I use to live near Boudin’s 10th Ave and Geary bakery. I use to like it and it was convenient but as mentioned other bakeries like Acme and Tartine have produced good sourdough. Less tangy but doesn’t cut the top of your mouth or give you a stomach ache if you eat too much. If you wonder how those soup bowls made out of a round hold up…the crust is tough as hell.
I’ve never seen a Boudin supermarket loaf, is it sliced?
I now get TJ’s cracked wheat sourdough. Is it the best…not likely but hard to beat for price and convenience.
The Hearts of Palm Pasta - this is a MEH for me, but with a strong YMMV. I love hearts of palm in salads, but I’ve never had a meal of hearts of palm. Maybe this is better in smaller portions.
It’s meant to be an alternative and healthier “pasta”, and I think this is where they missing an opportunity. Dubbing it a pasta instills certain expectations about its texture and how it’s delivering in taste, texture, etc. It’s not a good pasta substitute in my opinion, unless you just like to eat plain soft pasta with a few things tossed on top. Or maybe sub for a pasta salad.
The texture is not unexpected, but I realize I don’t like that as the base of a meal. What is a nice slight crunch to a salad and with a slight brininess, it’s an odd slight crunch with too much a canned saltiness taste that overwhelmed my sauce. Because it’s a fairly moist texture, it doesn’t pick up or hold the sauce well, so you’re eating barely sauced strands of palm. If I were to try it again, I would consider drying out the “pasta” first, heat my sauce and then toss the palm in to heat, or finding a recipe where there is no pasta sauce period.
On the plus side, amazing fiber for this product! Oh my - the bloating and the wind after eating this. If you are lacking fiber in your diet and need more, this is for you! It’s also incredibly low in calories, so as an occasional sub for the health conscious it’s a nice option.
I love Acme sour batard. I had totally forgotten about Semifreddi. Thirty years ago you could find one of those brands at the grocery store. Sac Food Coop carries Acme but the only time I get is if I have to go to Sacramento for something.
Definitely tough to compare much with the best San Francisco offerings! But locally I’ve had decent luck with Iggy’s from time to time, and also mixed luck with stuff from A&J King in Salem (sometimes excellent, sometimes only decent – only referring to the sourdough flavor; the overall bread quality there is pretty top notch).
The Farmstand at Mahoney’s in Winchester is the closest…I’ve not been to that Mahoney’s since way before they established the farm stand, as I have a “regular” Mahoney’s less than a mile away from me in Tewksbury. BUT…I always loved the Winchester site when I lived in Woburn, AND I need to pick up tomato and pepper plants, and more herbs, so… Thanks for the info re: the sourdough bread!
I’ve been meaning to try these for a while. Appears to be the Egyptian version of thin, whole wheat pita. Is it possible that you have a higher tolerance for tang than many of us, given that you bake your own sourdough?
I have a high tolerance in general - I did a taste sensitivity test a long time ago and came out as “nontaster.” The other end of the spectrum being supertaster. I wonder if a lot of supertasters like sourdough? The only confirmed one I’ve talked to about these sorts of things is a ridiculously picky eater and basically lives on grilled chicken and buttered pasta. (But among other things they specifically can’t stand anything even remotely sour.)
Great call on these! Just grabbed a pack on your recommendation. Tried one plain just now and they’re delicious right out of the gate: Tender, nicely seasoned, a little bit of potato flavor, just a little bit of sweetness on the finish. These would be fun in a bigger size, to use like lavash…
If you look them up, they are mostly eaten sweet, but I’ll always skew savory over sweet, and they’ve been great with smoked salmon / gravlax, but also perfectly fit a slice of TJ’s rosemary ham (further improved with some unexpected cheddar).
If you are lacking fiber in your diet and need more, this is for you! It’s also incredibly low in calories, so as an occasional sub for the health conscious it’s a nice option.
Thanks for the info re: the sourdough bread!
