"breakfast sandwiches" news and stories

Forget Egg McMuffins. The Serious Eats team recently scoured the country looking for the Best Breakfast Sandwiches in America, and what they found blows away limp fast-food offerings.

The team hit both coasts and cities in between, eating from high-end restaurants and street carts, to find the most delicious sandwiches. And they came up with some mouthwatering finds: Country ham cradled between fluffy homemade biscuits. Scrambled eggs with house-made sausage and gruyere topped with a freshly baked bun. A chorizo-egg torta.


As Serious Eats put it, "These 19 are pretty flawless. They're the kind we'd set our alarm clocks early for."

Go to Serious Eats for the full list and mouth-watering photos.

This morning, Dunkin' Donuts introduced their biggest breakfast sandwich yet: The Big 'N Toasty. According to John Costello, Chief Global Customer and Marketing Officer at Dunkin' Brands, the Big 'N Toasty Breakfast Sandwich is targeted at those who need more than a bowl of cereal in the morning. "At Dunkin' Donuts, we realize that people on-the-go at times crave heartier foods to start their day," he says. "With the Big 'N Toasty Breakfast Sandwich, Dunkin' Donuts can satisfy even the biggest appetites with a fulfilling, portable breakfast at an affordable price," he said. Here's how it rates:

The Claims: The Big "N Toasty Breakfast Sandwich features two peppered fried eggs, four slices of cherrywood smoked bacon and a slice of American cheese, all packed between two thick slices of Texas toast -- the first sandwich to feature this thick-sliced bread.

The Price: $3.29 (prices may vary depending on location.)

We're not exactly making a New Year's resolution to count our calories, but when we saw that both Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts were launching two new "healthier" breakfast sandwiches this week, we took the bait. Here, the details and our panel's scorecard:

The Contenders: Starbucks' New Veggie Artisan Breakfast Sandwich vs. Dunkin' Donuts' Wake-up Wraps varieties (Egg White Turkey Sausage and Egg White Veggie).

The Claims: Starbucks' new Veggie, Egg, & Monterey Jack sandwich is, "an ... omelet with fire-roasted green and red peppers and diced onion topped with melted Monterey Jack cheese nestled in a hand-scored oven-toasted artisan roll." (350 calories)
Dunkin's Wake-Up Wraps "feature a five-inch tortilla filled with egg whites, turkey sausage, spinach, and reduced-fat cheddar cheese," and the Veggie Wake-Up Wrap has "egg whites, peppers, onions, mushrooms and reduced-fat cheese." (150 calories)

The Price: From January 4 (yes, that's today) through the 10th, Starbucks has a deal going: Buy one of their handcrafted beverages and get a Breakfast Sandwich for $2. Dunkin' Wraps sell for $1.29 each.

The Verdict: Starbucks Veggie ABS (Grade B-): Although the sandwich was fresh, and the bread was a better quality than the Dunkin' Wake-Up Wraps' tortillas (which were kind of hard), our panelists thought there was just too much bread, not nearly enough vegetables (we only had two or three peppers buried in each sandwich's egg), and it was bland. "More salt," begged one panelist. "More flavor!" When it came to the cheese, though, the Monterey Jack of Starbucks had an edge over Dunkin's low-cal cheese, which, said one panelist, "tasted like fake cheese food." Starbucks, add more vegetables and amp up the spice, please.

Dunkin's Wrap (Grade B+): Everyone on the panel agreed this wrap (which isn't really a wrap at all) had the kick you want in a breakfast sandwich. It was more highly spiced than the Starbucks Veggie ABS, and the sausage had good flavor. The tortilla, though, could use a remake. It tasted just a touch stale. Dunkin', we'll come back for the spice, and the low-cal ease, but freshen up the tortillas, please.

Like your breakfast on the spicy side? Chick-fil-A is listening. They've taken their Spicy Chicken Sandwich cranked up with chiles and spices and made it into a biscuit-based breakfast meal that'll stoke the fires bright and early. Chick-fil-A is launching the Spicy Chicken Biscuit on January 10, for around $2.25. But why pay when you can get one for free? You can reserve a free Spicy Chicken Biscuit starting December 27 at www.getspicychicken.com, and be one of the first to try the buttermilk-biscuit spice bomb. Your reservation gets you a "sneak peek" sandwich from January 3 to 8.

Tater Tots? Did someone say Tater Tots? The boys at Slate V, Dan Pashman and Mark Garrison, needn't have said more than that. We're sold. This breakfast sandwich they dub the Mother, has so many layers, they say, it's geologic, "like looking back in time." We want one, stat.

Head over to slatev.com for Dan and Mark's egg-a-thon at the Gastro Lab to learn how to make a bagel hold your oozing egg, and other ideas on how to make breakfast kick it.