Croque madame at Caribou Cafe
When the server at this long-running French brasserie in Washington Square West delivered my croque madame for lunch Thursday, I was taken aback by its size and beauty. If ever a sandwich deserved a place in the Louvre, this was it. The thick-sliced brioche bread was toasted golden and crispy, the Parisian jambon (ham) and cheese within were grilled to perfection, and a decadent béchamel sauce was drizzled over the bread and spooned in a perfect circle around the entire sandwich. A well-executed sunny-side up egg atop was sprinkled with paprika and julienned ribbons of fresh herbs.
Of course, once I dove into it, this croque madame went from beautiful to big ol’ mess very quickly — but it tasted delightful. Should I have eaten a salad for my first lunch out of the year? Perhaps. Do I have any regrets? None whatsoever. Not only was the food good, Caribou’s French-inspired decor always has a way of transporting me to Europe while still in Center City. Philadelphia. Caribou Cafe, 1126 Walnut St., 267-951-2190, cariboucafe.com
— Stephanie Farr
Salmon beurre at Cleo Bagels
On a rainy day in West Philly, I found myself wanting to switch it up from a classic Nova lox sandwich — but not veer too far from it at the same time. The salmon beurre, a recurring special at Cleo Bagels, was the perfect fit. Served on a garlic za’atar bialy (one of my favorite bialys in the city), this lighter sandwich pairs a schmear of fancy cultured butter with lox and cornichon pickles. It’s a pleasant, balanced, and just-filling-enough bite I’m sure to repeat. Cleo Bagels, 5013 Baltimore Ave., 215-282-7292, cleobagels.com
— Emily Bloch
Breakfast sandwich at Matines Cafe
The day after New Year’s was cold and gray, and the prospect of going back to the grindstone was a grim one, and the only sensible salve for that was a breakfast sandwich. (Judging by this week’s other Best Things entries, I wasn’t alone in that sentiment.) So I swung by Chestnut Hill’s Matines Cafe — now in a larger, new-ish space just off the main drag on Highland Avenue — and ordered their signature breakfast sandwich, which comes with scrambled eggs, bacon, and cheddar. And I chose to have it on a croissant instead of a baguette for all of the aforementioned reasons, not to mention Matines’ owners are French and know their way around viennoiserie.
Split just enough to tuck in a sizable scoop of fluffy scrambled eggs, crispy strips of bacon, and a scant layer of cheddar, the croissant sandwich scratched my itch for something savory and slightly decadent — and managed to do that without flaking or falling apart. Paired with a big mug of black coffee and its accompanying tuft of balsamic-dressed side salad, it got the first workday of the year off to a very satisfying start. I’ll be more than happy to return to try one of Matines’ other breakfast-sandwich varieties, including avocado with turkey and Swiss, salmon with brie, and black truffle-parmesan-prosciutto. Matines Cafe, 23 W. Highland Ave., 215-621-6667, matinescafe.com
— Jenn Ladd