PAIN D’AVIGNON PROSCIUTTO, MOZZARELLA & BASIL SANDWICH

Do you regularly dine with someone who always “up-orders” you in restaurants? No matter what you order, or how amazing it tastes, theirs is always just a tiny bit better? I took Ali to the Boulangerie - Café at Pain D’Avignon Bakery in Hyannis to give her a taste of what I’d be writing about on this page—their sin-riddled Grilled Hanger Steak Sandwich with Caramelized Shallots and Horseradish Sauce. Ordering at the counter, she sampled some soups and bread while I readied my camera. Sandwiches were soon marched out, along with our lunch wines, and we sat at a table on the outdoor patio. I dutifully photographed my soon-to-be-victim in good light, from various angles, and then devoured it, leaving nothing but a few Cape Cod Chips, a lonely cornichon and horseradish sauce on my shirt. “Want my last bite?” Ali asked. Huh? Wha? (I forgot she was at the table.) “It’s Italian Prosciutto and Mozzarella with Fresh Basil, Tomato and Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil.” I popped the bite in my mouth and couldn’t believe it. In one taste she had screwed up my mission. Her sandwich read Servi Chaud (served hot), but neither of us anticipated the crunch of warm, in-house made focaccia pressed just so that the cheese melted into each nook and cranny. The heavenly scent of the basil (locally grown along with the tomato at Cape Abilities Farm) cartoonishly swirled around my head, and the prosciutto was deliciously subtle—less salty than most, perhaps thanks to the cheese. “Wow,” I said. “Yeah,” she replied (with an “up-ordering” grin). “Wow!” I retorted. We both sat contentedly back into our chairs perusing the dinner menu for later that week. “You know you never got a photo of your new subject,” Ali pointed out, “We should get another one.” Some days are just plain better than others...

Pain D’Avignon Boulangerie & Café
15 Hinckley Road, Hyannis
508-778-8588
www.paindavignon.com
Breakfast, lunch & bakery open Monday-Saturday, 7:00 am-5:00 pm and Sunday, 8:00 am-5:00 pm
Now serving dinner (along with beer, wine & entertainment) 7 nights, 6:00-11:00 pm