{ 2008 06 22 }

BLT

BLT

A BLT. It’s my default order. I’m at a restaurant, I know no good can come of the meal ahead, I order a BLT. My reason? Even a bad one is pretty good. You can always remove the mealy tomato or scrape off the excess mayo. Nine times out of ten you end up with something edible.

And then there’s the one time.

When I’m back in Minnesota visiting family my mom and I often meet my grandfather for breakfast. She and her siblings meet him for breakfast once a week–they’re not all there every time, but if I’m in town the event usually draws a decent crowd of 3 or even 4 of his 5 kids. We often go to Keys Cafe in St. Paul where I’ve been known to order their Minnesota Supreme omelet with wild rice in it.

And then one time we went for lunch. As the platters that serve as plates passed by the table piled high with gravy-laden meats at Keys that afternoon, I ordered a BLT. A sure, safe, reasonable BLT.

I had not read the menu. Above the sandwich section it stated “all hot sandwiches served with melted cheese.” First, a BLT is not a “hot” sandwich. The bacon should be hot, but that’s it. Even the toasted bread should be cooled enough to not melt the mayo, on that point I am firm. Second, there is no cheese–melted or otherwise–on a BLT. Clearly. Finally, to say there was melted cheese on the sandwich I was served is putting it mildly. There was a solid 1/2 pound of melted cheese worked into every crevice of that poor thing.

So when I made BLTs last night I made them right. Perfectly ripe tomatoes, crispy bacon, toasted bread, snappy lettuce. Homemade aioli in place of the mayo would have been great, but that would have required a lot more work and the heat wave didn’t break until after dinner.

Posted by Molly Watson on Sunday, June 22nd, 2008, at 11:34 am, and filed under bacon, cooked it.

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