SF Dopers: What Happened to Boudin Sourdough Bread?

[ralph124c]

I just got back from a business trip to San Francisco! Had my usual good time (Dinner at the Stinking Rose, with a pint at Lefty O'Doul's). But when it came time to load upon sourdough-alas, the great Boudin is NO MORE! What happened to them..and is Parisain just as good?
PS-It rained in SF-I got wet!

[nivlac]

Um, Boudin is still around, and in fact has many restaurants around The City. Maybe the place where you ate just chose not to go with Boudin. There's also the chance that Boudin don't sell retail anymore. And I do love the sourdough in SF.

[mhendo]

Boudin locations in Northern California (http://www.boudinbakery.com/jump.jsp?itemID=13&itemType=CONTENT&path=2%2C5)

[fiddlesticks]

They just opened (or are just about to open) a big new retail bakery at Fisherman's Wharf (http://www.boudinbakery.com/wharf/index.html). The San Jose paper had a picture today of the head baker bringing in the "mother dough" to the new location.

[gotpasswords]

For the curious, "mother" dough means they've essentially been pulling bits of dough off the same ball of dough for over 150 years - since 1849 - they periodically replenish it, but the yeast cultures have been alive and well for all those years.

Columbo, Toscana and Parisian sourdough bread are all made by the San Francisco French Bread Company. (http://www.sourdoughbread.com/history.shtml) - a company with a somewhat shorter history than Boudin, but boasts of baking some two million loaves a week, primarily because their prime outlets are grocery stores.