Bennison’s Bakery
Evanston, Illinois
Toulouse

I never eat breakfast.  Never been to Paris.  After this morning, I suddenly want to do both.  My hermano and co-worker Jesus, delivers once again.  Not only did he not have to come to work on a Friday, but he also didn’t have to bring breakfast sandwiches from, what’s turning out to be, my new go-to work spot.  Bennison’s mutha$&%^@*! Bakery.  If you’ll recall in my previous post, Buffalo Joe’s makes an unbeatable Buffalo Chicken Sandwich, served on a heavenly bun courtsey of Bennison’s mutha$&%^@*! Bakery.  Known for their wide assortment of sweets, freshly baked artisan breads, cakes, cookies and other bomb delights, the award-winning Bennison’s Bakery also serves a handful of Parisienne sandwiches.

The Toulouse (only available on Friday’s and Saturday’s) murders any McDonald’s breakfast sandwich—even the McGriddle.  Yeah, I said it.  The croissant is warm, buttery and flaky; the eggs fresh, fluffy and well seasoned; the bechamel outstandingly rich and creamy.  The ham was good, not to salty, but the bacon is forgettable and initially undetectable.  If they can fix the bacon part, I would drive to get 2 of these every morning/afternoon after a night of tossing a few back.  Did I mention they put the bechamel inside AND out.  Be advised that Bennison’s keeps to the bakery standard and does not have any seating. They do have a couple of table tops that you can stand at.  My recommendation would be to take it to-go and enjoy it over at Fountain Square in beautiful Downtown Evanston.  Be sure to say what’s up to “Easy Rider.”  You’ll know him when you see him.  Details:

• croissant
• scrambled eggs
• bacon
• ham
• bechamel sauce

Note: Names have been changed to help preserve anonymity.

Buffalo Joe’s
Evanston, Illinois
Buffalo Chicken Sandwich (Spicy)

I’m stepping into the blogosphere with, what currently may very well be, my favorite sandwich. I know this because I’m craving it after eating one just 7 hours prior. I was fooling myself, earlier this afternoon, when having the internal discussion of where to go to lunch. It was my co-worker, Jesus (pronounced Hey-Zeus) who suggested, “[I] should go for the mother of all chicken sandwiches.” I’m pretty impressionable, so there really was no argument. In fact, I was immediately excited. Brilliant idea. Thanks Jesus.

Quality is the key with this delicacy. It qualifies as such because of the type of ingredients they use. The noteworthy sauce is definitely “the boss,” as they say, but the rich cheese spread and pillowy soft bun give the sauce a run for it’s money as the star ingredient(s). Before I get ahead of myself, the dissection is as follows:

• breaded fried chicken breast tossed in
• mild, spicy or suicide buffalo sauce
• buttery soft bun from local award-winning Bennison’s Bakery
• Merkts sharp cheddar cheese spread
• shredded lettuce (sucker for it)
• 2 slices of tomato

6 quality and simple ingredients make this sandwich outstanding.  After you have it for the 1st time, it will constantly be on your mind—yes, exactly like that.  The combination of all things great just melts in your mouth. Lately, I’ve been trying to limit my frequency of indulging in this guilty pleasure, because that’s exactly what it is. In many ways, you never want it to end. You feel absolutely horrible about yourself immediately after swallowing the last bite, but at the same time, you know that life would be better if you could keep on eating it forever—that, or you just wish they made crave cases for them.  It’s a legit sandwich that has never ceased to fail me. Be aware that a food coma will ensue, but you’ll be content for at least 5-7 hours—until you’ll start craving it again.

Note: Names have been changed to help preserve anonymity.