When the days get cold and dark like this, nothing quite does it like basic comfort food. My current kick is the BLT: a little genius of a sandwich that’s stellar when tomatoes are in season, bread is fresh and bacon is high-quality, but is even damn good when all its elements are merely mediocre.

My current three local BLT faves are each a little different in scope and genre:


Liverpool Lil's BLT with avocado.

1. Liverpool Lil’s version is simple and down-home, with basic sliced bread and the always-nice addition of avocado.
2. The BLT at Curbside Café is much heartier, served on a fresh crusty roll, the kind of sandwich you have to open very wide to fit in your mouth.
3. Finally, Boxed Foods BLT has a decidedly SF personality: organic and local. The bacon is apple-smoked, the lettuce is baby gem, and the tomatoes are vine-ripened. The all-important mayo is spiked with garlic. And over at Boxed Foods sister café, B Restaurant and Bar, the sandwich becomes a PLT, made with pancetta, the Italian version of bacon.

Whether you choose basic, hearty or high-minded, the BLT proves itself to be the little classic that could.