On Saturday morning, I met with the girls who run Hudson Valley Compass, the new website that helps you find things to do in the Hudson Valley. Beyond meeting two great people, I was really looking forward to trying a breakfast sandwich at Beacon Bread Company. I'm very particular about my breakfast sandwich, and on the weekend, I can pull out all stops for a large meal to carry me through to a great Saturday night dinner.

I ordered the egg sandwich on a Brioche bun. My breakfast partners ordered an omelet with spinach, which we learned was a garlic infused sautéed spinach. I piggybacked that side and added it to my order, and also ordered Gouda cheese in my scrambled egg sandwich. The eggs can come in any style you want. And they were gracious enough to let us be picky with our orders.

I like a cheesy egg sandwich, where cheese is oozing out the sides, and this cheese was scrambled in, so no ooze, but still delicious and hit the spot. Plus, I felt so healthy with the topping of spinach! To add to the excitement was my freshly squeezed orange juice, the squeezer machine of which you can see behind the counter. It's like a Farris wheel of oranges.

The Brioche bun filled me right up and I didn't need hash browns, although could have handled them. Just in the nick of time, the chef had finished cooking a bread pudding with raisins and maybe cinnamon, a sample of which was delivered to our table. OMG. Danger. You could easily have that bread pudding instead of French toast! Was so good.

For a great overview of Beacon Bread Company and how they started, check out this interview done by Wigwam. As for their bread, what owner and boulanger d’pain Ralph Clemente says in that interview is true: “Bread is just something I do. I know bread.” Yes he does. I've been buying loaves from Beacon Bread and All You Kneed for all of my bread needs since they opened.