few "wafflleissino" sandwiches for dinner, including the paprika-Parmesan chicken breast ($8.75). The few desserts have a French accent, ranging from pot de créme to créme brulee, with the ubiquitous crêpes added for good measure. How could anyone ignore crêpes with strawberries and caramel sauce ($4.29)? There's a trick to making these delicate pancake-like treats - cooking the batter fast and keeping it intact - and Jugnet has definitely mastered the skill. In keeping with the Frenchness of the menu, the decor is as bright and sunny as a morning in Provence, accented by colorful prints. All this should make Washingtonians wistful on a gray spring morning.