Union Street Bakery

I had made plans to go to the Market with our Artist In Resident T. Foley for her last croissant in Rochester, but I had to bail at the last minute to meet the furnace repair man; Apparently, 30 years is pushing it for a gas furnace. I got to work around 11 and as I walked up the stairs I was greeted by the warm and comforting smells of breakfast. A welcome change from my cold house this morning.

When I got to my office door I saw the plastic bag hanging from the handle. BREAKFAST WAS WAITING FOR ME! I quickly made my way to my desk and opened up the bag and styrofoam container and was greeted by a hearty looking egg sandwich. I dove in while it was still holding on to the heat of the grill and it was fantastic! The fried egg and American cheese were melded together, the plentiful bacon was thick, salty and flavorful, and the roll was...an honest to goodness roll. Firm but supple, supportive but not unyielding. We should all have this in our lives. A few more frantic bites and it was gone.

I walked over to the studio and found Teresa (the aforementioned T.) to thank her for bringing back the sandwich after I cancelled on her. Our plan was to go to Flour City Bread Company to get her last croissant in town, but that's not where the sandwich came from. "Eh, they didn't have a sign and I didn't feel like asking so I went down to Union Street." She asked about the breakfast sandwich options which turned out to be either ham or bacon. "What's good today?"
"They're both good!"
"Chef's choice then!"
The guy behind the counter chose bacon and, as I mentioned, it was good.

I swear I tried the sandwich at Union Street early on in this venture and was sorely disappointed that the bread was a smushy hard roll so I've avoided it since, even though people have been suggesting I go there. I just assumed you were all nuts. My apologies. So, either my memory is confused or they decided to step up their egg sandwich game. Either way, I'd happily revisit this sandwich.

Thanks again, Teresa!

Union Street Bakery
4 Public Market, Rochester, 14609
Sandwich cost: $4.50 (we think)
Sandwich rating: That is a top-notch breakfast sandwich

Sonny's Landing

If you've been wondering if I've given up egg sandwiches we probably don't know each other in the real world. I certainly didn't give them up (though I may have been eating fewer in an effort not to get gigantic), but was too preoccupied with all the calamity of the past year to focus on much of anything else. With our new regime in place the need for comfort food is at an all time high. The search for the perfect egg sandwich resumes.

Past Mercy High School is a cute little neighborhood that I cut through to get to Penfield and other points east when I don't feel like getting on the highway. Last week I had to run to Home Depot and the breakfast pickings at home were slim. I've passed Sonny's many times thinking how curious it was placed in the middle of a residential block and figured this was the day I would try it.

I stepped in and stood beside and older man waiting for his food and chatting with a man at the grill. I looked up and scanned the massive menu board. It doesn't mention eggs anywhere - mostly burgers, hot dogs, pizza, and the usual sides and options that would follow. But it was just after 10 in the morning and I was pretty sure the other guy wasn't getting a cheeseburger. Noticing me, the man at the grill (presumably Sonny?) asked what I'd like. I inquired about getting a breakfast sandwich. "Sure, no problem. Want meat with that?" I did indeed and chose bacon. He went back to the grill to start mine and finish the other.

The man waiting for his sandwich and Sonny resumed their conversation about bees and plowing (separate topics) and I looked around. There were a handful of booths, a wall of beverage cases, but most notable the racks full of frisbee golf discs. Hundreds of them. Turns out, Sonny's has the largest supply of disc golf supplies in the country (according to their website). Who knew?! I drifted back towards the counter in time to hear the other customer say "It's amazing how people get their knickers in a twist!" With that he paid and headed out. A minute later my sandwich was done and Sonny brought it to the counter letting me know that egg sandwiches aren't on the menu but they serve them all day.

I got in my car and upon opening the foil bundle the air filled with the comforting smell of eggs and bacon. I snapped a photo and then dove in. I just expect the Rochester hard roll now so no disappointment to be had there, if anything, this seemed a little more firm than I remember them being. The filling was pure perfection; The egg wasn't cooked too hard and had a little run to it, but not messy, the white American cheese (there's a Trump joke in there somewhere) was very melty, creamy, and salty, and the bacon was crisp but not overdone. This was a solid sandwich but the generous shake of black pepper on the egg made it terrific.  This is exactly what I needed.

Sonny's Landing
Sandwich cost: $3.50
Sandwich Rating: That's a solid secret sandwich