A Sandwich a Day: Milk & Honey Café's Avocado and Smoked Gouda Sandwich

In this great city of ours, one could eat a different sandwich every day of the year--so that's what we'll do. Here's A Sandwich a Day, our daily look at sandwiches around the Windy City. Got a sandwich we should check out? Let us know. --The Mgmt.

[Photograph: Roger Kamholz]

It may seem odd to endorse the cheese sandwich ($7.50) at Milk & Honey Café, what with the brunch-and-lunch spot's chalkboard full of enticing and seemingly more complex options. It harbors no meats of any kind. It ain't "piled high." It's not even grilled. But in its simplicity—just six ingredients, bread included—lies oh-so-many layers of flavor.

This sandwich succeeds because the major elements are all so well curated. Between lightly toasted slices of fresh multigrain bread, you'll find punchy stone ground mustard, thin slices of heavenly smoked gouda, lettuce, tomato, and a luscious helping of perfectly ripe avocado. All the ingredients are in ideal proportion to one another: not so much cheese as to tip the scales into over-richness; just enough mustard to add a spicy, acidic kick to each bite; and a generous but not overpowering dose of avocado, which ensures this sandwich eats like a meal. Working your way inward, you encounter a cascade of textures, from crispy to crunchy to juicy to creamy. To write this guy off as simply a "cheese sandwich" just wouldn't do it justice.

Milk & Honey Café

1920 West Division Street, Chicago, IL 60622 (map) 773-395-9434 milkandhoneycafe.com

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