Breakfast For Champions

Photo courtesy Cassie Craves

Greetings, Readers!

Over the past few weeks, I have developed somewhat of a fascination (maybe obsession is the better word) with breakfast sandwiches. The combination of eggs, avocado, bacon, and other ingredients between two toasty halves of an English Muffin is an excellent way to start the day along with a cup of coffee.

So, since the weekend is quickly approaching (not as quickly as we'd all like to have it though), I have provided a few links and tips for your Saturday morning breakfast sandwich and encourage you to share you own suggestions, tips, and favorites.

If you'd like to put scrambled eggs on your breakfast sandwich, I found one of the best tutorials on making the perfect, fluffy scrambled eggs. It comes courtesy of one of my favorite chefs of all time: Gordon Ramsay.
You can find the directions here and they will knock you over with their flavor and lightness. A perfect addition to a morning sandwich.

The other way I like to cook eggs, sunny side up, is a great way to enjoy a creamy yolk that is able to be soaked up by whichever bread you choose for your sandwich. A simple as cracking an egg into a warm pan until the yolk is cooked (though still runny). With each bite into the sandwich, more of the flavorful yolk is released, changing the flavor profile.

For a great breakfast sandwich idea, here's a fantastic recipe from Bon Appetit Magazine.

Of course to complement the eggs, whichever way you choose to make them, we have to have bacon. As I've made very well known here on the blog, I'm a big fan of this pork product. Sometimes though, in the interest of making sure it's cooked fully through, I make my bacon a little too crispy. So recently I tried baking my bacon in the oven.

Lay down a piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil, lay down the bacon and cook for a few minutes at 375 degrees. When the top side is looking like it's cooked, give your bacon a flip and allow it to sit in the over for a few more minutes. The end product is a thoroughly cooked, slightly crispy bacon. A much better experience then burned pan bacon.

For the bread, an English muffin is always a great way to go, but I'm also a huge proponent of sourdough in the morning. The sour edge to that bread is a great complement to the umami flavors of the rest of your breakfast.

So there you go, Readers. I have put forth my own ideas on sandwiching for breakfast, but what do you prefer? Anything else you like to top your morning sandwich with?

Until next week...

P.S. - Always Tapatio.

Big Bear, Big Sandwiches

Greetings, Readers!

As much as I love sandwiching here in Los Angeles, it is always fantastic to get out of the city and enjoy sandwiches in other locales.

Mostly, I've sandwiched in other major metropolitan areas but this past weekend I was lucky enough to not only enjoy the clean air of the mountains near Big Bear, but also enjoy a sandwich from a local deli nearby.

Heading up to Big Bear with friends for their annual Oktoberfest celebration, I wanted to do a bit of research beforehand so that I could find a highly rated local sandwich shop to visit. After reviewing quite a few, and needing to find one that was dog friendly, Bear Belly Deli and Cafe immediately shone through as a standout.

Off the main road that runs through Big Bear, this shop has a wide selection of classic deli sandwiches as well as create-your-own options. While the Reuben originally caught my eye, the John sandwich quickly took center stage and became my choice.

The John is stacked high with pastrami, and is topped with pepper jack cheese, Dijon mustard, pickle chips, chopped pepperoncinis and grilled onions on a grilled sourdough.

The sandwich, as well as the ingredients list, is quite the mouthful, but the combination works.

And works incredibly well.

To start, the pastrami is tender, juicy, well seasoned, and at no point was it chewy or fatty. This is some of the best prepared pastrami I have had in quite a long time. The pepper jack cheese was only on the top of the ingredients, but was melted so thoroughly that it permeated the entire sandwich.

The added pickle chips, pepperoncinis and grilled onions complemented the meat and cheese excellently. While the pastrami had the tender bite and smoky flavor, the added vegetables brought the crunch and tangy heat. As much as I love the flavor of pickles and peppers, there was just enough on this sandwich as it avoided becoming too overpowering compared to the other ingredients.

The sourdough bread was lightly grilled and gave a bit of a crunch without becoming too much like toasted bread. The sour flavor of the bread with the smoke added by grilling fit in perfectly. Even with all of these ingredients, it stayed together until the end as well.

Overall, this was an excellent stop for anyone to make if you're in the vicinity of Big Bear Lake, and is a place that will definitely become a yearly stop of my own every year that I return.

Until next week, Readers...

The John Sandwich
**** 1/2 Stars
Bear Belly Deli and Cafe
42530 Moonridge Rd.
Big Bear Lake, CA 92315
http://grizzlysbearbellydeli.com/

Sandwiches....For Breakfast?

