Who doesn't love fresh bread?
The answer in Anchorage, it seems, is no one. Follow the smell of loaves fresh from the oven into one of the city's bakeries at lunch and you'll often find locals lined up at the counter.
From well-known franchise Great Harvest Bread Co. to South Addition's mom-and-pop-ish Fire Island Bakery to Midtown stalwart Europa Cafe to Spenard's out-of-the-way Paris Bakery & Cafe, the business of baking bread is booming.
Just ask John and Ginna Baldiviez, who opened House of Bread on the Old Seward just north of Dimond in December.
The couple previously built Alaska Carrot Co., a local produce supplier, from the ground up before selling it. For their next business foray, they decided to opt for a franchise but only one that had a chance to have its own character.
"We didn't want to open a Subway, where they all look alike," said Ginna, adding that the south side location was important. "We felt it was needed on this side of town."
After some Internet research, they settled on California-based House of Bread, a small chain with eight locations in the Western states. The company was founded on the idea of bread made with fresh-milled wheat flour and honey as a sweetener.
With little to no advertising, the bakery/cafe has kept the couple and their three adult sons working seven days a week thanks to a steady stream of customers, who help spread the word.
"We had no idea," said Ginna Baldiviez of the lack of a lull. "Lunch is pretty darn busy."
Not that she's complaining.
On my first visit, my roommate and I arrived on a sunny Friday to find the strip mall's parking lot packed and the bakery bustling. Packaged goodies, ranging from triple chocolate cookies to crunchy granola, filled tables around the small dining area.
After a short wait in line, we ordered our food and were offered bread samples before paying. I settled on raspberry swirl and was surprised by the size (and sweetness) of the slice I was given, which almost made me wish I hadn't ordered a whole wheat cinnamon roll.
As we waited at an outside table, we munched on the cinnamon roll, which was a bit denser than normal thanks to the whole wheat but still tasty.
The best deal at lunch is the Pick Two combo: a half sandwich on your pick of fresh bread and your choice of soup or salad ($9.50).
My Tuscan Chicken sandwich ($5.75 half/$7.75 whole) had the perfect amount of tomato, red onion, lettuce, provolone and some nutty pesto between two soft slices of basil parmesan bread, which was good enough to eat on its own. I instantly regretted getting only a half sandwich.
I ordered the turkey corn chowder ($4.25 cup/$5.75 bowl) as part of my combo but after eating half a cup, realized I had been given a mediocre-at-best, slightly greasy turkey and rice. A quick trip to counter rectified this and the rich and chunky chowder, after a liberal dose of pepper, was much more pleasing.
My roommate had the strangely named Alaskan Fusion Panini: Pesto, turkey, artichoke hearts and provolone on pesto-feta foccacia doesn't exactly conjure thoughts of our home state. The panini process didn't help the end product, which was slogged down by too much butter. Something to make this sandwich more Alaskan, like reindeer sausage, is sorely needed.
On the other end of the spectrum, the accompanying spinach salad ($6.75/$8.75 with chicken) was excellent. The portion was ample, with plenty of strawberries, almonds and croutons drizzled with tangy raspberry vinaigrette.
The bakery was busier on my second trip, partly due to rain eliminating the patio seating. Accompanied by my parents, The only hitches my parents and i had were securing a table combat-style and a longer-than-desired wait for our food.
I opted for the Western on marble rye. The bread, juicy roast beef, provolone and, best of all, spicy horseradish sauce complemented each other wonderfully. My Caesar salad wasn't remarkable besides the plentiful house-made croutons, but it was beyond serviceable.
My father's House of Bread Club on honey whole wheat was substantial in girth thanks to generous amounts of turkey and ham. But it lacked a middle slice of bread, something I've come to expect from a great club, especially at a bakery. They were out of his preferred clam chowder, which he had high hopes for, and the replacement chicken noodle wasn't otherworldly but still nice on a cooler day.
The "Veggie Delight" on nine-grain, my mother's choice, was delightful. Certainly not as healthy as your typical veggie sandwich --this one packs avocado, cream cheese and artichokes with a little olive oil and balsamic along with the standard tomato, lettuce and red onions.
On the surface, House of Bread's fare isn't too different from its local bakery/cafe competitors, but the Baldiviez family picked an excellent location to set it apart. The bread is the true star of most of the sandwiches, which is what you'd hope for.
The only downside to putting out good food is high demand, which produces lines, crowded dining rooms and longer-than-desired waits.
Ginna Baldiviez said changes are being made to streamline the sandwich prep process and speed up production. If that happens and a few tweaks to the menu are made, House of Bread will keep the Baldiviez family busy for many years to come.
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By Barry Piser
bpiser@adn.com