The Buttered Tin
Chef/owner Alicia Hinze starts with her house-baked wheat-sunflower bread ($10.50), and other special touches include a chive-roasted garlic aioli and premium bacon from Fischer Family Farms Pork in Waseca, Minn. Add chicken ($3) and make it a club.
237 E. 7th St., St. Paul, thebutteredtin.com
Colossal Cafe
This sturdy iteration ($12.75), on toasted house-baked bread, breaks BLT boundaries by including Cheddar cheese, and yes, you should add a fried egg ($1.50) and avocado ($2.15).
2315 Como Av., St. Paul, and 1340 Grand Av., St. Paul, colossalcafe.com
Dakota Junction
A peak-season sandwich ($9) that showcases just-picked tomatoes from nearby Big Stone Garden and Gale Woods Farm. The first-rate bacon hails from Peterson Craftsman Meats in Osceola, Wis.
2281 Commerce Blvd., Mound, facebook.com/DakotaJunctionMound
Heather's
Owner Heather Asbury and her crew pull together a monster of a BLT ($17, it could easily serve two), brimming with all the right touches, including colorful heirloom tomatoes, a punchy basil aioli and plenty of Fischer Family Farms Pork bacon. A chocolate chip cookie for dessert ($2) is a must.
5201 Chicago Av. S., Mpls., heathersmpls.com