Breakfast of Champions: The Clover Breakfast Sandwich

I feel a little bit like friggin' Goldilocks when it comes to the "perfect size," work week breakfast. Seriously, cereal is not gonna cut it. I'm also not a huge fan of paying four bucks for yogurt and granola with a few sliced strawberries shipped from somewhere I've never been before. Breakfast sandwiches from Dunks are simply too big, and not exactly nutritious (albeit delicious). But when I want my correct mix of satisfying, savory, fresh, and healthy, there is no quick breakfast like one that you can pick up from the Clover Food Truck.

Now I know that this isn't exactly Clover's big show. But it really does improve one's morning immensely. At least once per week, just to treat myself, I finish my walk to work by stopping at the food truck in Dewey Square. The cooks at the truck are furiously, but cheerfully preparing ingredients for the day's lunch hour, while also efficiently making their single batch coffee and iced coffees. There are pop overs coming hot out of the oven, and an option to purchase some yogurt and granola or oatmeal, both with the day's fresh fruit compote. But I always look to the young man or woman who is peeling eggs coming out of the hot water bath. With a smile, an employee will look up from whatever they are prepping, wish me a good morning, and ask what they can get me. And of course, I always order the breakfast sandwich. Three minutes later, someone will beckon my name from the truck, and my freshly made sandwich will emerge wrapped in tin foil. Nothing quickens the walk to the office more than the warm sandwich in hand, waiting for my first bite.

So what makes this sandwich so special? Well, first, I'll start with the eye rolling, eat your peas answer. Everything on the sandwich is fresh, there's actually very little fat involved, and therefore I'm convinced that this is the breakfast of champions. It's not too big, like a ham, egg and cheese on a bagel, but then again, this isn't a two biter either. The sandwich itself is prepared on the same whole wheat bread that is instantly recognizable by anyone who has had something from the food truck as basically the Clover signature pita. The bread is thin and chewy, and there is a nuttiness that adds to the overall flavor of the sandwich, much more so than say a throwaway slice of toasted wonder bread. Within the bread, you have four key components: egg, cheese, tomato, salt/pepper. Let's delve a little bit. Each egg is prepared in a circulating hot water bath. This allows for a whole bunch of eggs to be efficiently cooked at the same time, to an exact temperature. The egg is peeled, and placed into the bread with the other components, and only at the right moment,  smooshed a bit to reveal a warm, semi-soft yolk to sauce each delightful bite. The tomatoes add an umami, savory, and fresh fruity element to the sandwich, especially fantastic during the height of tomato season. The cheese that they use is a fine slice of good cheddar and it grows just a tad bit melty under the warmth of the semi-soft egg. Finally, salt and pepper are a welcome guest at any party, even one at half past eight in the AM. So just to summarize, each bite is filled with nutty, chewy whole wheat bread, a perfectly cooked soft yolk egg, the refreshing savoriness of a bit of ripe tomato, and then the unmistakable, creamy zing of a sharp slice of cheddar. A perfect balance, in my book.


Note: Occasionally the voices in my head do try to convince me that the sandwich is not a perfect balance, and could only benefit from the addition of a slice of bacon. But that's why they're voices. They're, like, wicked crazy and stuff.


LOCATION RUNDOWN:
Clover Food Truck
Dewey Square - Kitty-Corner to South Station
Boston, MA 02111
http://www.cloverfoodlab.com/
Opens for breakfast around 8:30 AM