Thomas's Ham 'n' Eggery

In an island full of diners, eaterys need to have some extra special items in order to make themselves stand out. Thomas's Ham 'n' Eggery, perhaps my favoritely named diner, does just this.

The glowing retro sign that sticks out on Old Country Road acts as a giant arrow that leads one to a world of wonderful breakfast food. The sign itself has a funny story. Even though one of the owner's names is Thomas, the sign and storefront was actually established back 1946 by the original Tom. After a series of sales and purchase trade-offs of the diner, it eventually ended up in the hands of the current Thomas and his brother, who conveniently saved a lot of money on sign replacement.

While Thomas's features many of the breakfast-diner standards, their French Toast stands out above the rest. Their special STUFFED French Toast, to be specific.

Thomas's features an array of insanely good French toasts, stuffed with a variety of flavored fillings, made fresh. Some of the best stuffed options include Cranberry, Banana Cream, Raspberry, Nutella, and Lemon Ricotta. They even have a Strawberry topped French Toast made with croissant bread instead of the standard, very crunchy and sweet. The french toast itself is quite good, but it's what's on the inside that counts. The stuffed ingredients are creamy and fresh, a mixture of cream cheeses, spreads, and fruit. It's well made too, and not a mess, as if it's inside of a pocket instead of two pieces of bread. And you get two "sandwiches" with your order, stuffed with your flavor of choice. That's four pieces of french toast all together. You barely need syrup.

Cranberry Stuffed French Toast, topped with Craisins. 

Another fun part of Thomas's is that their omelets and frittata, both delicious, creamy, and just the right amount of crisp, come served right in the skillet they were born in. Fresh from the stove or the oven, they come sizzling hot in the pan to the table, big enough to reasonably feed four people, especially the fritata, which i prefer over the omelet. Some of the frittata options include Bacon & Gorgonzola, Leek & Chicken Sausage, and Pancettta & Fontina.

Bacon & Gorgonzola Frittata, fresh out of the skillet- zingy, crispy, fluffy, baconey.

Thomas's is a refreshing option in a sea of Long Island diners that serve that standard eggs, toast, and bacon dishes. Prices run relatively cheap here too, even for the featured items. 5-9 Dollars would be the range per item, which is a good buy considering most diners change 10 bucks for a club sandwich or a hamburger. It would be a waste to get French Toast without stuffing, eggs without a skillet, or any of the other items like Corned Beef Hash, Pigs in a Blanket, and Heuvos Rancheros if you came to eat here without knowing the menu. I've seen it happen. It's sad. 

You can find Thomas's at:
325 Old Country Road
Carle Place, NY
Mon-Sat: 6:00am-10:00pm
Sun: 6:00am-4:00pm
(516) ED3-3060
CASH ONLY!
More Info: http://www.exploreli.com/venues/thomas-s-ham-eggery-diner-1.854003

A&S Bagels

For a Long Island food blog, a first post about bagels seems appropriate. However, just because we are in New York does not mean that all bagels here are created equally. I've been to some pretty horrid bagel joints that would make you feel that you  were miles out of the Tri-State area.

A&S Bagels is a special place. Located in Franklin Square, A&S has been around for over 15 years, serving fresh bagels both wholesale and retail. The fact that they make their own bagels for wholesale is where part of the magic lies. While some delis, diners, and even other bagel places are getting their bagel stock shipped to them in the morning, A&S is making them fresh. You can still see into the back today, and watch the little strands of dough become miraculous grown-up bagels.

When I was little, A&S was mainly only wholesale, and they decided to open up a small counter to sell fresh bagels retail. The customers loved it, and it has evolved today into an incredibly popular stop for people all over the island, with more options, an extended counter and larger standing room. The fact that the place is 24/7 does not hurt at all either. 

The French Toast Bagel

This place is so popular that when it set on fire last year, I had already heard about it while living out in California before many Long Islanders did. People gathered to watch their beloved bagel mecca burn, and while it was sad, everyone agreed that it was the most heavenly smelling building fire they ever smelt. And in a world of relicencing and inspection delays for getting buildings repaired and functioning, the whole place was back and running in about two weeks. They must know people.

Every bagel is delicious at A&S, and they have a great menu of sandwiches made with Boar's Head cold cuts that that can be put on any of the multiple types of bagels, but my aim is not to shed light on the obvious. I'd rather talk about one of A&S's more unique items, The French Toast Bagel, pictured above.

The French Toast Bagel, served with butter and maple syrup, is everything good and holy about breakfast foods. Dusted with a little powdered sugar, the crispiness of the bagel, with the doughy inside, along with the buttery and maple syrupy goodness oozing out of it mimics the best features of french toast in every way. Breakfast food is always in fashion, and with A&S's 24 hour window to get it, you really can't lose.

Some other greats at A&S include The Famous Adonis Sandwich, a delicious deli combo drenched in Russian dressing on a bagel of your choice, and the Egg Everything bagel, which is never listed anywhere and can be rare. You can spot it because it has a more orangey hue to it than the regular Everythings. If you get there at the right time, and spot it, ask for it.

A&S Bagels is located at:
761 Hempstead Turnpike
Franklin Square, NY 11010
(516) 326-9288
Open 24 Hours, 7 Days a Week
CASH ONLY!
http://www.aandsbagels.com/

This Blog Bites

In trying to do a "Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives" type blog about Long Island, one might think it could only be "Diners, Diners, and Diners." The truth is that there are a lot of great places right here on Long Island that aren't just diners, and there is a lot of fun, unique, weird, and special items that are worth making the trip for. Right here in Nassau and Suffolk County exists some great treats that can rival anything you can get in the city. This blog will seek out these items and bring them to light, and maybe eventually, bring them into your tasting path.