I have been told by many a blog reader that I use the term “The best _____ I ever ate” quite often. I think what made me actually realize it was when friends of mine said they specifically made the trip to Brooklyn to have “the best sandwich I ever ate.” The fact that I thought of three places before arriving at the correct location made me realize, maybe I do use that term a bit too loosely. Maybe it’s because I was obsessed with trying everything featured on the show of that same name, or maybe I get overwhelmed by some delicious food item it’s so hard for my brain to process. But from here on out, I pledge to you to only use that phrase for the appropriate and worthy food items.
Enjoying a "Best Thing I Ever Ate" sandwich
So friends, before you all roll your eyes in a “here we go again” fashion, I do need to tell you about the actual best sandwich I’ve ever eaten. I take back any other “best sandwiches” in my past. There may have been good sandwiches, very tasty sandwiches, and possibly even excellent and delicious sandwiches. But for “the best” sandwich you MUST go to Saltie in Williamsburg. This tiny shops serves sandwiches with very interesting names that do not tell you in the slightest what may be hiding in between the two delicious slices of homemade bread: The captain’s daughter, the clean slate, the ship’s biscuit, and the balmy are just a few of the offerings. Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING is made in house…from the huge slices of foccacia bread, to the fluffy naan, and all the pastries, doughnuts, and cookies. But I was here for the scuttlebutt sandwich.
When you hear the combination of ingredients you might think…”how on earth did they think of this combination and will this actually taste good all together?” The answer: they are geniuses and yes, it does taste very good together. Sitting in between the chewy foccacia bread with a crusty salty top and chewy center are boiled eggs, feta, arugula, olives, capers, pickled vegetables, tangy pickles, and a homemade garlic aoili. All the “saltie” flavors work so well together and that bread….oh that bread is something special. So you see..this really is the best sandwich I’ve ever had!
Now, I wasn’t the only one to experience the ”best thing eaten” experience that day. Adam was craving a bagel …no saltie sandwich for him. Walking around Williamsburg we came across The Bagel Store. Having never heard of it, he took a look inside and the bagels seemed up to par…little did we know he was in for a treat.
French toast bagel with maple-walnut cream cheese
A sweet treat! This bagel was soft, dense, and light all at the same time and we both kept wondering how they made an ordinary bagel taste exactly like French toast. The maple walnut cream cheese in the middle was like icing…the bagel was gobbled down in literally 5 seconds flat. And the whole day, and I mean the WHOLE day, Adam could not stop talking about this bagel. He’s not one to usually get that excited about food (unless of course it’s shapes macaroni and cheese) but I have never seen him so excited about a meal before. What we thought was just going to be a regular old bagel turned into the best bagel he’s ever had. This was a sandwich day that will go down in history!
