Breaking Down Bread
“Bread is the king of the table and all else is merely the court that surrounds the king.” -Louis Bromfield
“If thou tastest a crust of bread, thou tastest all the stars and all the heavens.” -Robert Browning
“I’ve never baited a hook with a rye before.”
-Jerry Seinfeld
By Brooke A. Brown
I don’t know about you, but I can recall several instances where I’ve found myself saying that the best part of the meal was the bread. Now, such a statement can either be an actual compliment to the bread, or a smack-down to everything that followed. For the sake of this post, I want to focus on the former.
To me, there are only a handful of restaurants in Charleston where the bread takes on a starring role. In my humble view, the top 3 are as follows:
1. The Poppyseed Rolls at Tidewater Grill
2. The Garlic Nan at Sitar of India
3. The Pita Bread at Morocco’s (sorry, no web link… but visit them at 1604 Washington Street)
Who am I leaving out? List your favorites (ranked or not) in the comments below.
March 12th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Tidewater’s rolls are the best bread in the universe.
I also love Graziano’s rolls, Red Lobster’s Cheddar Bay Biscuits and Longhorn’s 3-Grain Wheat Bread. Not necessarily in that order.
March 12th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
Awesome call, Jamie… the rolls at Graziano’s are incredible!
March 13th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
I don’t think it’s baked in-house (Duchess Bakery, perhaps?), but I’ve always been partial to the bread at Leonoro’s. I love that chewy crust, and it’s great for sopping up the last little bit of their fantastic sauce fom your plate.
March 13th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
O’Charley’s rolls with butter? Almost a meal in itself.
March 18th, 2008 at 11:20 am
I must contribute to the accolates for the poppyseed rolls at Tidewater. They are alone worth the visit.
March 19th, 2008 at 7:31 am
The rolls at Graziano’s… they’re wonderful.
March 20th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
Tidewater is my hands down favorite- a Greek salad and some rolls– the perfect meal! Although I have to say that Bob Evans makes a pretty good roll too!
March 25th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
#1 Outback @ the Town Center
#2 Longhorn Steakhouse @ Corridor G
#3 Tidewater (I am eating some right now outta a doggie bag from Sunday, and it still tastes wonderful after 15 sec. in the microwave)
March 25th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
I forgot to add that the pita bread at Morocco’s is so darn good and flavorful, that I didn’t even realize that it was pita bread, until I read this blog.
March 26th, 2008 at 9:36 am
Jenn G - I agree… Bob Evans does make a mean roll, especially when they’re piping hot.
Living in Hell, WV - One wouldn’t know those are pitas based on the paper-thin versions available at the grocery stores. The ones at Morocco’s are just incredible, aren’t they?
One last thing: the cornbread muffins at Cracker Barrel are darn tasty, too.
March 26th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
Love, love, LOVE Tidewater! Best by far!
April 10th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
I, too, am a fan of Tidewater poppyseed rolls. They have cornered the market with those bad boys. But, one place nobody mentioned was Ellens. Ellens has great bread to accompany the soups and salads. You get a hearty slice, too! I am grateful for her lunches - I can eat well and feel good about what I am eating. Then, there is always the Espresso Oreo (but that’s another blog).
April 10th, 2008 at 7:20 pm
The pita bread (with their hummus) at Morocco’s IS fabulous.
April 21st, 2008 at 11:25 am
Interestingly, perhaps, the word “companion” means to “share bread with” coming from the “myth” of several cultures - to be good to guests ’cause you may be serving gods or angels unaware. I vote for Tidewater’s poppyseed rolls, too.