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Sweet Touch Café
Find the sweet spot
BY DANIEL SCHULMAN
Previous Columns

One might think preparing a proper egg-and-cheese sandwich is a fairly simple operation. One would be wrong. Many factors go into the making of this breakfast delicacy, and so many things can go awfully, terribly, irrevocably wrong in its execution.

Consider for a moment the subtle interplay between egg, cheese, and bread (preferably a bagel). Too much of one ingredient will disrupt the delicate balance, and it will appear that you’re eating either a handful of eggs, a liquefied block of American cheese, or a plain-Jane bagel — all of which completely defeat the purpose of egg and cheese. Even if the mixture is correct, critical missteps can occur in the kitchen. An over-toasted bagel retains flavor poorly. The messy drippings of an undercooked egg can put a damper on your morning commute. And, in perhaps the most flagrant disrespect to the egg-and-cheese, improperly melted cheese can ruin everything. If you’ve ever chomped into a breakfast sandwich to find a sweaty, tepid slab of American, this point needs no further illustration.

Luckily, if you find yourself in East Cambridge, hungering for a breakfast sandwich, you’ll know just where to go. Situated in a storefront blocks from the Lechmere T station, making it a popular morning pit stop for nine-to-fivers, the Sweet Touch Café serves one of the finest breakfast sandwiches on this side of the Charles. A fluffy, omelet-esque pedestal of eggs, blanketed by a slice of evenly melted American, and served on expertly toasted bread of your choice, the Sweet Touch’s egg-and-cheese ($1.80) meets the requirements outlined above and then some. (Meat-lovers can spice up this classic with bacon, ham, or sausage for an additional 95 cents.)

The perfect complement to a fine egg-and-cheese is a fine cup of coffee, which Sweet Touch delivers in three modestly priced sizes ($1.15, $1.40, and $1.62). A word of caution: when ordering a cup of joe here, remember that large actually stands for mega-ultra tremendous, capable of delivering a near-fatal dose of caffeine.

Yeah, the café’s got other stuff too. It’s located across the street from Middlesex County Court House, and come noontime, the dimly lit and sparsely decorated space fills to capacity. Lunch-seekers find an ample selection of simple fare. The revolving line-up of soups ($1.75/small; $2.75/large) usually includes a thin-brothed beef barley or a traditional Italian wedding soup. Hot and cold sandwiches run the gamut: a tender Reuben ($4.35), overstuffed cheese steak ($4.25 and $4.95), or stock-in-trade chicken-salad sandwich ($4.25 and $4.95) are all fine choices.

Sadly for latecomers, breakfast is phased out midmorning; they’ll have to wait another day for a sweet egg-and-cheese.

Sweet Touch Café, located at 241 Cambridge Street, in Cambridge, is open Monday through Friday, from 5:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and on Saturday, from 7 a.m. to noon. Call (617) 491-4119.


Issue Date: December 19 - 25, 2003
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