I grew up in Fairfield and have lived in NYC my whole adult life, about 18 years. One of the most stupidly frustrating things to me is how much credit NYC gets for their deli breakfast sandwiches, when they’re generally mediocre at best.

 

New York BECs: Scrambled low quality eggs, yellow American cheese (a tangier flavor compared to white and generally works better for burgers and chopped cheeses), low quality bacon that’s often under or overcooked (and may be turkey or beef bacon without warning), stale or low quality rolls (or bagels, which in my opinion get in the way of what makes these sandwiches good), cooked with haste and no love. Even if it’s cooked right it’s still just meh in too many cases. I’ve never found a place here that I can truly rely on to be awesome every time, and never have I found a spot I would prefer over the all the places local to me when I stay in CT.

 

CT BECs: Good quality fried eggs, white American cheese (so much tastier and even has a bit of sweetness to it), consistent perfectly cooked good quality bacon that’s always from a pig, fresh soft rolls, cooked with love.

Like I said, I’m from Fairfield, but I’ve never had a mediocre one anywhere I’ve gone there, and I get them many times throughout the year.

 

The Country Cow, The Tasty Yolk, Pine Creek Deli, Firehouse Deli, Reef Shack, the now closed S&S Dugout, Gruel Britannia, Harborview Market, and more I may not know about yet. All offer great ones that always taste the same every time, and some have some really signature aspects to their sandwiches. The Tasty Yolk’s roll is mind blowingly good and unique. Pine Creek Deli has “The Shredder” which is filling af but crazy good. Gruel Britannia offers their British spin on breakfast sandwiches but you can still get a traditional one. Each place just seems to understand what makes a good one truly good. Btw, please feel free to recommend other great spots in the area if you know em.

 

I hate that in NYC I’ve only found especially good ones at places where you have to sit down and tip a waiter. I think it also just makes me sad that people in the city think they’re eating something so good and special, when really they just don’t know what they’re missing. People in NYC can be seriously arrogant about this topic too.

 

Does anyone else feel this way or is it just me? I’ve never had anyone provide a successful argument for why NYC should be considered the best. They just have a high quantity of places that make them, and I think a lot of people who grew up here are simply nostalgic for the deli BEC because they’ve known nothing else.