i am a bread freak. i could eat bread all day, with just about every type pf meal.
when dining out, often the very first impression of the place is the type, quality and service of the bread. so if it sucks, it puts a more critical tone on the rest of the meal. even if the food rocks, it's still a strike against the place.
if it's really good, with tasty butter, or a nice evoo with pepper or herbs for dipping, then the tone is set for a great meal to come, and is remembered when thinking of planning another visit there. "hey, that's the place with the awesome bread!"
spanish/portugese and italian restaurants near me seem to have the best bread consistently.
you need it for the sauces initalian food. not a drop is wasted with good bread. dipping a piece of crusty italian bread spread with butter in sunday gravy; letting the butter melt and drip down the bread with the warm sauce is a beautiful thing to behold, and eat.
and i don't think that i've ever been to a spanish/portugese restaurant without ordering some kind of fish in mojo de ajo (garlic sauce) appetizer, usually shrimp, squid, or octopus, just to get to the leftover garlicy oil for dipping the bread. another thing of beauty.