Breakfast Sandwich #40 - Gotham Bagels aka Just A Sandwich Review

Sandwich: Heritage Ham, Smoked Gouda & Egg on Rye Bread
Location: Gotham Bagels
Date: October 17, 2015
Cost: $6

I usually only stop at Gotham Bagels if I'm already headed to the Farmer's Market and even then I don't always have time. I have had their sandwiches but I'm almost positive I had not tried a breakfast sandwich. The Saturday morning I went happened to be the day of a home football game, Homecoming Weekend specifically, so the place was a sea of Badger gear. Still, there were a few seats open, the line moved quickly and it looked like all the folks standing around were just waiting for food to go.

Note that the menu in my photo differs from the menu on their web site.

That Spicy Italian Sausage almost had me but I was enticed by the smoked gouda.

Have you ever felt like you made the right choice?

I had to document what was under the hood.

The Sandwich - Heritage Ham, Smoked Gouda & Egg on Rye with a side of stone ground mustard. When I ordered the sandwich the cashier said, "good choice, I eat that a lot". I asked if she ordered it on rye, which she does, and then she recommended mustard. I'm a mustard guy so I took it on the side. This is a beautiful sandwich - as I walked back to my stool after picking it up a woman I passed remarked "that looks awesome". I'm pretty sure she was talking about my sandwich. I put just the thinnest sheen of mustard on the bread and was glad I held back. Much more than that might have overpowered the flavors here although that may just be my personal taste. The ham is salty and sweet and sliced melt-in-your-mouth thin. The smokey gouda flavor comes though and really works with the ham. The chicken egg could have been a little gooey but I'm not complaining. Rye bread. You don't get a lot of breakfast sandwiches on rye and it's a refreshing change. I was thinking that I should get it on a bagel if only as a matter of principal but bagels are not the ideal sandwich delivery system and I'm glad I squashed that inner voice. That unassuming hole in the middle of a bagel can cause serious problems. As mentioned, the tiny bit of stone ground mustard went a long way and I'm glad I ordered it on the side. Most sandwich makers are heavy handed with the condiments and I feel that it's one of the more pressing issues facing society today. I couldn't take that risk.

The Result - 4.58 Not Bagel Sandwiches out of 5 Not Bagel Sandwiches. I don't know what else I can say about it, it was a great sandwich. Their other offerings are tempting and there is no doubt I'll go back to try the Spicy Italian Sausage option. The rating was bolstered a bit by the absolutely perfect autumn morning and the cashier's helpful suggestion. These things matter. If a great sandwich can alter the outlook of your day then the inverse must be true too. I can't show my work proving that point but I'm going with it.

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Diversions - Some Canadian Guy Named Ken Eats A Burger King Double CROISSAN'WICH™ with Sausage & Bacon

Better him than me. I'd never seen any of his reviews and stumbled on to this one when I wanted to find out where the term Croissan'wich came from. This guy really likes fast food.

If you want to skip all the nonsense just jump to 4:20 in the video, that's when the sandwich comes out.

Spoiler alert - his Burger King breakfast experience was way better than mine was.

Breakfast Sandwich #39 - Rosie's Coffee Bar and Bakery aka B-B-B-B-Biscuit

Sandwich: Breakfast Sandwich
Location: Rosie's Coffee Bar and Bakery
Date: October 3, 2015
Cost: $3.99

Rosie's is relatively new to the Monona area (it's technically in Madison) and I had stopped in for doughnuts and pour over coffee, but never had a sandwich there. Monona doesn't have a lot of options for breakfast, Crema Cafe is just down the road from Rosie's (and is also technically in Madison) so while the options are few, there are quality sandwiches to be had. As far as Monona proper, there is that Denny's* down on Broadway that has been there forever. They have The Waypoint Public House now and I'll probably review their breakfast sandwich, it screams of potential. Oh, I guess there is also the Green Forest Family Restaurant. There are probably a few more options but I'm not going to dig into them now. Maybe Antler's serves breakfast?

I didn't take a photo of the menu but the info is listed somewhat incompletely on their web site:

Breakfast sandwich made with choice of biscuits or croissant, $3.99. At the restaurant you are given the choice of bacon, sausage or ham.

Compared to my usual crappy photos this one looks pretty good. The sausage patty is a little wonky but that didn't bother me. 

That's a nice looking biscuit.

The Sandwich - Sausage on Biscuit. I had to go with the sausage after indulging in BLT sandwiches and the leftover bacon earlier in the week. I was also in a biscuity mood and think it makes for a better sandwich than a croissant anyway. These turned out to be wise choices as the biscuit was light and buttery and kept everything in place. What is it about a great biscuit that sets it apart from the other breads? Some kind of alchemy or something. I was happy with the sausage choice upon first bite. It wasn't too salty which is always my concern when ordering sausage and it paired perfectly with the biscuit. The egg and cheese were wonderful but insert my usual comment about preferring a runny egg. 

The Result - 4.31 places that aren't really in Monona out of 5 places that aren't really in Monona. This was a mighty fine sandwich indeed. Simple and basic but fresh and tasty. It was a pleasure to get acquainted with this sandwich and the price is right too. Early on a Saturday the space is relaxing and the coffee is fantastic. 

*However you feel about Denny's their online menu is pretty slick. The have a "Randomize" button and you can select options you want such as "sandwiches" that contain "egg" and it pulls up the items that are available.  

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