When Bad Bread Happens to Good Restaurants

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I hope this is not a new trend. In recent weeks, Dear Husband and I have eaten at two excellent restaurants with truly inferior bread. What gives??

First up, Toulouse — a lovely French/Creole place in Seattle, where one would expect to find good sourdough or certainly an acceptable baguette. Instead, we got flabby structure and squishy crust; mon Dieu!

Then, last week, a local place on the Oregon coast — the Bay House — which has a relaxing ambiance, superb service, and beautiful food (see below) — with this notable exception. Hey, if it’s too humid, pop the loaf in an oven to crisp it up! I’m tempted to bring my own sourdough next time. Think they’d mind?

At the Bay House, DH’s beet salad starter was a work of art
As was my halibut— those green shapes are pea purée

Bread lovers of the world, unite! And what’s your pet peeve when eating out, dear readers?

7 thoughts on “When Bad Bread Happens to Good Restaurants”

  1. Sheree

    Bad bread is definitely on my list along with lukewarm weak coffee, adornments which add nothing to the dish such as sprinkles, blobs and swirls of balsamic vinegar, patterns on plates with herbs etc etc

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  2. msw blog

    My spouse is a chef by trade, and the exception in a high end restaurant is no one will really eat the (free) bread, and be more focused on the appetizers. Silly, but true. My biggest pet peeve is high end restaurants charging $$$ for one bite of beautiful tasty morsel.

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    1. adguru101 Post author

      I can understand the thinking, but won’t most people have already ordered their appetizer and main course before the bread even arrives? So bread shouldn’t deter them from enjoying what they ordered, especially if it’s a pricey restaurant. IMHO it just sets a bad tone to serve anything that’s sub-par, and in some cases they even charge for the mediocre bread!🤔

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  3. snakesinthegrass2014

    Mon dieu indeed! There really is no excuse for that — of all the things good restaurants serve, they should be able to get the bread right. Your entrees at least look lovely. My main beef (no pun intended) is the quality of the wait staff. It’s probably that restaurants, like all other businesses, are struggling to find workers. But when you spend so much money on a meal, it’s disheartening to have a server who’s indifferent to your needs – Marty

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  4. adguru101 Post author

    I agree, Marty. Along those lines, I also dislike overly chatty waiters who want to tell you their life story. Perhaps if they were paid more and tips were either included in the price or minimal, as in Europe, this would be seen as a true profession. Alisa

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