Best Basket of Bread

[raptor232]

Hi all,

I'm looking for a boston restaurant with the best basket of bread - warm, delicious, and served with the best butter. All recommendations welcome.

[pamalamb]

I love the bread at Pomodoro in Brookline. They toast it lightly, so it's a bit crispy on the outside, but the interior is airy and smooth, almost like a popover (but not greasy). Plus, olive oil and delicious olives.

[hsquare2southend]

Great thread! I agree with the pp that Harvest's is very good. But...my favorite is Boston Public's bread with miso cream cheese. In my opinion, there is no contest! I also like the Irish soda bread with butter and honey at the Butcher Shop. I haven't been to No. 9 in a while so I can't rememeber if it is the same as they serve there.

[Northstar22]

I agree with harvest and petit robert,I know they get the bread from lavallee's bakery distributors out of waltham mass.They carry Au pon dore out of canada and the product is amazing.I checked out lavallees website and they list alot of there customers.

[almansa]

Au Pain d'Ore is delicious, but I believe that the Harvest only uses their product if they run out of their usual bread - oh, and for sandwiches. You would recognize their rolls; they are slightly rectangular and about an inch and a half thick - like a small, thick deck of cards. I know that South End Formaggio uses APd'O rolls as well.

[jpcat]

Salty dinner rolls hot from a brick oven at Lineage in Brookline.

[limster]

How's the bread basket at Campania these days? Is the selection of foccacia still as good?

I like the bread they serve at Brookline Family.

[pollystyrene]

Yes. I was about to mention La Campania, but I'm still mad at them for serving me gummy gnocchi. The foccacia was excellent, though. Mamma Maria has my favorite bread basket. I don't even remember what kind of bread, but the pesto spread is the best bread accompaniment I've had. It's pesto without pinenuts, which is blasphemous to some, but heaven for those of us with nut allergies who are usually pesto deprived.

The rolls at Bertucci's are also great--very doughy and always hot from the oven.

[mbtabus69]

I haven't been there in about year or so, but I remember the bread basket at Sister Sorel/Tremont 647 being almost better than the meal itself. Maybe that speaks poorly for the meal though....

Still, for me the best bread-and-condiments combo is at the Helmand in Cambridge--flatbread and 3 sauces.

[dhgold]

Helmand, hands down! I could eat the whole thing. I sometimes DO eat the whole thing. And the sauces..yum! was just there on Tuesday night, and could go back tonight

[poptart]

It's been awhile since I've been there, but Matt Murphy's in Brookline Village had some very nice bread with their Sunday Brunch: brown bread with blueberries, wholegrain soda bread (my personal favorite) and a nice white. Pretty good butter, too. Not so sure they baked it there. I am particularly interested in the soda bread and where it comes from.

[Lucymax]

I have always always liked the bread basket served at Harvest in Harvard Square. Served with nice soft butter.

[tamerlanenj]

Petit Robert Bistro: fresh baked baguettes, warm, crusty, served with a nice soft butter.

[Scruffy The Cat]

Well, it's not a basket, but you can have as much as you want: no. 9 Park, I think, has the best bread (rolls) and butter that I've had. Perhaps ever. An extremely well balanced and flavorful roll with a hint of malt. And lovely unsalted butter. And I'm a bit of a maniac for baked goods. The one time I was at Sel de la Terre, the bread was pretty one-dimensional. I think the extra flavorings/herbs masked the just-ok-ness of the bread. (That particular day) And my biggest bread disappointment was at Clio. Such lovely sauces, and such average rolls, on the stale-ish side even. Sigh.

[finlero]

This thread from April has a few dozen great suggestions to get the ball rolling...

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/396691

[twentyoystahs]

I know Sibling Rivalry gets lots of mixed reviews, but the few times I have been there I've found their bread basket to be delicious. It includes an Irish soda bread that's amazing. Really good stuff.

[Joanie]

The bioche they served with a salty crust during Rest. Week was amazing.

[beksis1]

Oooh, I didn't get brioche for my rest wk visit, but there was a walnut bread that was pretty good.

[beksis1]

Sel de la Terre wins my vote for this. Their Anise bread is fantastic!

[bachslunch]

Strongly second Sel de la Terre as the best local breadbasket.

For other good choices, some of the local steakhouses (chains and not) also do this well -- especially Abe and Louie's, Capital Grille, and Grille 23 and Bar.