You may recall me trying a Hart's Signature Breakfast Sandwich the weekend they opened last August (No? Look here), as it was breakfast time and I was hungry I figured it was time to retest it.
I've been in Hart's a few times since they opened last summer and each time it seems a little more fleshed out which is the good news. The bad news is the breakfast menu from a year ago looks a little different. When they opened they offered five different sandwiches and their signature was $4.95. Now they just offer their signature sandwich (2 Happy Hen eggs, sliced avocado, arugula, and pancetta with Sriracha mayonaise) or a create-your-own-from-our-ingredients-list and both of these options are $5.95. If you haven't caught on by now, I think breakfast should cost five bucks or less, unless you're really dealing with something fancy. So, a six dollar sandwich sets my expectations pretty high.
As I was waiting for my sandwich I noticed the bakery rack of rolls and bread by the prep station. I asked where the rolls were from and the woman deep frying cutlets for the lunch crowd was happy to tell me they came from Ace Bakery in Toronto. I must have made a face (because I was thinking that Toronto seemed far away for a daily bread delivery) and she explained that the dough came frozen and they baked them in the store. She went on to tell me about the goodness and wholesomeness of the rolls and I swear I was paying attention, even though I couldn't stop thinking what the possible punchline would be to "How do you make a Canadian roll?"
A few minutes later I got my sandwich and sat down by the windows on Winthrop. Sandwich looked good, yolk still had a little bit of deep yellow in it and the roll appeared crusty and hearty. I took a bite. On the upside, I was not overwhelmed by the Sriracha mayo like last time, there was a healthy dose of fresh arugula, and as I mentioned, the egg wasn't overcooked. The downsides were that the pancetta (although very good and crispy) was skimpy and the avocado (which I appreciated being sliced in front of me as the sandwich was being made) was also scarce. Lastly, the roll which came so highly recommended and looked pretty good lacked a rustic crust and did not feel freshly baked. It didn't condense as I made my way through the sandwich which I always appreciate, but was otherwise unremarkable. The sandwich had an overall peppery profile but none of the premium ingredients stood out, perhaps victims of having too many signatures on one sandwich? Perhaps Hart's could do more with less (and take a buck off).
To save me from starting the You Can't F**k Up an Iced Tea blog I'll just add that $2.75 seemed a bit steep (har har) for a large tea with no lemon (Note to coffee counter - go to produce section and grab a lemon, it's going to be 80 degrees today).
Hart's Local Grocers
Sandwich cost: $5.95
Rating: Better ingredients don't necessarily make a better sandwich
