Breakfast Sandwich #44 - Rolling Pin Bake Shop aka Earl, Earl, Earl

Sandwich: The Duke of Earl (Sandwich that is)
Location: The Rolling Pin Bake Shop
Date: November 28, 2015
Cost: $7

I'd never heard of The Rolling Pin Bake Shop but I found myself spending time in Fitchburg and I kept driving past when they were closed. After a little internet research to confirm that they offer a breakfast sandwich I finally caught them open on a Saturday morning.

I guess I don't get to Fitchburg very often as it appears the Bake Shop has been there for at least eight years.

Once again I didn't take a picture of the menu so I stole the description from their web site:

"Duke of Earl (Sandwich that is)"

Two eggs, cheese, tomatoes, onion, mushrooms with your choice of ham, bacon or sausage. Served on our authentic Challah roll, Russian white, Whole wheat, Rye or a herb and cheese biscuit - $6.75

Getting a little cheeky with the sandwich name - I like it! (I think the cost was $7 and they haven't updated the web site to reflect that yet.)

Apparently the Earls of Sandwich had no real connection to Sandwich, England but the town still has a pretty cool coat of arms and motto -"Post tot naufragia portum", which means "After so many shipwrecks a haven". That phrase could be loosely applied to my feelings after eating several fast food breakfast sandwiches before swearing off them for some time. I don't think this Earl or this Earl have any connection to Sandwich, England either but I'll bet Earl Campbell enjoys a nice sandwich.

Look at that light rye bread! That's some real nice stuff.

The Duke spillith over.

The Sandwich - The Duke of Earl with bacon and cheddar on rye bread. Although they offer just one breakfast sandwich you have your choice of cheese, meat and bread so there are some options. I like cheddar with egg and bacon and it's always a good day when you can get a sandwich on rye bread. In this case it was a light rye bread that I assume was baked on site. It was buttery, lightly toasted and did its job of keeping everything together. The mushrooms, onions and tomatoes seem a little odd for a sandwich, its almost like an omelette on bread, but the combo works and makes this a unique offering. The bacon was nicely crisped, the cheddar was melty and the egg was cooked to a fluffy patty. With the addition of the vegetables and the egg cooked past runny it could have used a little extra cheese or maybe some aioli. It wasn't dry but an additional layer of creamy flavor wouldn't have hurt it.

The Result - 4.32 Earls out of 5 Earls. The sandwich and the bakery itself were a pleasant surprise. I didn't even know the place existed and they came through with a damn fine sandwich. It's a different offering than most breakfast sandwiches but isn't trying to be too fancy or clever. I also got a Cowgirl Cookie which was fantastic. I will definitely stop next time I'm in the area so I can try other baked goods or maybe one of their lunch sandwiches. 

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Breakfast Sandwich #43 - Oliver's Public House aka The Runner Up

Sandwich: Classic with lamb sausage & Swiss cheese.
Location: Oliver's Public House
Date: November 21, 2015
Cost: $16 w/ petite salad

Oliver's Public House is in the new building right by Lombardino's. I've found myself saying that every time I mention Oliver's since nobody I know seems to know where it is. That's followed by them saying "Ohhhhh yeah, how was it?" These are reasonable questions. If they don't know where it is it stands to reason that they haven't been there to try it.

This visit met two of criteria that I'm trying to adhere to these days: #A - not eating crummy fast food sandwiches. #B - reviewing places not on the east side. These are easy points to meet as I've reviewed most of the fast food places (I can hear Denny's rustling out there in the darkness) AND many of the east side joints. Denny's isn't really fast food but you know what I mean.

My near west side readership is about to spike!

Even with that (not very) helpful finger I didn't realize the lamb breakfast sausage added $5 to the sandwich.

This is the best photo of an egg I have ever taken.

That's the lamb sausage, right there. 

The Sandwich - The Classic, with lamb sausage and Swiss cheese. Comes with egg sunny side up. I was just about to order the bacon and then I realized I had to get the lamb sausage. I asked the friendly bartender about it and he said it is "the bomb" so I knew that was the right choice. He recommended the Swiss cheese on it as well, which makes sense. I chose the petite greens and breakfast potatoes as sides. I think the potatoes were an add-on, not part of the normal order. Also worth noting is that I ordered a bloody mary, which I've only done on a couple of these reviews. Apparently there had been a recent bloody mary competition in which Oliver's came in 2nd place. This was clearly upsetting to the bartender, as well it should be. Later when another bartender came over he also mentioned the 2nd place finish when he saw me drinking the bloody. It must have been fresh on their minds. I'm hoping they win next year so they don't have to call in Oliver's Army to stage a bloody (mary) coup. Bloody mary might be the drink most open to interpretation and subjective opinion so I'll just say that it was fantastic and came with a big chunk of Landjäger sausage in it.

The Result - 4.315 Silver Medals out of 5 Silver Medals. The lamb sausage really was a tasty and unique offering and I appreciated the runny egg. Perhaps the most eye-opening aspect of this sandwich quest is how many places do not offer choices on how the egg is cooked. Runny eggs are more uncommon than you think and you should be thankful whenever they are offered. The bun was soft but kept everything orderly and the Swiss cheese was a good pairing for the lamb sausage. The garlic aioli was lurking in there but I think tzatziki sauce would have been better - almost like a Greek omelette on a bun. OK, so that was a damn good sandwich but, if I read the photo of my menu correctly, it's a $16 sandwich with a side. I didn't look over the check carefully (or, at all, to be honest) so I can't verify that, but I think it's correct. It's a little pricey.

