New York City is lousy with places peddling its most famous foodstuffs. Our abundance of local culinary icons, such as pizza, bagels, hot dogs, and breakfast sandwiches, is unmatched. But, after nearly two decades of eating and drinking my way around the five boroughs as a journalist, I’ve had more bites of the Big Apple than most. I can tell you that a lot of that abundance is literally lousy, which makes the greatest foods really sing. The sausage, egg, and cheese at Bonafide Delicatessen & Cafe in northwestern Cobble Hill is one of those great foods.
I had the good fortune to live near the Bonafide (as my husband, Tom, and I call it) for many years. Although I don’t want to say that we didn’t realize how lucky we were, for we were very merry, I may have taken the Bonafide’s superior sausage, egg, and cheese for granted. When Tom and I moved elsewhere in Brooklyn, not even terribly far away, we set to sourcing new SECs. We have plenty of ostensible options in the Bonafide’s lane within a reasonable distance, which is to say delis, bodegas, and other grab-and-go affairs. Even between those half-dozen destinations, we’ve found little more than ruinously microwaved bread, gray, flaccid pork product, and, somehow, extra-artificial dairy. Not a single SEC can compare to the Bonafide’s savory, salty, gooey, crisp, and comforting sausage, egg, and cheese.
How to order Bonafide Delicatessen & Cafe’s elite SEC
For the optimal finish, order the Bonafide’s sausage, egg, and cheese with American cheese on a toasted English muffin. I once zagged to Swiss, which was tasty enough, but lacked the salinity of American. Forget about cheddar, too, which just doesn’t melt like its orange doppelgänger. The English muffin gives the whole sandwich more structural integrity than the roll that Tom incorrectly gets, and the Bonafide’s ace staff griddles the superb sausage patties to lightly caramelized perfection.
Now, I write about food full time (and then some), so I’m somewhat inoculated against cravings, but I’d be biting into one of these babies right now were we still neighbors. You should, too, the next time you’re around — I even think this SEC is worth going out of your way for. If you do make the trip, know that the Bonafide only has a few seats inside, but I’ve seen plenty of people picnicking on the steps of the apartments and multi-million dollar row homes on the block. Cobble Hill park is also only a few minutes away, as is the terrific Mazzola Bakery, should you want to pick up dessert. The best turkey sandwich I’ve ever had is also nearby, should you want to make a day of it…