Every week, I document another dish that impressed and satiated me during my food adventures around New York City
One day I will actually start this official journey searching for the best Bacon Egg and Cheese sandwich (BEC) in NYC. It’s my next iconic NYC food, but my life has just not allowed me to do it justice.
That being said, I may have just found one BEC that is very high in the running.
Via Porta is a new hip sandwich shop attached to the Italian-leaning B’artusi. Both businesses are part of the L’Artusi West Village Italian mini-empire. These restaurants are neighborhood spots with serious pedigree.
The take-out only Via Porta looks like a typical local bakery, but based on their killer (albeit) pricey breakfast sandwich, this place is much more serious than it looks.
The Uova Funghi added thick plump mushrooms to the typical mix of bacon, egg, and cheese. To be honest, the mushrooms were the selling point for me.
The giant lightly grilled sandwich was a mess of gut busting ingredients. Soft, buttery bread slicked with a tangy lemon aioli melded with the creamy soft scrambled egg and melty gouda. To break it all up was some more fat – the porky kind – from thick salty pancetta. Those mushrooms (a mix of wild earthy varieties) were another foil and featured fragrant herbs.
Messy and expensive as it was, this was a hefty sandwich. I couldn’t understand why I wasn’t hungry for hours later. That’s the work of an expertly made BEC. Price: $14.75
Does Via Porta have the best BEC in NY? Some will argue it’s price disqualifies it, but it is loaded with high quality gut busting ingredients. For flavor and composition, it gets an 8 out of10 but at the high price, it might be hard to justify it as an everyday classic..
| VIA PORTA |
| 522 Hudson Street (at West 10th Street), West Village |
| viaporta.com |
