Julius Meinl offers a great Ethiopian French press coffee, but that’s as breakfast/brunchy as I ventured. The banana French toast sounded divine, as did the vegetable crepe, or any crepe offered, for that matter, but my stomach was intent on adding some kind of sandwich to its contents, which I believe at that moment consisted solely of water and medicine. Not the healthiest combo, I know.
In any event, as delicious as breakfast sounded, the smoked salmon sandwich sounded even more delectable. Besides, people eat smoked salmon for breakfast all the time, and I’m one of those people.
The smoked salmon sandwich may sound a bit like a bagel with lox, but I assure you, this sandwich had a bit more pizzazz. The sandwich came as two open-faced slices, which is exactly how I like my smoke salmon. I like to feel like there’s more to be eaten, even if it’s all in my head.
Although I could be wrong, I think I detected a touch of butter to the lightly toasted rye bread, which created the stage for this interesting breakfast choice. The scene was first set with a slice of fresh tomato, which I can say for sure that that tomato tasted of the ripest, freshest variety. As for the main event, the salmon, it was tender and lightly flavored while maintaining an exceptional salmon taste. It’s the kind of flavor you feel OK about waking up at 9am for. (Hey, it’s the weekend- I like to sleep in!)
Quick tip: When preparing delectables with salmon, it’s important to layer a large enough slice of smoked salmon so that you must fold the fish to give the appearance, texture, and height of two slices of salmon. Why do two slices when with creative folding, you can capitalize on one?
Atop the smoked salmon were shards of red onion that provided ample flavor without overwhelming the palette. Generously dalloped above the onion, as if to secure its place, was a magnificently fresh dill sauce. Topping off the gourmet goodie was a speckling of capers, providing color, interest, and flavor to each bite.
The overall effect of the sandwich was a light, airy, summerlike indulgence. My mouth was offered a hint of each ingredient, and rather than feeling as though the different layers were competing for attention, my taste buds felt as though the sandwich were working as a team to provide the most amazing bite possible. Perhaps my favorite breakfast food would be a bagel with lox, and this was certainly an acceptable, delectable upgrade.
I would love to get the receipt for the dill sauce; the sauce and peppering of capers really brought the bite together. To be honest, what really sold me on this sandwich was the use of capers, which I’ve only recently become addicted to their usage in various foods. Of course I was looking forward to the smoked salmon, which is the star of my favorite breakfast food, a bagel with lox, but truly, the capers drew me in.
Julius Meinl is a great place for lunching ladies to ask for this delicacy while sipping mimosas while brunching outside in the summer months, or just a brother and sister to enjoy a fabulous winter meal.
