Breakfast sandwiches are having a moment. We had one of the best in Johnston Co.
Breakfast sandwiches are getting better than they ever needed to be.
It turns out that’s a very good thing.
Perhaps inspired by nagging hangovers or cravings beyond the McMuffin, breakfast sandwiches are hot right now, stuffed with tender, cheesy eggs, buttery breads, a zippy hot sauce.
The same thing happened to burgers a few years ago and life has never been the same. Restaurants starting adding idealized cheeseburgers to menus, with blends of ground brisket and short ribs, butter-griddled brioche buns and fancy toppings. The beloved and perfect burger was suddenly the newest canvas for culinary artistry. We all found love in our hearts for both Char-Grill and Neuse River’s Brasserie Burger.
And now breakfast sandwiches are having their own moment in the Triangle.
When Union Special first launched its bakery and cafe, its star was The Egg Sandwich, where folded scrambled eggs met a crispy hashbrown and a romesco sauce smear.
Bagel shops like Benchwarmers and Big Dom’s pushed the outer edges of the sandwich sphere. Lakewood Social serves a breakfast sandwich all day long and on some special weekends, you can add housemade pastrami.
Redstart Takeaway makes its own English muffins to stuff with cheesy eggs, housemade hot sauce and pickled peppers.
Beyond all that, the most special breakfast sandwich is right now served up at Aaktun, an all-day cafe and late night spot, owned by current “Top Chef” competitor Oscar Diaz.
Aaktun landed on The News & Observer’s recent Top 50 Restaurants list, excelling at brunch plates, ceviche and tiki cocktails. It’s also among the 18 restaurants on that list where you can dine for less than $25, if you know how to order.
For the latest edition of On a Budget, I traveled to the Clayton outpost of Aaktun, where this trendy hot spot has found a home on a Johnston County Main Street.
My Aaktun experience
Like the Durham original, the Clayton Aaktun is inspired by the coastal caves near Tulum, Mexico, with the dining room lined with arched booths built into the wall. There’s pink velvet seats, a towering bar wall, stocked with more fancy bourbon than tequila.
I sat on the side patio, which is fenced in by tall snake plants and flowering hibiscus.
The breakfast sandwiches at Aaktun are served on thick slices of Challah bread, which is split on top like a New England lobster roll. The sweet, eggy bread is griddled on both sides, giving it crisp and color, but staying light and squishy inside.
I went with the Chorizo Papi, where folds of cheesy scrambled eggs are topped with crumbled chorizo sausage, hot sauce, white sauce, and a sprinkle of chopped chives. Every sandwich comes with a side of tater tots, which is never an unwelcome thing.
On his impressive “Top Chef” run, Diaz has made several references to foods inspired by nights out on the town. This breakfast sandwich, even in the bright light of a spring morning, would be a welcome savior in the bleary hours following a night of indulgences.
Aaktun solved the structural problem that plagues even the best breakfast sandwiches, especially bagels, which are usually stuffed with so many slick and squishy and saucy things, they collapse at first bite. Here, by taking an already soft bread, crisping the edges a bit and building it more like a taco, it all holds together.
Perhaps the peak of delight, with hot sauce smudged on my cheek, mid-sip on an iced coffee, a fat hibiscus bloom fell on my head. It turns out cosmopolitan Clayton is charm city.
