2 Unforgettable New Jersey Spots For Taylor Ham And Cheese

As someone who grew up in New Jersey, the first thing I seek out at sunrise is this nostalgic breakfast sandwich I can only get here in the Garden State. Taylor ham and cheese breakfast sandwiches are a New Jersey staple. There are two spots that seem to make it better than the rest.

Although technically it is pork roll, you never hear an enthusiast or popular deli call it anything other than Taylor Ham. Put aside the fact that it's not necessarily the healthiest item in the world, it's just delicious. The Taylor Ham is grilled, usually to the point where one side (at least) has a bit of a charred look to it. Then, you add your egg and American cheese. If it's prepared right, the cheese will melt atop the ham. Adding eggs (just like you would add bacon, egg, and cheese) gives it an extra kick and, of course, provides the protein. However, ordering just a Taylor Ham and Cheese sandwich is perfectly reasonable and common. That is what I opt for. It's also because you get more of the actual ham, which is the star of the show.

Here's another important point about this breakfast item done correctly. Now, it's still just as good and fine to order on a bagel, but the round roll is the traditional element that takes it to another level. If you really want it to be authentic, it's wrapped and handed to you in tinfoil.

The common factor between these two local establishments is that they are small places that are part of their community. The staff knows their regulars' names and expect to see many of the same folks on a weekend morning, grabbing their bag of bagels before the rest of the family wakes up.

Located at 27 Reynolds Ave, Mimi's Deli is a family-owned business that opens daily at 6 AM. You will notice, upon entering early you immediately smell the fresh aroma of brewed coffee. Mimi's hits all the right sense to start your day off right.

Their Taylor ham and cheese is quite popular during the AM hours. They do a perfect job of layering the ham and cheese. This is important because it blends the tastes as opposed to just placing the cheese on top. Layering also allows the cheese to melt upon each piece of sizzling Taylor ham. My recommendation here is always to get this on a fresh roll.

This is located on a high-traffic route at 233 Berdan Ave. That is probably for good reason. Sunrise Bagels is such a simple and fantastic name for a local bagel joint. They also have two other affiliated locations for those who drive to and from work. This location "feels like home spot." It's one of the first places I've ever had this legendary breakfast sandwich. It's also where I'd go when picking up a cousin in Wayne. We'd grab our Sunrise bagel and a Gatorade and hang out for the day upon first getting our driver's license.

You can't go wrong here getting a Taylor ham and cheese on an everything bagel. It's also one of those places where you add in another plain bagel to throw in the bag to snack on later.

Ben and Jerry's new flavors couldn't be more different from each other. The popular New England based ice cream brand has added three options to their creative family so far this year, and here I will rank them all.

Coincidentally, I tried each of these in one sitting. This was an unplanned taste test. With a house full of young kids, a visiting friend recently stopped by and knew the way to quickly win over the youngsters. Pints of ice cream.

Before I get into explaining which was best, I should note I am not an ice cream (or dessert) enthusiast by any means. Dare I say, I hardly seek out ice cream, even in the summer months. However, if it is put in front of me, I will eat it if it's one of my favorite varieties.

If I'm going for ice cream, though, Ben and Jerry's is easily my brand of choice. Being a New Englander, I have toured their Vermont location a handful of times. Their half-baked in a cone is my go-to choice.

If you are not familiar, these are the Ben and Jerry's new flavors that have rolled out in 2024. Impretzively Fudged, PB S'More, and Marshmallow Sky. Now, it's important to note that Marshmallow Sky is new just to pints. Meaning, it was available in their scoop shops only.

Another flavor entitled Strawberry Cheezecake was also unveiled earlier this year. This did not qualify here as a new flavor ranking because it had been an ice cream flavor (branded "cheesecake). The new "cheeze" version is a vegan dairy-free dessert.

Upon seeing these at my house, I realized they were new. So, instead of selecting one pint to scoop, I took one for the team and realized I needed one proper scoop of each.

My process was to try one at a time and not have all three in the same bowl. Blending flavors might compromise the intended taste.

As a result, there was a flavor where one bite was enough. Another where I couldn't get enough, and the third was somewhere in between.

Here is my official ice cream ranking of Ben and Jerry's new flavors.

It's chocolate ice cream with fudge covered pretzel pieces and pretzel swirl. The problem here is that I do not like chocolate covered pretzels. Oddly enough, I love pretzels alone. Dip them in sugar and ice cream and it either compromises the flavor or classifies as "too much." So, this was my least favorite.

Here we have toasted marshmallow ice cream with peanut butter cups, graham cracker pieces, and marshmallow swirl. The graham crackers are the star of this show. They pair better with the ice cream and chocolate than the typical marshmallow of a S'More. This was certainly a tasty delight, but I feel if the marshmallow swirl did not need to be invited to the party.

Admittedly, I was a little cautious about the blue ice cream color thinking it could suffer from cotton candy syndrome (where too much equals upset stomach city). That is not the case here. It's marshmallow ice cream with swirls, and then chocolate chip cookie dough and chocolate chocolate chip cookie dough. The latter of the cookie dough bites just brings this to another level. Some sweets get forced together and some just belong together and make each other better. That's the case here. It's no wonder Ben and Jerry's decided to promote this flavor. It tastes as cheerful as it looks.