KATHY MADER -- Dining Review

I am always reluctant to write about chain restaurants. I sure don’t

mind eating at them and, quite obviously, most people don’t either.

Witness the lines at Chili’s and Macaroni Grill. But I figure, why write

about what everyone already knows? Where’s the fun in that? And, more

importantly, where is the interest? Yet, today I make an exception with

this disclaimer in mind. While the Boudin (say Boh-deen) Bakery and Cafe

in Metro Point, across the street from South Coast Plaza, is in fact a

chain, it is not a chain you find in every strip mall on every corner

from here to Balboa Peninsula and beyond.

The Boudin Bakery and Cafe originated in San Francisco, and while you

may find it on every corner there, that is not the case here. After

having lunch there several times a week for the last year, I wondered why

I hadn’t mentioned it to you. And the last time I went, with all the

selfishness that comes with waiting and circling endlessly for a parking

spot, I realized I didn’t really want you to come here. But I’m writing

this on Sunday, and good will and charity is the name of the game (not to

mention a looming deadline). Sooooo . . . .

The foundation of this bakery and cafe is the amazing sourdough bread,

so I thought it important to give you a little history of this San

Francisco-based bakery. Side note: at Disneyland’s new California

Adventure, you can visit the Boudin bakery assembly line and watch the

bread from its yeast-free point of inception, hosted in video by Rosie

O’Donnell and Colin Mockery.

Anyhoo, the Boudin Bakery was established in 1849 in San Francisco by

Isidore Boudin, a French immigrant unlucky in his search for gold. He

found gold of a different kind in combining the traditional French bread

shape and the gold miners’ staff of life -- sourdough.

Apparently many nationalities contend they originated the sourdough

starter, from the Mexicans to the French, so you get to choose whichever

makes your story better or your pride swell. San Franciscans stopped

musing about its origins long ago and take all the credit, and most

people associate San Francisco with just that, the home of sourdough

bread.

Let me get to the bakery itself. As you walk in, you are enveloped in

the mother of all welcoming smells, baked bread. The restaurant itself is

cool, both literally and in its design. Tile and smooth woods are the

theme, with ceiling fans and lots of windows.

To the right of the front door is the classic glassed-in pastry case,

with everything from croissants, muffins, scones, biscotti, bagels and

macaroons. And to be honest with you, I have never even tried these. I

can’t get to that bread fast enough and, in my opinion, even the best

croissant in the world doesn’t hold a candle to a loaf of -- drum roll

for adjectives -- dense, tangy, chewy, golden, sourdough bread. That is

the peasant in me speaking. My milk bucket-toting ancestors would be

proud.

Let’s get to the menu! My single-most favorite thing is the soup in a

bread bowl. They offer an excellent New England clam chowder, a hearty

beef stew and a beef chili every day, along with a daily soup special.

The other day it was a delicious mushroom medley with wild rice.

They hollow out one of these famous round loaves, fill it with soup

and then give you the inside of the bread for dipping as a bonus. The

best deal is the Boudin combo, which lets you choose between a bread

bowl of soup and a Caesar salad, or soup and sandwich -- you get a whole

lot of bread with this one -- or a bread bowl and small pizza, or any

combination thereof for $5.85. It is enough food for the whole day and

good enough for that to be true.

Boudin’s sandwiches are also great, and you can get them on sliced

sourdough or on the sourdough roll. I recommend the roll. It’s all about

the bread, but with sandwiches such as turkey, avocado and Havarti

cheese; turkey and cranberry; ham and Swiss; and the deli stack, you

really can’t go wrong.

They also make a good salad, again in a bread bowl, including the

classic Caesar, the Sonoma turkey and artichoke salad, and the Cobb.

Nothing is more than $7. Unless you purchase a few loaves to take home.

The food is excellent, the bread is even better. The only place I see

for improvement is in the service. But it is cafeteria style, so I am not

sure what I expect. And I have noticed improvement of late. This chain

restaurant is a chain for good reason, I can understand everyone wanting

a taste. Just save me a parking place.

* KATHY MADER’s dining reviews appear every other Thursday.

FYI

What: Boudin Bakery and Cafe

Where: 901 South Coast Drive, Costa Mesa

When: 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Friday and Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday

How much: Inexpensive

Phone: (714) 557-1849

Web site: https://www.boudinbakery.com

Catering: Full catering available, including breakfast