Between BreadA very long time ago in the place where I came from, we had a local branch of a coffee roasting concern within easy distance. These people made very good coffee. I speak of brewed coffee, here; they made a respectable shot of espresso, but in the main they were about brewing and selling fresh beans. They also has a simple board of breads and sandwiches for breakfast and lunch, and a case of pastry for eatings long into evening. Of particular interest was their variant of the BLT. They used reasonable bacon done in the microwave with pretty good lettuce and tomato, with a bit of mayonnaise. There were two remarkable things about the sandwich. Tangible was the choice of a baguette to cradle all of the above; this was not a great baguette, to be sure, but it was fresh bread, and good. Less so was the balance of flavors and textures in the thing: the wheat of the bread and the sweet of the red tomato, the different crisps of lettuce and bacon, one salty, one light. A gentle binding of mayo, never cloying, simply supportive. The wonder of it was that this little coffeeshop got all of that right on every single sandwich I ever ate there, in ways I cannot reproduce. They have long since closed.
Just off exit 12 of I-84 in New York state sits a long low chrome building of a diner, a throw of a stone south of the road. It has grown in scope over the years, adding more space. The food remains: hearty, classic American, with iceberg salads and cherry tomatoes. There are many recommended things on their menu (the soups are always fine) but the openfaced roast beef sandwich, covered in gravy and set aside potatoes mashed, is an experience that keeps one warm all the way to Vernon.
More recently events turned to a baguette again, this time a better loaf from a local baker that knows its salt. We split the thing, and slathered one side with a tangy young goat cheese and piled the other with freshly rinsed cress. Squashed together and eaten outside, it was a very nice sandwich.
I have been having trouble with milk in my coffee, and I have found most non-dairy coffee alternatives lacking (and those that are not are most probably not all that good for me). I have again taking to tempering my coffee with honey, and a bit of orange blossom water. It's good that way.
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