Bread and Cie at Henry’s

Everyone talks about the bread at Bread and Cie. Now, some people rave about it and the rosemary olive oil bread and the olive and something bread, etc. Then, the other people rant about the raving folks and say Bread and Cie is nothing like bread from New York. Which I don’t understand. Really. Why are they comparing New York to San Diego? Two completely different cities, on two completely different coasts. Of course they’re different! If they were the same, why would it matter which city we choose to live in? Do not attempt to compare cuisines and food city to city. Especially in front of me. I will just huff at you and then leave to go eat something and smile with glee just to spite you. Even if I don’t like what I’m eating. I’m stubborn like that.

Granted, I haven’t eaten much “artisan” bread. There is a sourdough company in San Luis Obispo where we would frequent the outlet to get the bread at its cheapest because we ate so much of it. I like La Brea bread. I like Bread and Cie. Is one leap and bounds and angels songs above another? Meh. Any bread warm out of the oven will top even the finest bakery after a day on a shelf. So, I don’t put much stock into bakery bread and reputations. If I like it, I’ll keep buying it, but you probably won’t ever hear me raving about bread unless it’s in the context of a restaurant that serves it warm and soft with awesome butter. Like House on the Hill. Anthology has scrumptious bread, too, although I don’t remember if it’s served warm. It’s tasty enough that I don’t care.

Bread and Cie is sold all over San Diego aside from their bakery – Aniata Cheese Shop, even Vons. I mean, La Brea’s bread is even sold at Costco. But I still got a little excited when I saw the sign outside the Poway Henry’s that said they now sell Bread and Cie. Actually, for a moment I thought that if they now sell fancy bread, maybe they would also sell Straus milk. Alas, they still do not. But the bread is there! I picked up a little ciabatta roll for breakfast and then enjoyed it toasted with butter and marmalade with the morning coffee.

This is definitely a bread that I enjoy more when it’s toasted.  The top got crispy crackly and the butter melted into the little nooks and crannied in the bread.  Then the marmalade sat on top of the butter so some bites were more jammy, but some bites were more buttery, and some bites were perfectly mingled.  It was all good.  Yum.