I grew up in New Jersey, which is to say when I would go to restaurants you were greeted with a basket of bread as quickly as you were a Buongiorno. Moving to New York, I was saddened to learn that most restaurants, even some Italian ones, did not uphold this tradition of my youth. I get it: running a restaurant in this city is an extremely fickle and expensive business. If you can skip the carbs and save what amounts to, I’m sure, thousands of dollars a year, why wouldn’t you?

How refreshing, then, that bread is not just a starter at Borsalia, but an art to perfect, a gift to share. This Italian catch-all — bakery, café, and restaurant — is now open at 79 Grand Street, a quieter nook in Williamsburg far from the Bedford Avenue crowds but near enough to the East River to offer waterfront views for those dining in the outdoor tent.