Sweetleaf’s breakfast sandwich.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, brunch not so much, unless you count M. Wells Dinette or dim sum. Long before I read Anthony Bourdain’s takedown of the portmanteau meal in Kitchen Confidential, I was a brunch hater. A good breakfast sandwich—the classic New York City coffee cart bacon, egg, and cheese—however, is something I get can get behind. Heck I’ve even been known to enjoy a McGriddle. Which is why, despite my aversion to the meal, I’m glad Sweetleaf launched brunch this past weekend at its Long Island City waterfront location. The coffee and cocktail bar’s short menu features one of the best egg sandwiches I’ve had in a long time.The English muffin can barely contain the contents of Sweetleaf’s $9 breakfast sandwich.The bottom layer of cheddar blanketed by a nice omelet dressed with spicy aioli and jalapenos  is surmounted by a thick cut slice of tomato and two criss-crossed strips of bacon. The top of the muffin is perched so precariously you might be tempted to eat the sandwich with a knife and fork. Don’t do it. Instead smash down the top and eat it that breakfast sandwich the God meant it to be eaten, with your hands.  Wash it down with a Bloody Mary if you must, or better yet, have a properly made cortado for dessert.

Sweetleaf, 46-15 Center Boulevard, 4615 Center Boulevard, Long Island City, 347-527-1038