Don't Croak Before You Croque

If you know me in real life, you know I'm kind of a sandwich fiend. Mostly because pretty much anything can be a sandwich.

Case in point -- this is what qualifies ingredients to become a sandwich:
1. Two pieces of bread
2. Bunch of stuff in stacked in between

I would say the third qualification is that you have to be able to hold this stack of ingredients between two pieces of bread in your hands while eating, but then I'd be lying.

Because of "The Croque."

Nope, that's not a breakfast. The croque madam at
Manuel's Bread Cafe in North Augusta,
South Carolina, served with side salad

You see, because in addition to giving us the French baguette, the French croissant, the French macaroon, the Eiffel Tower, French poodles and (quite arguably) the French fry, the lovely people of Pah-ree also gave us this thing called the croque-monsieur. This, magnificent friends, is a sandwich eaten not with hands, but with a fork.

Granted, you could probably eat it with your hands, but I recommend you not. You'll see why in about two paragraphs.

According to the super-reliable Internet source Wikipedia, the croque-monsieur originated in Parisian cafes, appearing on menus circa 1910. It's a ham and cheese sandwich, for all intents and purposes, but just as the French make fashion and food upscale, Paris couldn't have "a ham and cheese sandwich." They upped the ante and topped it with bechamel sauce.

Bechamel is flour, milk and a fat (butter and/or bacon fat, for example) turned into a thick gravy-like roux. This is why you might should be fancy and use a fork when eating a croque-monsieur.

In Evans, Georgia, which is where I found myself this past weekend (it's the good ol' stompin' grounds), there is only one place to find this delicacy: Manuel's Bread Cafe in Hammond's Ferry, a quaint little neighborhood in North Augusta, South Carolina. Not to be confused with North, South Carolina, or Augusta, Georgia, because both of those exist too, but that's for another time.

Here's the thing about Manuel's. Manuel Verney-Carron is French. (And cute, if you ask my mother/aunt/grandmother/etc.) So you KNOW you are getting authentic French and French-inspired food in his kitchen. Add to the fact that more times than not Chef Manuel is the one behind the counter cooking a portion of your food and you are in for a treat.

The magic moment of piercing a fried egg; its yolk
blending into the herbed bechamel sauce

The Croque, my cousin Rachel's name for this sandwich, is one of many incredible dishes at Manuel's. I've been to Manuel's a number of times, but only recently beheld a croque of my very own. This weekend I decided to try one of Manuel's specialty croques (check the board when you walk in for these!) -- the croque madam. The madam is a croque-monsieur topped with a perfectly fried egg, meaning that the magic moment your fork touches the sandwich, the bright yellow yolk bursts and the herbed bechamel mixes with its savory goodness to make a silky roux.

Everything about the madam was magnificent. It started innocuously enough, as I watched one of the line chefs stack thin slices of sweet Black Forest ham and Swiss cheese between two oblong slices of sourdough. She swiped both sides of the sandwich in butter and tossed it on a grill. Meanwhile another cook mixed up my side salad. This wasn't your run-of-the-mill iceberg lettuce with dressing side salad. This was a spring mix, diced red onions and tomatoes, coated in housemade vinaigrette. I don't like salads, but this salad was bright, colorful and really, really good. You can't go wrong choosing either the side salad or the fries at this place, honestly.

The croque madam made its way to the plate and was topped with a generous ladleful of bechamel. Be still, mine heart. We sat at the bar (this place gets packed Saturdays for lunch, and Sundays for brunch, so be forewarned) so I could see right across to the warming plate where our food was getting ready to be served. And then, the crowning glory, right before this plate of pure Parisian heaven was brought out in front of me.

Trust me when I say I cut that sucker into the tiniest bites possible because I wanted to savor every mouthful.

There's not much food that can't be added to by laying a fried egg on top (pimento cheese sandwiches, Steak 'n Shake burgers, hot dogs from Blind Pig Tavern, for starters). Rachel, who does not eat eggs (or shrimp, or a random host of other foods) was tempted to eat a bite of the bechamel-egg-croque concoction and gave it a positive review.

I think that speaks for itself. Clearly, this is one sandwich you should add to your bucket list, even if you do have to eat it with a fork.

** Bonus foodie tip: Manuel's also has fab desserts and breads. If you get there early enough, you can find them at Augusta's Saturday Market on the River. They're the booth on the corner closest to the Cotton Exchange building! I recommend chocolate croissants (they heat up nicely too for a coffee-time snack), the Mediterranean loaf and the pizza loaf. Hamburgers and fries at the restaurant get a thumbs up too.