Greetings, Readers!

I realized the other week not that sandwiches can be for breakfast (as I've done that numerous time), but I realized that I rarely review them on the blog.

So this past weekend, while out wandering The Grove in Hollywood, we sat down to brunch at the French inspired Marmalade Cafe.

A sunny, open and airy little cafe along the main drag in The Grove, Marmalade Cafe was made to have brunch in.  Not only the atmosphere but their selection of breakfast/lunch hybrids is excellent.

Deciding to pass on the tempting Colorado Lamb Burger, I went with Bobby's Breakfast sandwich: two fried eggs, applewood smoked bacon, crisp lettuce, a slice of tomato and pepper jack cheese on toasted sourdough bread.

With a side of roasted potatoes this is an excellent brunch offering.

I may have also had it with a blood orange margarita (I totally did. I love blood oranges. Love).

The eggs, cheese and bacon provides the typical breakfast offering with crisp and fresh lettuce, as well as a non-mealy tomato that combined added a clean tasting contrast to the fried eggs and bacon.

Though don't misinterpret me. The eggs were perfectly cooked and the bacon had a crispness without being overcooked. Combined, they were delicious.

The sourdough bread as well, was toasted to perfection and held together until the end of the meal.

Overall, this is an excellent entry in anyone's brunch repertoire and you should definitely visit Marmalade Cafe if you ever stop at the grove.

But somehow I forgot until after we ate that Gordon Ramsay's The Fat Cow is also located at The Grove, a place I have been wanting to visit since their opening a few months ago, but this was at least a very enjoyable replacement experience.

Next time, Chef Ramsay!

And until next week, Dear Readers...


Bobby's Breakfast Sandwich
**** Stars
Marmalade Cafe
The Grove
Los Angeles, CA

Short Rib, Shorter Days

Greetings, Readers!

Is it Autumn in your town yet? Because here in Los Angeles it's still in the mid 90s, which is definitely making it hard to enjoy grilled cheese sandwiches and thick tomato soups.

So instead this week I headed over to a fancy little shop in Toluca Lake called Olive & Thyme which had just popped up on my radar.

I had wanted to try their Middle Eastern Chicken sandwich, but was sad to find out that this sandwich is only served during lunch hours. Not to fear though as their menu also had a Braised Short Rib sandwich that also sounded incredibly delicious.

I'll be sure to report back to you on the Middle Eastern Chicken sandwich if I try it out in the future.

The Braised Short Rib sandwich is stacked high with succulent shredded short rib, horseradish creme fraiche and caramelized onions between two slices of grilled country sourdough bread.

The short rib had been cooked just right, so that it just melted away in your mouth with every bite. Combining that with the caramelized onions gave the sandwich a faintly sweet taste.  The horseradish creme fraiche provided a flavor contrast with the occasional burst of heat.

The grilled sourdough bread stayed together until the end, despite being under pressure from the heavily stacked short rib. It also added its characteristic suor flavor, providing a third flavor contribution to the mix.

Overall, this was an excellent braised short rib, though the trip was still a disappointment as I missed out on the Middle Eastern Chicken sandwich. Ah, next time!

Until next week, Readers...


Braised Short Rib Sandwiches
**** Stars
Olive &Thyme
4013 Riverside Drive,
Toluca Lake, CA
http://www.oliveandthyme.com

We Have A Verdict...DANGER!

Greetings Readers!

Even though the trial I was assigned to was short (3 days) I didn't want to waste a single lunch visit while in Downtown Los Angeles.

Most of the restaurants and shops close up after the working day is over, so it makes it especially hard to get down there for sandwiching during the week, and weekends DTLA is still somewhat of a ghost town (though it is improving).

Not wanting to take a long stroll, I walked past the Cherry Pick Cafe on South Hill street, only a five minute walk from the courthouse.

The cafe is a small, low-ceilinged and dark little restaurant. A perfect contrast from the blinding hours of fluorescents that I had to deal with in the court room.

Their menu is quite impressive. I stood in line and examined it the entire time I waited, and only made my decision as I reached the counter. I decided to switch it up this week from red meat and went for a tuna fish sandwich, but not just any old tuna.

The sandwich I picked was the Wasabi Tuna Fish.

I love wasabi. The heat that comes along with it, as well as the piercing flavor is something I have always enjoyed. Sometimes I even enjoy a huge dose of it so that I feel the burning run up to my sinuses.

Yeah, it's weird, but it's like I say with spicy additions: if there's a good flavor with high heat, I don't mind.

