The mission came to life with an email starring a subject line that spoke to my stomach’s soul: “Critical BLT Question.”
The crux of the message was this: “Do you have any BLT superstars in your food Rolodex?”
All the ideas that leapt to mind weren’t traditional – I was thinking swordfish BLT (Jacks Monterey), seabass BLT (Schooners) and crab BLT (Sand Bar and Grill). That’s when things got critical: Any self-respecting, bacon-loving food editor should have a stronger BLT roster than this. (Not that those sandwiches aren’t outstanding.) Duty called.
In the meantime, I answered the question with a question: Can it have other stuff? Her answer was yes, so I passed along those suggestions.
The answer for many BLT lovers is… no. Or so I discovered when I solicited suggestions from reliable epicures.
“BLTs are all about simplicity,” one scolded me. “You can easily pile on other things, but the essential ingredients, done right, show what BLTs should be.”
I can’t completely agree, if for the simple reason that most everything is better with avocado (and bacon, tomato and mayonnaise are particularly better).
So here appears a collection of Monterey County’s best “BLTs,” even if some get more elaborate than purists prefer. The list comes out of professional and personal necessity, but it also comes at an ideal time: heirloom tomato season. (Send your BLT suggestions and/or ruminations to edible@mcweekly.com.)
First Awakenings
The celebrated breakfast spot does lunch earnestly too, with a common headliner: thick, flavorful, carefully cooked bacon. That headlines on a BLCET with Jack cheese and an over-hard egg on toasted 12-grain whole wheat ($11.69). “Have you had our bacon before?” Salinas Manager Chris Ulrich says. “It’s the first ingredient for a reason.”
171 S. Main St., Salinas, 784-1125
125 Ocean View Blvd., Pacific Grove, 372-1125 firstawakenings.net
Alvarado Street Brewery
New Exec Chef Brandon Miller and company do the bacon in-house with heirloom tomatoes, butter lettuce, pickled onions and pesto mayo ($10/half sandwich combo with salad or tomato bisque).
426 Alvarado St., Monterey, 655-2337, alvaradostreetbrewery.com
The Bakery Station
The layers of bacon make a memorable impression at this converted gas station near the heart of Oldtown. So do the choice of breads, baked fresh daily in the traditional stone hearth oven ($6.50).
202 Monterey St., Salinas, 783-1140
Lighthouse Smokehouse
The stacked sandwich ($10.75) is almost too big to fit in your mouth, thanks to a lot of house-smoked bacon, fresh lettuce, thick tomato and grilled sourdough. And avocado is only $1 to add.
794 Lighthouse Ave., Monterey, 375-6958
Cafe Lumière
Ample avocado comes standard ($11 with soup or salad) and the chewy-but-airy ciabatta is one of the difference-makers of the pleasantly messy affair.
365 Calle Principal, Monterey, 920-2451, cafelumieremonterey.com
Carmel Belle
Toasted pullman bread from Kelly’s French Bakery harmonizes with roasted-garlic aioli, wild baby arugula, Hobb’s bacon and Borba Farms Early Girl tomatoes ($10.50). Avocado recommended ($2).
San Carlos between Ocean and Seventh, Carmel, 624-1600, carmelbelle.com
Googie Grill
Expertly grilled sourdough, good portions, deep satisfaction ($11.25, avocado for $1.50). This one could appear in the dictionary – it’s textbook – though basil aioli supplies an atypical-botanical touch.
1520 Del Monte Blvd., Seaside, 392-1520, googiegrill.com
Jacks Monterey
A pan-seared line-caught swordfish steak, applewood-smoked bacon, Coke Farm lettuce and heirloom tomato and Meyer lemon aioli go on Lafayette Bakery ciabatta bread griddled to order, a reminder of how important good bread is to a worthy BLT ($14). Yum yum.
2 Portola Plaza, Monterey, 649-7830, jacksatportola.com
Montrio Bistro
This list would feel incomplete without Chef Tony Baker, who has his own line of gourmet bacon. The twist here is that his is a salad, with lots of Baker’s Bacon, heirloom tomatoes, gem lettuce and a “beer-blue” dressing ($13.50).
414 Calle Principal, Monterey, 648-8880, montrio.com
Mundo’s Cafe
A solid deal ($7.99) that arrives on toasted ciabatta bread, with oven-roasted bacon plus lettuce, tomato, onion and the chipotle-zinged and mayo-driven Mundo’s dressing.
170 Webster St., Monterey, 920-1400
2233 Fremont St., 656-9244 mundoscafemonterey.com
Sandbar & Grill
It’s called a club, but the jumbo crab club sandwich, a Sandbar house specialty served on egg bread, includes crisp bacon, lettuce and tomato, so technically it’s a BLT (!). It’s not cheap ($19.95 with fries and coleslaw), but it’s damn delicious.
Municipal Wharf II, Monterey, 373-2818, sandbarandgrillmonterey.com
Schooners Coastal Kitchen + Bar
The sustainable seabass fillet is lightly grilled and finished in the oven to lock in juiciness and then layered on toasted ciabatta with the B, L, T and a spicy remoulade ($14). The freshly redone oceanside patio provides a great place to eat it.
400 Cannery Row, Monterey, 372-2628, schoonersmonterey.com
(2) comments
I think if you have anything besides bacon, lettuce, tomato and mayo on a BLT then it has to be called something else. Avocado takes the original simple version to such a higher level that it should almost be a permanent fixture. Then it should be called BLT&A. Anyway, to do a fair comparison it should be the original basic version. Quality of the final product then depends upon quality and choices of the four basics, plus the bread, not to mention how the ingredients are prepped and the sandwich ultimately constructed. For me, sourdough is the superior bread choice and must be lightly toasted. I use Trader Joe's Real Mayonaise at home, which is just Best Foods brand with TJ's label. It's very good but homemade is better if you know what you're doing. Tomatoes? Depends on what's available. I like beefsteak because they're big and provide good coverage. Every bite should include tomato, not to mention the other components. Lot's of other big heirloom varieties will work. Cut about a quarter inch thick. Avoid Romas—too small. Lettuce choice: romaine, the crispest part of the head (not those limp outer leaves), cut in half and then along the middle vein so it lays nicely and neatly above the tomato. Then there's the bacon. At least four strips make the sannie oh so bacony and oh so good. Not too limp and not too crisp. I have a clear idea of optimum doneness. A low or medium low flame and close attention to when to turn and remove the strips helps to achieve it (use a non-stick pan and rubber coated tongs for best results). I like to lay the strips on one folded paper towel and dab excess fat off with another. I'm very happy with the quality of TJ's uncured, dry rubbed, sliced bacon. Here's how I like my BLT sandwich construction: Building from bottom to top it goes bread with liberal amounts of mayo, bacon slices (probably halved and stacked), tomato slice, lettuce, top slice of bread, also with liberal amounts of mayo. And Bob's your uncle.
Well, you sure got my taste buds revved up and ready to go. Thanks for the tasty article.
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