In my mind there is no such thing as a bad breakfast sandwich.
Dunkin' Donuts recently threw a new breakfast sandwich contender -- the Waffle Breakfast Sandwich -- into the fray, which gave me the perfect excuse to see how two other hand-held breakfasts of champions stacked up.
Full disclosure: I am not a fan of the "sweet" family breakfast sandwiches, i.e. the McGriddle or those horrific Jimmy Dean Pancakes & Sausage on a Stick deathbombs that fellow News Journal comrade Ryan Cormier gobbled down in the name of journalism a few years ago. But when Dunkin' Donuts talks, I listen, and so there was no way I was not going to try the chain's new Waffle Breakfast Sandwich ($2.99). I went with the sausage, egg and cheese, because I feel as if sweet breakfast items like pancakes, french toast or waffles and their syrup sidekick go best with sausage and its smoky, spicy attributes. Well, consider me a convert. While I would have liked the two waffles a little more toasty -- this is just a personal preference in all things breakfast -- this compact little sandwich had me in a trance. I was actually kind of conflicted about allowing my wife and kids to have a bite, because each chomp given away meant one less morsel of sweet-and-greasy pleasure for myself. Hey, we all know what we're getting with the egg and bacon, ham or sausage here -- these items are microwaved and slapped onto their respective sandwich destination. If you walk in one of these joints, you know that, you like that and you expect that from your trusty pal Double D. And when the chain combined this accepted goodness with its new waffle playmates, it gave us all one more go-to option in it's universe of breakfast sandwiches. We hope the Waffle Breakfast Sandwich sticks around.
My expectations jumped up a notch before we even walked in the door, which proclaimed that these were "bagels from scratch." Indeed, the bagels, which range in flavor from the usual garlic and sesame seed to rarer choices such as egg, pumpernickel and jalapeño, are made fresh every morning. For $3.99, you can enter your egg and cheese into holy breakfast matrimony with your choice of Taylor ham, sausage, bacon or -- praise the heavens -- scrapple. On the morning of my first visit here, I simply didn't feel like testing the ol' ticker with scrapple, so I went with the bacon. From there on out, I instantly morphed into legendary NBA basketball commentator Marv Albert, and could hear him belt out his signature line after each benchmark for a top-notch breakfast sandwich was met. The sandwich was in my hands five minutes after I placed the order. Yes! After opening the foil wrapper, I found a hot sandwich cut in halves -- yes! -- so that I could scarf it down safely while driving. The bacon was high-quality meat, with just a touch of crispiness. Yes! And, best of all, this sliver of morning glory was served on a fresh, tasty bagel made that morning, allowing my mouth easy access to the three-layer bonanza nestled between each half. If your daily commute takes you through the intersection of U.S. 40 and Del. 72, and you are in need of some quick eats and coffee to down on the way, I highly suggest a stop in this eatery (or try the other Fresh Hot Bagels location at 695 E. Chestnut Hill Road, Newark).
It seemed as if a scrapple, egg and cheese sandwich ($3.25 on bread, 90 cents extra for a bagel or English muffin) was in order to throw a real heavyweight into the competition. And to ensure I would get the full dosage of heart-squeezing taste, I went with wheat toast instead of a bulky bagel with potentially potent spices. Right off the bat, there were two things that told me I was in the right place. One was that I was offered ketchup with my sandwich. You eat scrapple with ketchup, you see, not syrup. Get it right. Secondly, I could feel through the wrapper that the bread was perfectly toasted, which ensured a double crunch of crispy bread and meat with every bite. And once through the first half, I knew for certain that I could quit coffee if I ate this sandwich every morning. The melding of fried egg, American cheese and robust scrapple provided an ample power jolt that rippled from my mouth to my stomach, not unlike the shot Han Solo fires from his Millennium Falcon into the pit of the Death Star in "Star Wars." Thankfully, I did not blow up afterward, but instead felt satiated by the infusion of grease, calories and cholesterol. And, hey, buddy: If you don't like scrapple, that's your problem, OK?
We can't pick one. But we will hand out medals to signify each sandwich's achievement in Breakfast Nirvana.
• Convenience, speed and consistency: Obviously, Dunkin' Donuts. There's locations everywhere, they typically blaze through long lines and you always know what you're gonna get.
* Overall flavor: Fresh Hot Bagels -- the combination of fresh bagels and well-made egg and meat insides is tough to beat.
* Keepin' it real: Kozy Korner, which dates back to the 1940s when John Vouras Sr. opened in another Wilmington location and was later moved to Union Street by his sons, is as old-school as it gets.
