Bread of Life

I love a great meal at a great restaurant (the evidence: our Best Restaurants feature). But sometimes, what I crave for dinner is simple: very good bread, very good butter and a glass of earthy, dry red wine. Lately, when I practice this simple ritual, it’s with the incredible sourdough from Sitka & Spruce. The round dome’s crust is every possible shade of brown, like tree bark; darker in some parts, lighter in others. I break the bread open with my hands and marvel at the damp interior, and take a bite: sour and yeasty, reminiscent of malty beer, almost chewy. I spread it thickly with butter, add a pinch of sea salt and eat, sip. And then I repeat. What’s the old adage? “Life is too short for bad wine”? I’d add crummy bread. The loaves, which are baked at The Corson Building in Georgetown, can be purchased at Sitka & Spruce after 2 p.m., Tue.–Sat.

Capitol Hill, 1531 Melrose Ave.; 206.324.0662; sitkaandspruce.com