The much-vaunted bread doesn't clarify this mixed picture, I'm afraid. Still, the yeast starters are said to be made with organic grapes left to capture wild yeasts, and Gardner and his pastry chef, Michael Rhoads, are dedicated to making the breads a cornerstone of their reputation. So far the moist whole-wheat loaf, tasting of fresh grain, is the most successful bread, although it's heavy. I'll keep trying the breads, hoping for the unsalty, lightly sour baguette of my dreams. House favorites are printed in boldface.
Desserts are as mystifyingly mixed as everything else.
A pastry shell for a lemon tart, for example, was positively rancid, the shell having been left for too long in a hot kitchen before being filled. Accidents happen, but someone should be tasting-and pastry crusts were often tough. A cornmeal peach cake sounded wonderful but was bland and impenetrably doughy. Ice creams and sorbets were expert, however, and a cool, clear melon soup with panna cotta was intensely flavored and subtle. Service was nearly always distracted and breathless, as if no one could keep up with the assigned burden.