Breakfast Sandwich #13 - HyVee aka A Sandwich From The Corral

Sandwich: Muffin Melt
Location: HyVee (Madison East)
Date: March 4, 2015
Cost: $2.79

HyVee was a very recent addition to the list. I probably stop at the salad bar two or three times a week on my way into work. Just about two weeks ago it occurred to me that they offer breakfast items and when I checked I found several sandwiches on the menu. Well, how about that?

The east side location is in transition right now and the normal dining area is closed for remodeling, I guess to make it more like the west side location with a bar (I hope I never find myself sitting at that bar). While this construction happens they have moved tables out around the salad bar and put up some decorative fencing shit and essentially corralled in the entire area between produce and the deli counter. I don't like it. I'm trying to make a nice salad and bored people are sipping coffee and their dead eyes are gazing at my shoes and it bothers me for some reason. I realize this is my problem, not theirs. It's still a problem, albeit, temporary. I love the HyVee salad bar, without it my lunchtime routine would be in a serious state of flux, but I want it back to its normal state.

But we're here to talk about breakfast sandwiches, not my opinions on grocery stores and their denizens. First, a dumb joke I think I just made up.

Q: Where do fraternity brothers shop?
A: The Brocery store.

OK, then.

Note the breakfast deli stack vegetarian option. Also, why is this menu written like an ee cummings poem?

It got a little jostled on my way to work.

There is potential here.

The sandwich - I ordered the Muffin Melt with bacon although I briefly considered the sausage. Ham? It will be a tepid day in Hades before I order HyVee Ham. Timing is everything and there was no line and the dude didn't look busy. I ordered, took my spin around the salad bar, paid for everything and then only had to wait a minute before the sandwich was ready. Hot off the griddle, literally. He wrapped it in foil and I was on my way. It was still warm when I got to work although the bacon had load-shifted. The egg was a little creamy and the cheese was melty yet not squishing out all over the place. The bacon was solidly crispy. The muffin was adequate at keeping it all in place and a nice change from bread. It balanced out in all the right ways. Tasty! I had somewhat low expectations, probably residual attitude about the corral, but this sandwich was an attitude adjuster!

The result - 3.99 corrals out of 5 corrals. $2.79 is a good deal for this sandwich and I think I lucked out with my cook this day. He looked like a man who takes pride in his sandwiches, I could see it in his eyes. The Texas Two Hand might be a solid choice if you like to load up on calories early in the day. I might try it at some point. There isn't anything fancy on the menu, but if you have to stop at HyVee in the morning one of these could lift your spirits.

Bonus story! Sunday morning my refrigerator was teeming with breakfast items - bacon, eggs, soy chorizo (go ahead and heap derision upon me for that), red pepper, broccoli rabe and so forth. I chose to make a scramble instead of a sandwich because I know nobody cares to read about the breakfast sandwiches I make. That's understandable. I went into the lab but you'll get no reports on the experiment with the exception of this - the soy chorizo was actually pretty good. I did cook the bacon first and then cooked the soy chorizo in some of the bacon fat so I'm sure that helped, but it was good chorizo. Nice spice flavor, not too cinnamony, not greasy, no pig anuses, etc. If you aren't too embarrassed to buy it you might give it a shot.

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