Fried peanut butter and banana sandwich, $11
Served at: The Breslin, 16 W. 29th St.
“We love our sandwiches,” admits Peter Cho, chef de cuisine at April Bloomfield’s NoMad hotspot. One look at the menu confirms Cho’s claim: On the brunch lineup alone, there’s a three-cheese sandwich, a ham-and-egg hoagie, an ever-changing sandwich special, and the unusual but delicious peanut butter and banana sub, for which a Tom Cat Bakery brioche bun provides the foundation, with breadcrumbs soaked in bourbon syrup (Maker’s Mark and sugar), and on the inside, bananas and smooth peanut butter.The whole shebang is dipped in egg and floured before hitting the deep fryer. “It’s sweet, salty, oozy; it can be pretty rich,” Cho says. “It’s good for a hangover or to drink with.”
Zandy Mangold
2 of 5
Sausage and egg sandwich, $18
Served at: Café Luxembourg, 200 W. 70th St.
The assemblage of homemade harissa and rosemary sausage, gruyere cheese and sunny-side-up eggs on a seeded brioche bun started out as a special just a few weeks ago, but proved so popular it’s now a permanent fixture on Paul Zechman’s breakfast and brunch menus.
“The idea was a simple Egg McMuffin-style sandwich,” says the chef de cuisine. “It caught attention right away.”
The 4-ounce patty, which is seared rather than grilled, is served with hollandaise and, at brunch, a side salad. It makes for the perfect pick-me-up, according to Zechman: “It’s a good breakfast filler. After a night out, it’s just what the doctor ordered.”
Christian Johnston
3 of 5
Schnitzel and poached egg sandwich, $14
Served at: Klee Brasserie, 200 Ninth Ave.
A serving of schnitzel is good eating any time of the day, according to Austrian chef Daniel Angerer. “When I grew up, we’d make it as large as the whole plate and have it in a sandwich or sprinkled over a salad,” he says. “But I never cooked so many as here in New York.” His super-selling brunch dish starts with the breaded veal, which is set, along with slow-cooked egg yolks, on Jewish rye bread from Eli’s Bakery and served up with homemade pickles and a side of greenmarket greens. “We keep it really simple,” Angerer says. “The schnitzel should be the star of the show.”
Allison Joyce
4 of 5
Parmigiano and prosciutto puffs with mortadella, $6
Served at: Salumeria Rosi, 283 Amsterdam Ave.
It’s no wonder Cesare Casella’s cheesy puffs — beignets made with parmigiano, prosciutto, eggs, butter and thyme — are perfect: The Italian chef has been making them for 34 years. For the past two, he’s served them at the counter of his Upper West Side eatery, still warm from the oven and stuffed with silky mortadella (pork sausage). There are three in an order, and as many as 300 are made and sold each day. “They are very simple to make,” Casella explains. “With a cappuccino, it’s a classic combination.”
Christian Johnston
5 of 5
Patty Melt, part of $28 prix-fixe menu
Served at: Telepan, 72 W. 69th St.
Bill Telepan came up with his fancy breakfast sandwich after having a traditional patty melt at a New Jersey diner not long ago. “I realized how good they are,” says the chef and owner. “And there’s a hardcore patty-melt following out there. When they see it, they get it.”Telepan’s version comes on rye bread from Amy’s bakery, and the meat, which is grass-fed chuck seasoned with BBQ spices, is topped with aged cheddar and caramelized onions. It comes with salt and vinegar cottage fries, too — just in case you want some extra grease.“You walk out of here stuffed,” says Telepan, who eats one a week. “I generally need a nap.”
Christian Johnston
