BREAD AND WINE

Time was when bread came in one of two colors and wine arrived with the pop of a cork. Now bread comes with as much fanfare as dessert, and wine lists abound with choices by the glass. Here are our candidates for the best secular sacraments around:

●Those little muffins brought out before the first course at the Routh Street Cafe. We always wish we had the courage to ask for seconds.

●The crusty, chewy French bread at Jean Claude and at St. Emilion in Fort Worth. It makes a trip to Paris seem almost superfluous.

●The variety of odd rolls at Blom’s.

●The sourdough bread at Ratcliffe’s.

●The heretical Italian corn bread at Massimo da Milano.



The best choices among wines by the glass spring from:

●The Pyramid Room, which boasts a serving dolly offering no fewer than four excellent champagnes by the (pricey) tulip stem.

●Routh Street and Blom’s again, for a small choice among premium American varietals.

●DiPalma and Nero’s for a surprisingly wide variety of Italian types.

●Gershwin’s, for almost anything (know of anyplace else that sells Chateau Lafite Rothschild by the ounce?).

●The wine bars, particularly La Cave and the Wine Press, for a changing range of extremely various vintages; and Panteli’s, for the relaxed atmosphere to go with the wines.