One Great Sandwich: Milk & Honey Cafe's BLT

By James Koh in Food on Dec 5, 2007 6:40PM

Chicagoist's brother-in-law is a man of many excesses, most of which revolve around pork products. And while we aren't quite the connoisseur that he is, it's no big secret that Chicagoist loves bacon.

So what's so great about Milk & Honey's BLT? How about this — everything. The bread is perfectly toasted Italian bread that gives a satisfying crunch while maintaining its inner softness. The bacon is neither a greasy slab of fat nor a gummy stick of jerky; it's nicely crisp without puncturing your gums. The romaine is praiseworthy simply for not making the rest of the sandwich soggy. The tomatoes are unexceptional, but in a BLT, all the tomato has to do is not make a nuisance of itself.

As for the mayo, we believe that it is their secret weapon. It's creamy and smooth, with a hint of vinegar that doesn't overwhelm. Chicagoist thought we hated mayo until the day we accidentally forgot to order the M&H BLT without it. It turns out that we hate Miracle Whip and Hellmann's, but we love real
homemade mayo. Don't be shy; order the BLT with extra mayo on the side the way those in the know do.

No, we haven't tried every BLT in the city, and there are probably scores of other delicious ones out there (let us know in the comments!). But for every great BLT in Chicago, there are a hundred other sub-par ones. Milk & Honey's formula isn't magic: take good ingredients, don't ruin them, and put it on a plate. It's a simple sandwich in our opinion, and it's a great sandwich too.