Breakfast Sandwich #16 - Tip Top Tavern aka Breakfast Sandwiches Aren't Just For Breakfast

Sandwich: The Rooster
Location: Tip Top Tavern
Date: March 22, 2015
Cost: $8.95

The Tip Top Tavern was an early entry on the list as it's in my neighborhood and an easy walk from my house. I'd eaten there a couple of times and knew the food was solid but I hadn't been there for breakfast.

Sunday morning I found myself in a similar state as the day that hatched the idea for this blog and eventually lead to the proclamation that 2015 is the Year Of The Breakfast Sandwich. I had gone to bed way too late, not gotten much sleep and I was incredibly hungry. Still, I didn't make it to The Tip Top until shortly after Noon.

I don't know if the brunch crowd dies down late or if it was a slow day, but there were plenty of bar stools available as well as a few tables. It wasn't dead, but I'm glad it wasn't crowded cause I wasn't in the mood for background chatter. Mellow jazz set the mood, I think I heard some Birth Of The Cool, and I was feeling alright.

If there is a downside to this mission it's that even if there is a really good sounding special or something on the menu looks like it needs to be tried, the mission wins out (at least it has thus far).

The Rooster is part of the regular menu so you can get a breakfast sandwich whenever the kitchen is open. I considered that perhaps that somehow negates it being a breakfast sandwich but that thought was discarded. I was probably over thinking it.

Related to none of this is that whenever I see the phrase "The Rooster" written anywhere it always reminds me of a hilarious David Sedaris story.

That there is a menu.

A side of chips. Not sure how I feel about that but I like those toasty marks on the bread.

There is potential here.

The Sandwich - I ordered The Rooster. It's the only breakfast sandwich on the menu and there are no options available so it was a simple choice. I'm not sure I could have handled multiple decisions on this day anyway. The sandwich felt a little light but that may have been because I was really hungry. I think I ate the first half of it in 4 bites and it went down easy and tasty. The bacon and ample red onion went together really well. The egg was perfectly fried and the tomato wasn't as sad as you might expect this time of year. The romaine lettuce leaf didn't add much except as a reminder that it was doing something healthy. The Tip Top Special Sauce is probably mayonnaise based and maybe has a little hot sauce in it. I don't know, it's good though, and makes the sandwich a little sloppy. Some sloppiness in a sandwich is a good thing and the sourdough bread was up to the task of keeping it together. The kettle chips were good but chips as a side always seem like a cop-out. I ate them all anyway, but I'm generally a member of the clean plate club so I'm not sure that says much. The wedge of orange was like a little dessert, unless you count the snit of PBR that came with the bloody mary.

The Result - 3.99 snits out of 5 snits. This was a difficult one to put a number rating on. By now it should be obvious that these number ratings don't mean a whole lot. They are affected by things such as the atmosphere and vibe of the place and circumstances surrounding the eating of the sandwich. Add points for good music, subtract points for a side of chips. This was a really good sandwich but I just couldn't put it above 4, I think the price was part of that. $8.95 deserves more than a side of chips. I'm really hung up on those chips, I'm not sure why. Anyway, it's just a number. You gotta read between the lines, maaaaaan, and consider how this sandwich could maybe fit into your life. That's what it's all about, isn't it? It is nice to know that if you have a craving for a breakfast sandwich at 8 pm you can get The Rooster. You can't kill the rooster.

Note - I had this all written and then lost most of it so I had to rewrite it quickly. Now I'm in a hurry so I may have to come back later and fix typos or grammar. Usually my sister emails me to tell what needs to be fixed.