Image courtesy of Phillyberg

Dish of the Week: BLTs
Where: Cafe Saint Ex, Market to Market

Everyone is craving summer after the recent Arctic blasts. For me, a perfect BLT screams summer, with its ripe sun-warmed tomatoes, crisp lettuce, salty thick-cut applewood-smoked bacon, and a smattering of mayonnaise. It’s amazing how something so simple and easy to make can be so delicious. Food writer Michael Ruhlman even held a contest last summer to create the best BLT from scratch that had to include “homegrown tomato and lettuce, a home-cured meat, some form of mayonnaise or emulsified sauce, and some form of yeast-leavened baked good.”

There are some excellent variations around that enhance this sarnie. I’ve seen ones loaded up with shrimp aioli, or smoked salmon and capers. One of my local favorites is at Cafe Saint Ex. In their version, they scrap the red tomatoes and do it up with fried green tomatoes. Rather than taking away from the BLT, the green tomato’s acidity counters the richness of the sandwich’s wonderfully thick bacon.

Another favorite is the Market BLT at Market to Market, which features the addition of avocado and cheddar. The toppings are a nice mix of indulgence with some healthy fats. Plus, their sandwich makers know to keep the bread free of the oil and butter that plague so many bad sandwiches at similar cafes. (They may also have my favorite Geocities-style under construction homepage.)

So who else makes a great BLT?