Mustering the energy and focus to work through the night on a paper that should have been done days ago is difficult, but sometimes it’s a must. While in a perfect world, the paper would have started as an outline, then been written and revised two or three times, it is now crunch time and you need to get writing. Fortunately there is one thing that can make this long night a little better. A BLT.

Finding some hot, greasy food at two in the morning can help you burn the midnight oil just a little bit longer. And if you feel any guilt about eating bacon strips in the middle of the night, remember that calories do not count after midnight and a BLT has tomatoes and lettuce in the sandwich. In fact a BLT contains almost every food group, making it a semi-nutritious and economical midnight snack.  And as a self-proclaimed pickle connoisseur, I also look forward to eating the crisp pickle that comes as a side.

Now that I have convinced you that a BLT is what you need at two in the morning, your next dilemma is determining where to get your late night BLT.

Around Fordham there are three diners that are good for a late-night meal; The Olympic Flame Diner, Morning Star Restaurant and the Flame Restaurant. Here are my reviews of all three.

Morning Star Restaurant

879 9th Ave.

(between 57th Street & 58th Street) 

New York, NY 10019

Open 7 a.m.-11p.m. Sun.-Wed. and to 12 a.m. Thurs.-Sat. 

Number of Bacon Slices: 5

Number of Tomato Slices: 3

Type of Lettuce: Romaine

Coleslaw: No

Pickle: Poor

Cost: $6.53

Overall Quality: 1/5

At three blocks south of campus this place was the farthest and my least favorite. The atmosphere inside is an eclectic mix between a diner and a restaurant. On the table they have olive oil, balsamic vinegar and Peligrino, but the booths are made of vinyl and fake wood. Unfortunately, the staff has a pretentious attitude. For instance, the host that seated me would not take my order because I had not had a chance to look through the menu. Secondly, the menu specifies a five-dollar minimum order per person. I wanted to tell the management that they were running a diner, not a Michelin rated restaurant. When the BLT came out, I immediately noticed that the bread was burnt on the bottom side, and the sandwich came with wilted romaine. At first I was happy that this BLT was packed with bacon, since I really only eat these sandwiches for the B, not the L or T. But after biting into the sandwich noticed that the bacon was burnt. Additionally, I was not impressed by their slow service or their charred sandwich. It didn’t even come with coleslaw.

The Olympic Flame Diner

200 W. 60th St.

New York, NY 10023

Open 24/7

Number of Bacon Slices: 3

Number of Tomato Slices: 4

Type of Lettuce: Iceberg

Coleslaw: Yes

Pickle: Good

Cost: $5.75

Overall Quality: 4/5

Located just a block away on Amsterdam Avenue, this diner was my favorite for two reasons: it had the best tasting BLT and was the cleanest. I enjoyed this sandwich the most because the bread was not soggy or burnt and was the best looking out of the three. Also, the lettuce was still crisp and they packed the sandwich with a lot of tomatoes. My one complaint was that I asked for no mayonnaise, but they still put it on the sandwich and even gave me extra on the side.

The Flame Restaurant

893 9th Ave.

(between 57th St. & 58th St.) 

New York, NY 10019

Open 24/7

Number of Bacon Slices: 3

Number of Tomato Slices: 2

Type of Lettuce: Romaine

Coleslaw: Yes

Pickle: Good

Cost: $5.49

Overall Quality: 3/5

Right down the street from Fordham, The Flame always has a few familiar faces from campus. The BLT from here is decent but nothing special. Compared to the other two sandwiches, this one looks a little bit flat, but it does come with a bigger pickle. The service here is always friendly and I enjoy the warmer lighting they use, too.  While I have not tried staying for long periods of time at either of the two other diners, I know that this place will not kick you out even if you order only a cup of coffee. I always end up coming here even though I know the Olympic Flame has better quality food. Maybe it’s the mood of the place, maybe it’s just out of habit.

While at two in the morning you probably will not care too much about where your BLT comes from, hopefully this guide is inspirational if not a little helpful. Good luck with your late-night papers and remember that a BLT can always help.