The trip to San Francisco happened last week from the 4th - 5th (that was for my own notes and remembrance!) but I haven’t written a post about this place until now. Why is that? It’s because I didn’t understand something. I couldn’t figure out why I liked it…

Let me explain. I have a history of disappointment with much hyped “touristy” locations. I found, for example, the Hofbrauhaus in Munich to be an unpleasant place filled with tourists and a cranky wait staff. And this coming from someone who has logged many eating and drinking hours in that city. And yes, I know I didn’t put the umlaut in the right spot - that wasn’t irreverence, it was pure laziness.

So I knew about Boudin because there is a location in one of the CA airports - I forget which. San Francisco would be the logical one but I am leaning towards LA. The food was okay there. The beer was okay there as well. I remember feeling hungry and buying a big loaf of bread there and finding it chewy. But was it tasty? I don’t remember. The chewy nature hurt my jaw which is about all I needed to determine the place to be “overrated”.

Needless to say, I didn’t know what to expect when we went there, to the live location. I know in my heart that even the best restaurants  have airport locations which always leave me wanting so I tried not to let my prior experience with Boudin cloud my perception. I told my family that San Francisco is known for its sourdough so they decided to give it a try.

It may as well have been my first time. We ate at the cafeteria style area downstairs which I enjoyed because we were right next to the bakery and nothing enhances the sourdough experience more than smelling it as it’s baking.

The menu was perfectly suited for the enjoyment of the bread, too. I had the tomato soup in a bread bowl and a slice of sourdough pizza. The pizza had that thin, crispy crust that I always associate with Italian authenticity. The bread was dense enough to stand up to the soup but it was far from chewy. It was the perfect blend of flavor and texture. We returned for a quick lunch the next day it was that wonderful.

In the end I can’t figure out what I liked better. The bread? The food? The hanging, moving baskets on the ceiling transporting bread from the bakery to the restaurant? I don’t know. But it was a winning combination. Good food. Great company. If anything, that was a perfect formula for a successful meal.

Do you want to try your hand at making your own sourdough bread?  Check out Classic Sourdoughs: A Home Baker’s Handbook or try this San Francisco Sourdough bread mix. But I definitely recommend going to Boudin and trying the bread for yourself.

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