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Breakfast Sandwich #42 - Subway aka Purely Research

Sandwich: Bacon, Egg & Cheese
Location: Subway (East Washington Ave & Hwy 51)
Date: November 13, 2015
Cost: $3.50

Several weeks ago I told myself I was done reviewing fast food or chain restaurant sandwiches. It's a waste of time, money and calories and we're surrounded by delicious options here in Madison, so why bother? That's what I told myself.

But, every morning during my short commute I scan the radio dial and generally end up listening to some sports talk radio. Although my drive is only about 10 minutes, I almost always hear a commercial for Subway breakfast sandwiches. It's like they're taunting me. Daring me. Teasing me. How bad can they be? A better question might be, how good can they be? These are the types of questions that lead to this endeavor, and after all, this isn't about my desires, it's science.

I chose the Subway that I drive past every day even though a coworker once claimed it to be the "worst Subway in Madison". I don't know how she came to that conclusion, but it is the same location where a different coworker was once referred to by another patron as "a little sexy bitch". True story.

Umm, there it is.

Teeming with lost potential.

The Sandwich - I went with the Bacon, Egg & Cheese as it seems like a staple and they didn't have another interesting option that I wanted to try. They have one with steak but Subway steak sounds like a recipe for disappointment, at best. The flat bread you see in the photos is the standard breakfast sandwich option but you can opt for any of their regular breads if you prefer. The next choice is egg whites or yellow. All of this is already cooked, they just put it in the magic box thing to warm it up. After that you have the choice of all their regular vegetable toppings and dressings. I wanted to add something, but didn't want to bury the cornerstone ingredients. I went with pepper rings, a light squirt of chipotle dressing and a dash of black pepper.

The Result - 2.98 regrets out of of 5 regrets. I probably should have trusted my instincts and either skipped this review entirely or at least loaded up the sandwich with red onion and spinach and maybe red peppers. As it was, it was just bland. The flat bread could have used a little more toasting, the bacon was paper thin and didn't seems to bring any flavor to the sandwich. How does that happen? I'm sure it's cooked in a massive kitchen fortress in another state and then loaded on a truck and somewhere along the line the flavor falls off and nobody is the wiser until some poor sucker orders a sandwich. The pepper rings and the bread were the predominant flavors. I have to take responsibility for passing on the other ingredients but we all know a great breakfast sandwich can hold it's own with just the basics. This wasn't bad but it wasn't good either. It just, was.

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Breakfast Sandwich #41 - Cafe Hollander aka West Side (Sandwich) Story

Sandwich: Pretzel Breakfast Sammy
Location: Cafe Hollander
Date: October 30, 2015
Cost: $10.95, with Hollander potatoes

A few people have pointed out to me that my reviews are focused on the East side which makes sense because that's where I live. West side locations haven't intentionally been neglected but that's how it has shaken out thus far.

I have been spending more time on the West side recently and had heard that Cafe Hollander was open in the Hilldale Mall. A quick perusal of the menu confirmed my suspicion that they would have a breakfast sandwich so I made plans to visit. Coincidentally, right after making my plans I received a note from a friend who had recently had a breakfast sandwich at one of their Milwaukee locations and raved about it. Sometimes the toppings align that way and you just have to roll with it.

Since the place is new I'll mention that the space itself looks great and is huge. It has an upstairs and the ground floor is broken up so everything isn't all in one area. I found it to be a very comfortable room to walk into and they sat me in an area with lots of late morning natural light.

The Pretzel Sandwich caught my eye on the web site and was my reason for making the stop.

You can't tell from the photo but that is an oversize plate.

A river of hollandaise runs through it.

The Sandwich - Pretzel Breakfast Sammy. Did you look at the menu description of this sandwich yet? It sounds crazy, yes? It is crazy. It's fitting that I ordered this the day before Halloween because this sandwich is a MONSTER. When it came out the waiter offered some Cholula Hot Sauce, which I accepted, although I'm not sure it needed anything else added, in fact, it needed less. My first thought was that there was just too much hollandaise for my taste. In addition to the hollandaise there is the herb garlic cheese AND the Muenster. Things got overly sloppy right out of the gate. I put the pretzel roll top on and tried to pick it up for a bite. That just wasn't going to work. There was still a significant amount of hollandaise covered egg hanging out, and when I took a bite the ham started to make a break for it out the other side. Right then I knew I'd just have to eat it with a fork. I had the distinct feeling that this wasn't a health conscious meal. The bacon and Muenster kind of got lost in the sauce and the hollandaise and the ham essentially took over. The pretzel roll never stood a chance.

The Result - 3.65 Rivers of Hollandaise out of 5 Rivers of Hollandaise. I had such high expectations but was put off by the amount of hollandaise and general sloppiness of the sandwich. I'm sure personal preference was a big part of it and your relationship with hollandaise would certainly come into play here. I'm not even sure it needs it, I might have preferred this with just the Muenster and herb garlic cheese. Looking at the menu now the Belt & A sandwich might have been a better choice for me and my arteries. I know I'll go back to try one of the seven (SEVEN!) bloody mary options and the Belt & A may get a later review. I think I just made a bad choice that day and I look forward to going back for a fresh take. I should also mention that the breakfast potatoes were the perfect amount of crispy. 

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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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