First impressions are important.
Why else would we triple-check ourselves in the mirror, smoothing our jacket or dress one last time before a big interview or first date? At restaurants, the exterior décor is our first visual impression, but when it comes to our taste buds, what’s the first thing we put in our mouths? At many restaurants, it’s bread. It’s nice to have a little something to munch on while perusing the menu, particularly if you’re already famished.
There are a lot of different ways to tackle bread service: Warm or room temperature? Free or to charge? European traditionalists eschew warm bread, since great bread only truly develops its flavor after it cools. Not all restaurants offer complimentary bread service, but plenty still do. When it comes down to it, I’d rather pay a few dollars for great house-made bread than have a basket overflowing with stale white bread set before me with a cold hunk of butter.
There’s no obligation to serve bread before a meal, but if you’re going to bother, make it special. Here are a few of our favorite spots to score delicious bread in Chicago and the North Shore.
Chicago
Most famous for their miche, La Fournette has a rotating selection of flavors, including olive fougasse and salted Alsatian bretzel for purchase by the loaf. More than a dozen of the top restaurants in town proudly serve their breads. Get a taste at North Pond, NAHA, Brindille, Paris Club, Travelle, Nico Osteria, Café des Architectes and MK. In the North Shore, Guildhall in Glencoe serves La Fournette’s beer bread. 1547 N. Wells St. Chicago, 312-624-9430; 2568 N. Clark St., Chicago, 773-360-1761
Photo by Paul Strabbing.
I first tasted Cellar Door Provisions’ rustic Pan du Campaign at Lula Café. One bite into the rough, crunchy exterior and tender crumb and I was asking my waiter to tell me the name of the bakery where I could buy a loaf of this naturally leavened whole-wheat bread to take home. Cellar Door’s flour is sourced locally, much of it from Breslin Farms, and sometimes on weekends they also make brioche. 3025 W. Diversey Ave., Chicago, 773-697-8337
Sister restaurants Gemini Bistro and Rustic House share a baker, so naturally the bread at both is pretty fantastic. Executive pastry chef John Larson starts your meal with rustic country bread at Gemini and focaccia at Rustic House. On a recent al fresco dinner at Gemini, the miche (a dense sourdough) was springy with a crunchy crust, and the whipped butter sunk lovingly into the irregular holes. Larson also makes pain au lait hamburger buns, buttermilk biscuits, English muffins and cornbread from scratch, along with a seasonal flatbread. Gemini Bistro, 2075 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago, 773-525-2522; Rustic House, 1967 N. Halsted St., Chicago, 312-929-3227
Photo taken at Gemini Bistro by Amber Gibson.
The housemade bread here is so good that they opened Little Goat Bread across the street, where you can get full loaves, bagels and scones during the day. For dinner, the restaurant serves a rotating selection of several breads with unique spreads and butters, including pretzel with honey-mustard butter and “Forrest Gump” bread with pea puree and carrot cocoa butter. 809 W. Randolph St., Chicago, 312-492-6262
A slow fermentation process with natural starters gives the bread at La Farine its clean, sour flavor and elastic crumb. Top sellers are ciabatta and sourdough baguettes, which you’ll find at more than 40 restaurants throughout the city, including Anteprima, Ada St., Cicchetti and the Radisson Blu.2909 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, 872-829-2002
North Shore
A few days after Hewn opened its doors, I tasted their bread at a Feast & Imbibe pop-up in Evanston. Between the pistachio polenta sourdough, French country and whole-wheat breads, it was hard to choose a favorite. I darted next door to the bakery after dinner to purchase a loaf, but alas, they were closed. Hewn serves sandwiches, soups and salads Tuesday through Friday, but you can also find their bread gracing the tables at Peckish Pig, Found and Wine Goddess. 810 Dempster St., Evanston, 847-869-4936
Photo by Michael Oren Falevits.
The sourdough starter at Bennison’s just turned 12. Owner and head baker Jory Downer created it at the now shuttered National Baking Center in Minneapolis and brought it with him to Evanston. Downer took home the grand prize at the Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie (the World Cup of Baking) in Paris in 2005. So, it’s no wonder that restaurants like Sepia, EJ’s Place, Prairie Grass Cafe, Soulwich, Chef’s Station, Olivia’s Market, Bat 17 and Found all have Downer making exclusive breads to serve. “There’s no trick to making good bread,” Downer says. “You just have to start with the right ingredients. I’m very fussy about the flour we use.” 1000 Davis St., Evanston, 847-328-9434
Wooden shelves overflow with full loaves of bread and sweet treats in this welcoming North Shore café (and Best of 2014 winner). Try the complex sunflower millet, with crunchy seeds and a touch of local honey. Co-owner Kate Rooney suggests toasting the bread to intensify the flavor. Eat it simply toasted with butter, jam and honey, or try it as a base for the mozzarella pesto or tuna melt sandwich. During holiday season, Parker House rolls, the perfect vehicle for sopping up gravy, fly out the door. The customer favorite, though, is the olive rosemary roll with tomato basil soup. 301 Happ Road, Northfield, 847-446-5444
Top right photo by Paul Strabbing for La Fournette.
