Midtown Lunch

Certé is mighty popular around these parts so I’m slightly embarrassed I’d never been by for lunch. I thought their lobster sausage at the ML Birthday Bash earlier this year was incredible, but somehow I never had a chance to make it to their actual location. When I heard their October sandwich was a beer glazed sausage in a pretzel roll, I knew my time had come. It’s creatively named the Octoberfist (which sounds much more violent than it is) and gives nods to both German comfort food and beer.

I must say the sandwich was a sticky mess. A pack of Wet Naps should have been included. In addition to sticking to my fingers, I could feel the heavy gutbomb sticking to my ribs. But I won’t complain too much because it was mighty tasty. The flavors were pretty much spot-on. The wurst was firm (no snap) and tasted intensely of dark, sweet malty ale with a hint of spices. And while I do wish the mustard seeds in the sauce added a bit more heat for balance, the pork knuckle cabbage and béchamel played in to the sweetness of the sausage. The pretzel bread was a brilliant choice for this, but I think it would have been perfected by a few garnishes of salt.

As previously mentioned in the comments, the size was slightly disappointing. The ratio of bread to sausage was way off. The sausage itself was on the small side and got swallowed up by the pretzel bread. But it was easy to finish the leftover bread since the other accoutrements were so creamy and tangy. And while it seems like I have quite a few complaints about this, I thought the flavors were great and the richness made it a pretty filling lunch (in fact, I wanted to take a nap afterward). Now if only the weather were more appropriate for such a heavy, seasonal sandwich.

Certé, 20 W 55th St (btw 5+6th), 212-397-2020