87: Egg Salad Sandwich at Euro Pane Bakery

Leading up to this year's Best of L.A. issue (due out Oct. 4), we'll be counting down, in no particular order, 100 of our favorite dishes.

87: Egg Salad Sandwich at Euro Pane.

Egg salad is just egg salad, right? Something snatched from cold deli cases wrapped in cellophane or whipped up for a last minute brown bag lunch. Until we began frequenting Sumi Chang's Pasadena bakery, we might have even argued that the best version of egg salad was the one you make at home, gussied up with a little mayo, mustard, salt and pepper.

But Chang, who trained under Nancy Silverton before leaving to open her own shop, elevates the humble sandwich to a whole other plane of decadence. The eggs are boiled just long enough until the yolks are set but still soft — a gooey bright yellow plasma many a Caltech student has no doubt pondered over. The mixture comes out lighter and more delicate than anything made with egg yolks and mayo has any right to be, offset by a thin spread of sun-dried tomato pesto, a handful of arugula, and a sprinkling of cracked pepper and chives. The sandwich arrives open-faced on a slice of fresh rosemary-currant bread — who would ever want to cover up sandwich like this? — forcing you to pick up a fork and knife and acquiesce to Euro Pane's tranquil vibe. Even that stressed out T.A. rushing over during lunchtime to pick up a half-dozen sandwiches for a faculty meeting has a form of consolation: The boss left him enough change to pick up his own egg salad.

100: Lukshon's Dan Dan Noodles

99: Cemita de Milanesa at Cemitas Poblanos Elviritas #1

98: Chichen Itza's Cochinita Pibil

97: Tsukemen at Tsujita L.A.

96: La Cevicheria's Bloody Clam Ceviche.

95: Duck Shawarma at Momed.

94: Peruvian Chicken at Pollo a la Brasa.

93: Squash Blossom Quesadilla at Antojitos Carmen.

92: Thai Boat Noodles at Pa-Ord.

91: Baco Mercat's Bazole.

90: Furikake Kettle Corn at A-Frame.

89: Live Santa Barbara Spot Prawns at Providence.

88: Fried Pig Tails at Night + Market.

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