But the problem with this sandwich is that I barely tasted any wasabi at all. While you may enjoy just the slightest hint of the condiment, and it was still a good sandwich, I definitely expected more wasabi flavor than I got and so I was a bit disappointed.

The albacore tuna on the otherhand was very delicious. Flavorful, but not too fishy, the tuna was mixed with celery, red onion and red peppers which provided a bit of crunchy contrast.

I chose to go with sourdough bread for the tuna sandwich and was very pleased. A bit of sour bite and very fresh bread, this was a great choice for this outing.

So this concludes my last downtown Los Angeles sandwich for some time I imagine. Well, unless I manage to get down there before 5PM, or called for jury duty for a third year in a row in 2013.

As much as I love sandwiches, let's hope the second option doesn't happen again anytime soon.

Until next week, Readers...


P.S. - #Burbank adventures begin next week!



Cherry Pick Cafe
208 S. Hill Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
http://cherrypickcafe.com/

Yeah Baby, Yeah!

Greetings Readers!

This week my adventures found me at one of my favorite places in Los Angeles: Swingers.

Now you may not know that this is one of my favorite places because it's been quite some time since I've been there, but I used to visit there quite often. A few times a week in fact.

Having landed on their front doorstep by luck, I decided to walk in and try one of my favorite sandwiches there for review here. Maybe it's just me though, but something felt a little different on this visit, like something had changed.

Oh well, the sandwich should still be good, right?

I ordered the stuffed grilled cheese which has jack and cheddar cheeses, sliced tomatoes, guacamole, and grilled onions on grilled sourdough bread.

It really sounds delicious, and I remember it being amazing, but this sandwich fell short this time.

The blend of jack and cheddar cheeses were great and the guacamole and grilled onions were a delicious addition. Even the grilled sourdough was excellent.

It was the tomatoes that steered this entire sandwich wrong though. They were too watery and with very little taste, essentially washing out the taste of the other items on the sandwich. When i pulled out the tomato from the second half, the taste returned and the sandwich was much more enjoyable.

It'd definitely recommend removing the tomato to anyone looking to try this sandwich. Maybe next time I'll even ask the waiter to leave it off as well.

Until next week, Readers!

P.S. - Philadelphia readers, I will be back in the 215 at the end of this month. If you have suggestions as to where I should visit for a great sandwich while I'm home, please leave the suggestion in the comments section. Looking forward to trying a number of different places.

Stuffed Grilled Cheese Sandwich

*** Stars

8020 Beverly Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90048

swingersdiner.com

Back In The Saddle, Again

Greetings, Readers!

I have bounced back from the sickness of last week, and was able to get out and get sandwiched properly this week.

You know, even with all of the options you've all given me over this past year, some nights it's just too hard to decide where to sample my next entry. Do I want a burger or a cold sandwich, do I want ham or turkey, etc.

Fact is, Los Angeles has way too many options.

But, wanting to keep it low key the other night, I stopped by a little place called Alcove Cafe in Los Feliz.

For those of you that may know Aroma Cafe in Studio City, this is the sister cafe. The menus are similar and so is the atmosphere: quaint outdoor cafe in which you feel like you're dining in someone's backyard. I love it.

Perusing the menu, the turkey hummus melt was the first to catch my eye: smoked turkey, hummus, aged cheddar cheese, and basil all cooked between two slices of sourdough bread.

You get your own choice of bread, but let's be real here. There's only one choice.

The sourdough bread was perfectly grilled. It had a great crispy bite to it, still kept all of its delicious sour flavor, and even maintained that slight buttery flavor from grilling. And all without burning the bread.

The turkey was slightly smoked and thickly sliced. There's a generous portion on this sandwich, and it was much appreciated.

The melted cheddar was gooey and loaded on to match the healthy portion of turkey. Even with the cheddar being aged, this cheese wasn't as sharp as you would expect. It added that slight taste of cheddar to accent the other flavors appearing in this sandwich.

If there is one problem with the sandwich it's the hummus. Now don't get me wrong, it's delicious. has wonderful flavor and really worked for this sandwich. The problem is that it overpowers everything else between the bread.

At times, you almost can't taste the other ingredients.

Regardless, I would still recommend this sandwich at Alcove, because it's by no means 'bad' at all, but it could be a lot better without so much hummus. So next time I think I might ask to scale back on that a bit.

Until next week, readers!

Turkey Hummus Melt

*** 1/2 Stars

Alcove Cafe and Bakery

1929 Hillhurst Avenue

Los Angeles, CA