If you've read the older posts you know that I am not a Rochester local (though I have lived up here for over 20 years now) so there was a steep learning curve to the differences in bread readily available in WNY as opposed to the greater NYC metro area I grew up in. After figuring out that a hard roll was a soft roll and that bagels (sometimes pronounced bag-gulls instead of bay-gulls here) were not a reliable commodity (more times than not a bagel is usually a breadel: a soft roll in a bagel shape, lacking any heft or shiny, chewy crust) I finally started to adjust to the local culture and see that I was looking for something that didn't exist - a bodega/deli egg sandwich on a kaiser roll (despite beef on weck being popular in these parts decent hard rolls are available, just not at breakfast time). Anyway, once I accepted that the standard roll for an egg sandwich was a hard roll made by DiPaolo's or Petrillo's bakery - a soft, twisted roll that can make a decent sandwich if it's grilled or toasted (but can compress down to a pancake if not) - I stopped my whining and embraced the local standard.
Which brings me to today. I wanted to show my support for my adopted city and it's cheekily named hard roll and go right to the source for an egg sandwich. What a story arc! What a triumph! What a joke!
I was out bright and early this morning so I made my way over to Plymouth Ave shortly after seven to grab myself an iconic egg sandwich from the DiPaolo Baking Company. After circling the block and finding a seemingly legal spot to park I made my way inside. They supply numerous businesses with their baked goods and there were bags and bags of rolls and loaves waiting to be picked up. They have a bakery case and small counter for walk-ins and a sandwich board advertising an egg sandwich for $5.50 with either bacon or sausage. I was greeted warmly by the woman behind the counter and asked for a bacon, egg, and cheese, please. She walked back to a warmer holding a dozen foil wrapped bundles and asked me if I wanted a bagel or croissant. Bagel or croissant?!? I hesitated as I was dumbfounded that their signature roll wasn't on offer and before I could answer someone walked out of the back and said "Croissant!" The woman behind the counter chuckled and I panicked and said "bagel?" The guy proceeded to walk out the door and said, "See, I told you!" I was so confused. I paid my $5.50, grabbed my foil bundle and was wished a great day.
Once home I unwrapped the suspiciously light foil bundle; No bagel this size should weigh this little. The bread was so big that no egg, cheese, or bacon stuck out to tempt me. I lifted off the top half and saw that there was indeed a tidy patty of egg, cheese, and bacon in there. I put the lid on and took a bite. I was not feeling it; The bagel was not just a classic breadel but a mediocre one at that. I debated for half a second and realized life is too short to eat bad bread and lifted the melded contents off the sandwich and just ate that because I was hungry, not because it was good. The egg was a hard puck, probably microwaved. The cheese looked like white American (of which I will defend to any foodie) but lacked the usual oily creaminess. The bacon was the only thing that made this congealed pancake palatable: crispy and salty (and I probably would have just eaten the bacon if it wasn't glued onto the rest with the plastic cheese). So, bread was a confusing disappointment, egg and cheese were hard and dry, but the bacon was edible. Damn, not the triumphant return I imagined.
598 Plymouth Ave, Rochester, NY
Sandwich cost: $5.50
Rating: Pure disappointment
