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| Never. |
No Cheese. No Ketchup.
I always get the same thing when I grab a breakfast sandwich in the morning. Pork roll, for me, is only for special occasions; so I always get, "ham & egg on whole wheat toast with salt & pepper for Jim."
"Cheese?"
"No."
"Ketchup?"
"Eww. No."
You may be saying, "Hmmm. That sounds pretty standard. How could there be any differences among establishments?" Well, there are. Here, then, are the top five places I've come across in the area to get one of these.
Note: I think we all know that the "whole wheat" you usually get at sandwich shops is really just brown white bread. That's what I'm talking about. I'm not talking about 100% whole wheat bread.
Another Note: Steve's in Sea Bright was a favorite stop of mine for a HEWWTSP, especially on those days when I was off from work. It would have ranked very highly on this list. Damn you, Sandy.
5. Edie's, Little Silver -- This one is just here so the list could be 5 and not 4. I've never been impressed with the sandwich here. They've never cooked the ham (or egg for that matter) enough, and they often give it to me on a roll or whole wheat bread instead of whole wheat toast. I'm saying they get the bread right maybe only just over half the time. It's across the street from my parents' house, which makes for kind of a love / hate relationship. That may cloud my judgement.
4. Grandma's Bagels, Little Silver -- These guys have really upped their game recently. They used to use some kind of oil that tasted like that fake butter you get at the movies, but it appears that they've begun using a more neutrally flavored oil. Ham is nicely browned. Egg is cooked through, but not overdone. Toast is sometimes not that toasty. They could move up if they keep it up. Grandma's has become my standard "after school drop-off" place since the kids stopped going to pre-school in Rumson.
3. Brennan's, Oakhurst -- I go here if I'm ever dropping the kids off at Monmouth University for swim practice on Saturday morning. This is a good sandwich. Solid. Like their other outpost in Rumson, the ham to egg ratio is very high. The bread is tasty and often toasted just right. My one criticism is that, sometimes, it's just too big. The thick bread slices and the big pile of ham are just too filling for a grab and go breakfast. Really good, though. Extra points for being right next to Rook. Being able to wash down a to-go sandwich with something other than terrible coffee is big.
2. Willow Deli, Little Silver -- This one surprised me. It's like walking distance from CoolDad Music HQ; and, until recently, I absolutely never went in there. Chris from Little Dickman gave them a glowing review, though; so I stopped by recently. Two eggs (Like Steve's!). Nice touch. Kind of the opposite of the Brennan's ham / egg ratio. Toast toasted. They could be a contender for top spot, but I'll have to try them out more often to test their consistency. Grandma's could end up just being my bagel place. We'll see.
1. Brennan's, Rumson -- I went here almost daily when the kids were going to pre-school across the street. It got to the point where they'd just write my order down when I came in the door: "HEWWTSP for Jim." The toast is always toasted. They use standard, not thick-cut, wheat bread. High ham to egg ratio. Ham always nicely browned. Always the discernible taste of salt and pepper. Sometimes you get sliced, cold-cut ham. Sometimes you get thicker pieces of ham cut off of a roast. It's always a nice surprise. I'd eat this as I drove home with the aluminum foil spread across my lap. I miss them. Maybe I'll stop in again soon.
So there you have it. Have a nice day.
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