The bread basket
Guillaume posted a comment suggesting a Top Ten of bakeries that focus on bread or one on restaurants that have great bread. I love the idea, but that got me thinking how difficult it would be.
In the past decade or so, bread has gotten so much better in this area I put away my KitchenAid dough hook. I simply can't make bread as good as I can buy anymore. Or at least the difference isn't worth the trouble. ...
(Algerina Perna/Sun Photographer)
So many restaurants offer good bread these days I'd be hard pressed to pick just ten. I'll start keeping better track from now on and try to come up with some really spectacular ones. It seems ironic that at the same time, the popularity of the Atkins diet and its ilk has meant that many people are ignoring restaurant bread, and some places don't even bring it to the table unless you ask or they charge for it.
The one complaint I have is that sometimes the type of bread doesn't quite fit the rest of the meal. Call me old-fashioned, but with traditional French food I still like baguette best. I prefer rustic whole grain breads flavored with olives, sun-dried tomatoes and the like with soup or cheese or some other more casual meal.
Comments
Thinking of your previous blog on "tipping". How about a Top Ten on best service? I
Posted by: Alan | August 17, 2007 12:02 PM
Who is Cynthia of the rolls?
Rolls from Cynthia's restaurant in Glen Burnie! In case people don't know what we're talking about, if you hold the cursor over the photo, it will tell you what it's a picture of.
Posted by: Janet | August 17, 2007 2:07 PM
There's an Italian restaurant in Glen Rock, PA, Mignano Brothers, that serves a wonderful basket of assorted breads with every meal. Fresh, served hot out of the oven-it's delicious (the rest of the food is great too).
Posted by: Kathy | August 17, 2007 2:12 PM
The Outback Steakhouse. Rich, hearty, and sweet all at the same time. Post-Atkins, it's the only bread I can't ignore.
Posted by: Frequent Little Italy Restaurant Visitor | August 19, 2007 11:33 AM
The Original Steakhouse on Joppa Road... I could eat the basket of rolls and forget about dinner.
Posted by: Selina | August 20, 2007 3:04 PM