Breakfast Sandwiches, Part I

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. Naturally, breakfast sandwiches are items of lust and intrigue. A sampling of recent breakfast sandwiches are as follows:

A ll Day Breakfast Sandwich from Wild Flour, Banff

Often the first thing I eat when I arrive and often the last thing consumed before I leave this mountain town again, this breakfast sandwich from Wild Flour haunts me in a similar way to the vivid dreams I dream in Banff. A savory, fluffy frittata with specks of green onion and bell peppers, stacked with a slice of monterey cheddar cheese (If I am recalling correctly), always adding the optional strips of sliced bacon, all this goodness pressed between baked on-site sourdough, and melted into a delectably crispy and oozy and warm bite of morning goodness. There is absolutely nothing more perfect than that first corner bite, as the waiting time for this sandwich can be close to ten of the longest minutes of your life.

Italian surprise Breakfast Sandwich, Leva Cafe, Edmonton

A late morning surprise as I never knew Leva served breakfast sandwiches, but lo and behold, assorted Italian cold cuts with a slice of indistinguishable white cheese, pre-fried egg and some grilled mushrooms between a sliced croissant, grilled and wrapped up and ready to go!
My guest, who eats these sandwiches regularly, says that it's always a surprise: sometimes they're filled with roasted red peppers, other times like this time, mushrooms--just whatever may be left over in excess. It hit the spot that morning, but on another day, I may have contended the layer of egg, which did not heat up all the way and was cold between the almost burnt crustiness of buttery croissantness. Came with fruit salad. Enjoyable.

Prefab Breakfast Sandwich, Save On Foods, 109 St, Edmonton

Morning meetings are a dime a dozen, yet good, cheap breakfast joints sure ain't as common in E-town. So once in a while, the Save On deli is the place to convene, if you can find a table that is. Quite the place to be amongst the category of "old men who love soup", this little ham and egger on an english muffin was preferred by my companion to the classic Egg McMuffin, and

I feel he is severely wrong on this issue. I say, if you're gonna go for the english muffin breakfast sandwich, do it justice or don't bother at all. This was sub par at best, but the green juice and magazines were comforting.

- J.D. Salami

Monty’s Bakehouse wrap, Air Canada

I’d rate this wrap as strange. Its packaging created expectations of a more appetizing experience, which it was not. After a vastly superior egg salad sandwich from London Heathrow, I could not greet this airplane freebie with serious interest, but at least it was hot, and at least I could review it for this blog. Steaming contents were oozy and largely undistinguishable, but suggested some kind of red pepper or sundried tomato origins.

Kim Anh Subs, Calgary

It's no secret I'm a fan of the Vietnamese sub. Hell, they've prevented my vegetarianism . But I do enjoy the vegetarian option now and again, especially when it's warm marinated soft tofu rather than the shredded fake meat variety. In Calgary one weekend, a friend and I found ourselves stranded in the city due to a snow storm, so lounging around 17th Avenue, cold, tired, hungry, and near broke, we popped our heads into Kim Anh Subs where he had ventured once before. Offering a whole wheat sub bun option, Kim Anh's subs were a bit more expensive than what I'm used to for a sub of this style ($3.50 is my price range), but it's Calgary, so what can you expect.

Madrid Sandwich, Trans-Europe Cafe, Glasgow

Nestled in the heart of Merchant City, the Trans-Europe Cafe is a quiet little spot that boasts a selection of classic gourmet European sandwiches. Stopping in after a meeting a few doors down I felt I needed a pick-me up, and so I went with what I thought would be the spiciest, the Madrid: chorizo with pesto and mozzarella. The sandwich was all right, but not classic or gourmet, though perhaps relatively so to the aforementioned toasties. The flavour was arguably more Italian than Spanish, or worse, it was sort of American, as it was still a hoagie bun, just sliced diagonally and pressed. The accompanying sides of coleslaw, argula salad (which they listed as spinach), and salted crisps were a nice touch, as was my spiced apple tea. Taking a quick look over their menu , I would return to see what Zurich is all about.

You Say Sandwich, We Say Yeah!

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