The crunch on 5 Napkin Burger’s BLT, as delivered by both the baguette and dark bacon, is nothing short of fabulous – a great bite, nicely balanced by the tender, juicy turkey-breast, tomato and crispy fresh iceberg. .Photos by Abigael T. Sidi.

By Abigael T. Sidi

In the spring of 2023, right about the time I started pitching stories to the Rag, I ran into an article on the website that both hit close to home and inspired me to become a better writer. In his weekly Weekend Column (now “West Side Canvas”), Robert Beck painted and wrote about used books in ways only he can – his readers will know exactly what I mean, and yes, I’m one of the ones who consider it blasphemous to discard a book.

So, when earlier this year, Beck sent me an email enigmatically entitled “a baguette,” I was both flattered and intrigued.  In his message, Beck raved about 5 Napkin Burger’s turkey BLT; not only about the bacon (an ingredient he clearly adores), but even more specifically, about the baguette used in the sandwich.

Beck’s message first established credibility, with his characteristic style that always leaves a smile on my face (and the rest of me green with envy): “I lived on baguettes with ham and butter when I was in France, but I’m often disappointed everywhere else. Some of the ones on the UWS are criminally dense with a lingering taste of library paste. Like eating a life jacket.”  Not in a million years could I have come up with better descriptors of your typical UWS baguette.

However, he continued, “the [5 Napkin Burger BLT] baguette had a golden, flaky crust and a light but moist crumb with a subtle sweetness. It was like food. The rest was delicious (bacon!), but I marveled at the baguette.”  Enough read, I made my way to “5N” and gave the baguette BLT a try.

5N always wins me over with their complimentary side of thick kosher dill chips while you’re waiting for your meal. I was in a good mood when the BLT arrived and, indeed, the baguette looked absolutely the part, with a micro-bubbly, lizard skin-like crust so typical of classic Parisian baguettes. But before I took my first bite, I couldn’t help but check the sandwich’s layering, which according to my loyal reader Dino Vercotti, should be meats (bacon, turkey) on bottom, lettuce in middle, tomato on top (check his comment here). As caught on camera, 5N will have to deal with Dino’s wrath – lettuce on bottom, meats on top, and tomato in between.

The crunch on the BLT, as delivered by both the baguette and dark bacon, was nothing short of fabulous – a great bite, nicely balanced by the tender, juicy turkey-breast and tomato layers and crispy fresh iceberg. The mayo, slabbed on both sides of the sandwich, was well dosed and brought every ingredient home.

And so, yes, Beck was certainly right to single out the baguette, which by almost every metric hit like that of a French boulangerie. Crisp, golden crust and airy dough; it was amazing, perhaps only lacking in the very slight chewiness and yeastiness typical of the real thing. Asked about the sandwich and baguette, 5N manager Alberto Alvarez said that “Chef Andy [D’Amico] created it about 6 months ago; the baguette is from Tom Cat Bakery, and the sandwich is very popular.”

Tom Cat Bakery is first and foremost a wholesale supplier for many NYC restaurants, but you can order their baguettes online and buy some of their breads, including their acclaimed Japanese milk bread, via Fresh Direct. (If Tom Cat’s name sounds familiar, it’s because the bakery was at the epicenter of a 2017 immigration protest called a “Day Without Bread” early in the first Trump Administration, after Homeland Security announced it was conducting an audit of bakery employees’ documentation. “Tom Cat’s workers are a canary in Trump’s coal mine as ICE intensifies its deportation drive,” The Nation wrote at the time, “with a sharp rise in arrests of immigrants without criminal records reported in the New York region.”)

The restaurant is open and bright, very welcoming, and feels like a cross between a French brasserie and American diner.

5 Napkin Burger has been around since 2008, when chef D’Amico and co-owner Simon Oren decided that the eponymous burger that they had been serving at Nice Matin had reached such levels of popularity that it deserved its own restaurant. The burger, a mammoth 10-ounce juicy beef patty topped with Gruyère cheese, caramelized onions, and rosemary aioli, is as messy and delicious as ever and is definitely worth the trip. I also love their fries, and had a small portion ($4.50) to go along with my BLT (an excuse to get my hands on a side of the killer rosemary aioli, which I used to both dip my fries and add to my BLT, highly recommended!)

The restaurant is open and bright, very welcoming, and feels like a cross between a French brasserie and an American diner. Oh, and it also has a sushi bar! It is open Monday through Thursday from 11:30 a.m. til 10:00 p.m, on Fridays from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., with take-out and delivery available at those times. Vegetarian options, including a veggie burger, are also available.

The Dish:
Turkey BLT Baguette ($16.50)
The Restaurant:
5 Napkin Burger: 2315 Broadway (corner of West 84th Street)

Read all Here’s the UWS Dish columns here.

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