Published in Buzz Weekly on 4/21/05
Having spent all week ill and unsatisfied, I decided to leave my sickbed in search of casual dining and conversation at the Bread Company; my date for the evening: Lou Morton. You may recall seeing Lou featured in the artist’s corner of the Buzz not too long ago. A humble, young industrial designer, Lou has a charmingly boyish smile only a person with a shy demeanor can have. It’s just my luck that he is involved with someone else. Nonetheless, I figured I would have a good time, just so long that I kept in mind he was off limits like most of the men I encounter.
The Bread Company has a general interior of miscellaneous European knick-knacks. I enjoyed the restaurant’s use of recycled French water bottles as candleholders. Frequent candlelit dinners have provided a colorful waterfall of dripping wax, contributing to the romantic decor. It was highly appropriate for my intensely platonic date. The crowd was a bit older, probably due to the classy atmosphere and pricey menu. I saw someone dining alone across the restaurant, drinking wine to cure his loneliness. I would have joined him, but I had a date for a change, and decided to revert my attention back to him so that we could order.
We decided to split the meat and cheese platter as an appetizer. For $6.50, you can choose from a assortment of international meats and cheeses. I realized a few days later, of course, that you can purchase a quarter pound of fine cheese from any connoisseur for half that price, but I suppose people pay for their laziness. We decided to go with Sopprasata, a dry sausage, and Tintern, a cheddar blend of shallots and herbs. It arrived shortly on a plate garnished with baby greens, a sliced strawberry and a few pieces of bread. Sopprasata is extremely salty meat. Salt has a natural tendency to enhance flavors, and this meat was particularly bold. It also tends to dehydrate, causing us to flag down our waitress a few times due to the fact the water pitcher and glasses were too small to satiate our thirst. The cheese was also pretty tasty. Creamy and flavorful, the shallots and herbs give the cheddar a little bite. It was a good contrast to the salty meat, and went particularly well with the sweet bread it was served with. Though delicious, I felt the Bread Company should have offered more of a variety, or at least combination suggestions for the platter.
For a main course, my stomach was leaning towards the salmon special, but my wallet was leaning towards the $6.50 1/2 soup and sandwich combo. Lou agreed. Most of the sandwiches seemed pretty generic, except the cream cheese olive nut sandwich, so I settled with that and a bowl of Italian Wedding soup. Our waitress looked genuinely surprised when I inquired about the sandwich and seemed unable to find a good description of an item served daily there. She did suggest that I try a sandwich with a few slices of salami, so I decided to go on her recommendation. For the sake of variety, Lou went with a tuna sandwich and the mushroom-vegetable soup--another item our waitress was equally unknowledgeable about.
We waited momentarily, shooting the breeze about the restaurant, spring break highlights and his girlfriend. I ate a few more pieces of cheese when he inquired about my dating status. Fortunately, I didn’t have to search long for an excuse because our dinner arrived shortly. The presentation was pretty flattering and our plates looked nearly identical: a miniature cauldron-like bowl hugged by an open-faced, half sandwich. The Italian Wedding soup reminded me of a thicker version of the recipe served at Espresso Royale, with the same noodles and meatballs. The sandwich was a bit of a challenge. I became desperate trying to keep the sandwich together, contents spilling everywhere. Lou noticed I had food on my face, and I felt mildly embarrassed. Both the spread and the bread were appetizing, though the salami and vegetables seemed ordinary. I was surprised that the chef didn’t incorporate baby greens or fine salami for the sandwich, as the menu seemed to boast their selection of gourmet meats and cheeses. Lou commented that the entree was, “Good for the price.” Personally, I thought an evening at Panera or Espresso Royale would have been more delicious and interesting, but he was right in attesting the price was comparable.
The candle on our table burned out just as our appetites did. Overall, I was pretty unimpressed with the Bread Company. It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t exceptional either. Staff was kind and semi-attentive, but generally unknowledgeable. Though we ordered an inexpensive entree, it was still a representation of the Bread Company’s menu--specialty or not. Feel free to shell out a few extra bucks, but don’t be surprised if it’s not the best thing you’ve ever eaten.