Everyone

Perpetually in search of a good sandwich, I tend to always believe food reviews when they rave about one, and especially if multiple reviews rave about one.

Case in point- the "Boston Globe Favorite" ($7.25) at Bread and Lily in Newton Highlands (where the old Ice Cream Works used to be). Said sandwich is described thusly:

"Cider marinated and fire grilled chicken breast sliced and stacked with fresh apple and fennel slaw, shaved red onions, thyme infused mayonnaise, and provolone cheese on a tender [Iggy's] sourdough roll."

"Everyone" seems to love this sandwich, and though I don't normally believe in crowd mentality, I do like to feel confident about the food I buy. I wanted to love it too.

Unfortunately, and I can't precisely pinpoint why, I didn't love it. The bread seem not toasted enough, the cheese seemed not melted enough, the thyme mayonnaise seemed not thick enough (or there at all), the slaw... was good. It was just... not enough. The thing is, I wouldn't really change anything flavor-wise, except maybe add bacon (never hurts). The ingredients are top notch and, where possible, house made or at least locally sourced. Perhaps the problem boils down to one of construction; the creamy mayo and sweet yet tangy fennel and apple slaw played well off each other, but there was only enough mayo to hint at an ethereal pairing.

Maybe Bread and Lily is catering to an older, more health conscious crowd with slower metabolisms. Bacon and mayo aside, this sandwich would be much improved simply with a more thorough toasting of the roll, thus caramelizing its own innate sugars. Instead, a quick broil left the exterior too soft, and fluffy which, in my opinion, would only be okay if it was just out of the oven. In most cases, bread just tastes better lightly toasted, so why not? Or better yet, brush it with olive oil and press it. No one can resist a good panini.

To further my disappointment, the sandwich came with house made sweet potato chips (also loved by this anomalous "everyone"), which were surprisingly not good considering how pretty they looked on the plate and my penchant for sweet potato fries. I did, however, really like the pickle, which gave me hope. Their menu sounds so enticing. I'd love to believe it.