The breakfast sandwich. Made popular by the fast food industry, perfected and customized in small breakfast joints around the corner from home, this is a morning choice we want on our plate. A meal designed to be eaten on the go, it is that epic melding of eggs, breakfast meat, and bread. For the daily commute, a hangover cure, or a Saturday morning treat, the breakfast sandwich is the best.
For this battle, we are crossing the Valley from downtown Phoenix to Gilbert.
See also: - -Bloody Mary Beatdown: Dick's Hideaway vs. Gallo Blanco - -Cronut™ Battle: Herb Box vs. Karl's Quality Bakery
In This Corner: Matt's Big Breakfast
The Setup: The lengthy lines have followed Matt's Big Breakfast down the block to their new-ish location. Even at 9:30 a.m. on a summer Wednesday, the place is packed. We opted for take-out, and to our surprise, it took only five minutes, despite a packed dining room.
The Five Spot ($5.95) is two eggs, two sliced of thick-cut bacon, American cheese, and grilled onions on a soft roll. No sides.
The Good: Perfect eggs, thick bacon, melting gooey cheese in a rather beastly sandwich. I really loved the price and thought it was completely reasonable for the size of the sandwich.
The Bad: I wanted something more, some addition to the sandwich to just put it over the top to make it incredible. The onions, and I'm a serious onion lover, didn't really do much for me. They were just there.
In This Corner: Liberty Market
The Setup: The former grocery store turned urban bistro with funky bathrooms and a stellar coffee bar queues up lines that wrap out the door. The expert staff is pleasant and incredibly effective at making what could potentially turn disastrous into a seamless and simple process.
Zipping in at 8:30 a.m. on a Saturday, we beat the rush, and after a quick stint at the counter, were quickly tucked into a booth with coffee and waters.
The Breakfast Sandwich ($10) features scrambled egg, American cheese, mortadella, tomato, arugula, caramelized onions and chipotle cream cheese that comes on a ciabatta bun, with a side of fruit or green salad.
The Good: The addition of mortadella is an unusual and interesting twist. What a unique play for a breakfast sandwich that usually includes the standard sausage or bacon. The chipotle cream cheese adds a nice little creamy kick to this sandwich.
The Bad: I'm in love with caramelized onions, but the onions on my sandwich were not very caramelized. Also, the price was a bit steep for a sandwich with a side of fruit. It's not something that we would pick up on a regular basis, due to the high price tag.
And the winner is...Liberty Market! This was a really close race, as both sandwiches were plate-lickingly worthy, however Liberty Market's sandwich delighted with some interesting twists.
