We have a roast chicken for dinner today, so Steve went to get some bread and came back with a large Semifreddi’s sourdough batard.  We toasted slices of it and served it with heirloom tomatoes.  Speaking of bread, I meant to write a bit about a new place at 841 San Pablo Avenue in Albany called House of Bread that Matt and I hit up a few days before we went to New York.  First off, it takes nerve to open a bread shop so close to Acme Bread Company.  Maybe it’s not nerve, maybe it’s something else, but Acme has nothing to worry about.  All the bread was in plastic when we arrived, which did not bode well.  I wanted a loaf of Italian and requested one not in plastic, but the nice lady behind the counter said that all the bread goes into plastic bags at about 9:00 a.m.  We bought one anyhoo – one with cheddar cheese, since they had a vast array of flavored breads.  The taste wasn’t bad, but the texture was poppin’ fresh, if you get my drift.  We also tried some of the quick breads and sweet dough items, which were perfectly fine.  Since House of Bread also carries a full selection of sandwiches (made with Boar’s Head cold cuts) I am hoping they are able to stay afloat via the lunch and sweet treat trade.  I so wanted to support a local business, but I just can’t see going to a bake shop where all the bread is executed at 9:00 a.m.