When I mentioned to Carey that I'd be in Boston for a few days, she declared that I must go to Mike & Patty's if nothing else. Read her post for Serious Eats here.
And how true that was.
Of all the pizza, fresh lobster, fried clams, bread pudding and clam chowders we ate, the only thing I couldn't have done without is the Bacon and Egg Fancy from Mike & Patty's. The "restaurant" was wedge into the corner of a small residential street and only a five minute walk from our hotel. We had NO IDEA it was so close the first time we visited, so we hopped into Zubair's car, plugged the address into the GPS. And made the 30 second drive.
"We're here?"
"We're here!"
"Aw, now we have to pay for parking."
"Let's drive it back to the hotel garage."
"That's going to cost another $30!"
"Aw man."
"Yeah. Aw man."
So we found meter parking on the street for $2. Still can't believe I wasn't smart enough to look up direction online ahead of time. Hee.
Mike & Patty's is only open for breakfast and lunch and embodies everything you could imagine of a top notch neighborhood spot. Solid coffee. Great food. And most importantly, extremely awesome and friendly properties. There are but six seats in the "restaurant." It is tiny beyond words. And the food is pretty darn amazing.
This is the Bacon and Egg Fancy I mentioned.
It might not look like much, but the taste, everything together in a single bite, is nothing short of incredible. From bottom up. Toasted multigrain bread. House mayo (addicting with a heavy hand of paprika), red onions, cheddar, and avocado. I love how its just so simple, but if you made it at home it would never be nearly as good. The crunch of warm toasted bread, both sides mayo smothered, cut by thin sliced onions, melting cheddar and creamy ripe avocado. I could eat this for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
That was the "fancy," which implies that there's an un-fancy, or rather a "classic" on the menu. This was what my sister had for breakfast each time we went. She likes her food straightforward: bacon, egg, and cheese on an english muffin.
Home fries on the side. These needed a bit more ooomph.
Mike was sweet enough to serve up a slices of pretty awesome peameal bacon, an unsmoked bacon popular in Canada. Mike is from Toronto, and trying to popularize the bacon he grew up with.
Here we have the Grilled Banana Sandwich. Crazy huh? Slices of pain de mie are smothered with cinnamon honey butter, grilled super crispy. Sauteed bananas in the middle. Powdered sugar. You decide, breakfast or dessert. Either way, it's most certainly a morning wake up call for the sweet content alone.
One morning, after too many plates of fried clams, I decided to cleanse my system with a bowl of Greek Yogurt with Blueberries, Granola and Maple Syrup.
But then I saw dad's golden, stuffed Breakfast Torta, and quickly traded him. Heehee. The "somewhat Mexican breakfast sandwich" coupled eggs, salsa, and cheese with refritos, roasted poblanos, potatoes, AND avocados on a toasted seeded bun. Quite a mouthful.
I wish I could have packed up Mike & Patty's, the entire restaurant, in my suitcase and drive it back to NYC. I'd plant it on the northeast corner of 13th Street and 2nd Avenue (currently home of the NYEE). That way I could pass by each morning on the way to my bus stop, pausing in for hot coffee and one bacon & egg fancy.
Happy Sunday ^_^
Mike & Patty's
12 Church Street
Boston, MA 02116-5514
(617) 423-3447
