Temptations Cafe, Brookline, MA USA

Ordered at Temptations Cafe in Brookline's Coolidge Corner.

Temptations Café in Coolidge Corner has had a sign outside of their storefront for several weeks now, boasting about their “Coolidge Corner Club” Sandwich. It has an arrow pointing to the café, with the word “Clubhouse” highlighted. I was attracted to this sign like bees to honey…

… and when we were done working out just down the street, there was only one thing on my mind: that sign in front of Temptations Café. So while Rachel claimed we had food at home to eat, I knew I needed the Coolidge Corner Club from Temptations Café to satisfy my post-workout-hunger.

I’ve lived off and on in Coolidge Corner for many years now, so I know the town and the area well. It’s full of families with kids, young professionals, and many Jewish, Asian, and eastern European residents. Lots of mom and pop stores, lots of police, lots of cultural and culinary diversity, and always a priority on keeping things healthy. After all, Brookline was one of the first towns in all of America to ban trans-fats back in 2007. So when it came to a “Coolidge Corner Club” Sandwich, I was very much hoping it would embrace some of Coolidge Corner’s most defining aspects, and not just the name.

But back to this experience: Ordering was a breeze, no questions asked of me, and we stood to the side in a busy Temptations Café, talking about life and patiently waiting for my club sandwich… which came after about 7 minutes. Five minutes later and I was sitting at home, Coolidge Corner Club before me.

Well it definitely looked cheesy. Nothing sexy about the Coolidge Corner Club’s appearance. You should be able to see this from the photo. Was all that cheese necessary? I don’t think you need me to answer that.

While it came on ciabatta, I’d simply call this “Panini bread.” There were signs for “Iggy’s Bread” in the window… but what came on my club sandwich was simply nothing too exciting. It just tasted like thin and compressed toasted white bread. But maybe that’s what they were going for.

Bacon was thin and crispy… with Trader Joes just a few blocks away, I knew they had better ingredients very close by. A juicier bacon would have really helped out this club sandwich, especially with the thin amount of turkey it came with.

Onions didn’t really taste caramelized, and were fairly mushy. I didn’t fully “get” their addition. Is that what made this a Coolidge Corner Club? I hope not!

Turkey, which I believe was the main focus of this club, was nothing exciting, and was hard to taste through the other ingredients. It tasted fine, just not full of flavor, and left ample room for a sauce to strengthen it… which it did quite nicely. The chipotle mayo was simple and lovely; a spread with subtle flavor applied perfectly, ensuring it only enhanced the sandwich. Probably this club’s best aspect.

After a workout and trying to be “healthy”, I just couldn’t finish all of this club sandwich. I felt guilty eating it. No tomatoes, nothing green, lots of cheese and bacon… Coolidge Corner (and Brookline in general) is an extremely proactive and health conscious place; I was shocked that this sandwich didn’t carry that same gusto.

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