Perhaps woman cannot live on bread alone, but after dinner at Leonti, a new restaurant on the Upper West Side, she cannot be blamed for wanting to. On a recent evening, an amuse-bouche of beef brodo, scented with cinnamon and served in porcelain tureens the size of eggcups, was followed by durum-wheat focaccia so good I could have made a meal of it. Sliced thinly, it bore a burnished bronze crust, slightly slick with olive oil, a bubbled, stretchy interior, the distinct tang of fermentation, and just the right amount of salt. It needed nothing, though a slather of perfectly tempered cultured butter made it that much more magnificent.
The chef, Adam Leonti, has a special penchant for grains, which he mills himself to make bread, pasta, and pastries, a…