Dining Out: Bread

On my third night of my New York trip I met one of my favorite girls for dinner. The last time I was in the city she picked a fantastic place for our dinner, Tortaria, so I asked her to choose our meet up location for this visit as well.

Her recommendation was a placed in Soho called Bread. I made my way to Spring Street and I actually noticed the restaurant's delivery bike before I found the front door!

Bread still had their holiday decorations up and the storefront twinkled on an otherwise dark street.

The holiday decor matched Bread's crimson red front door perfectly.

When you enter the restaurant, the first thing you notice is the L shaped bar.

Opposite the bar are cozy nooks like this one.

Tables run along the left side of the space and once you reach the end of the bar, there are two more dining rooms. The back room is perfect for a private party (note to self).

We got a table for two in the front window overlooking the street. The Bread menu mimics the iconic "I Heart NY" logo.

The food menu was incredible and we were having a very difficult time making decisions. We eventually narrowed down our cocktail choices. I went with the Sparkling Widow (pictured left) and my friend selected the rye and ginger cocktail (pictured right).

My drink had fresh blackberries and tasted like candy, which is actually how I like my alcohol. I had a sip of the rye and ginger cocktail and it was crisp and refreshing. It would be a great summer time drink.

While we agonized over the menu choices, our waitress brought us a bowl of doughy bread and a small plate of olive oil with a splash of balsamic.

We eventually asked our waitress for her recommendations on starters and entrees. Our first pick was the baked eggplant. The dish was three thick slices of eggplant, breaded, baked and served over a bed of arugula. The arugula was seasoned with a lemon dressing. The best bites of the dish were when you had eggplant and arugula all on your fork.

The dish would have been improved if it came with a small bowl of tomato sauce for dipping. It feels strange to eat breaded eggplant without tomato sauce.

Next we tried the Greek olive tapenade tartines which were two stiff crackers coated with olive tapenade and garnished with large olives and cherry tomatoes. Careful - the olives have pits!

This dish wasn't my favorite. The crackers were too crunchy and the olives were too much work in combination with trying not to crack your teeth on the crackers.

For dinner my friend requested the seared salmon which was served with quinoa and spinach. She said, "The skin was crisp and the fish was cooked to a perfect medium. The quinoa was especially delicious."

After much deliberation, I went with the linguini with pesto, asparagus and parmesan cheese.

Though it was a pesto sauce, this dish was super creamy! It had everything you love about Italian food - fresh pasta, a flavorful sauce and plenty of cheese!

After devouring every last bite of our entrees, our waitress asked if we had any room for dessert. We said we would at least take a look.

When she returned with the dessert menu we asked if she had a favorite and she said, "You must have the tiramisu. We make it in house and it's exceptional." I don't usually choose tiramisu, but that was a really strong endorsement so we decided to go for it.

The tiramisu came in a generous square and it was covered in cocoa powder. You could smell the cocoa as soon as she placed the plate on the table.

The tiramisu was heavenly! The mix of the soaked lady finger cookies, the whipped topping and the cocoa was sensational.

There are so many incredible restaurants in Manhattan, but the next time you are craving Italian definitely head to Bread. Each course got more indulgent. The service was excellent and they never once rushed us, though we held our table for three hours.

Visit Bread at 20 Spring Street, between Mott and Elizabeth.

 

Molly Galler

Welcome to Pop.Bop.Shop. My name is Molly. I’m a foodie, fashionista, pop culture addict and serious travel junkie. I’m a lifelong Bostonian obsessed with frozen confections, outdoor patios, Mindy Kaling, reality television, awards shows, tropical vacations, snail mail and my birthday.

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Address:
Bread
20 Spring Street
10012 New York , NY
United States
New York US