Terra Cotta Pasta’s Brunch Sando of the day. Photo by Aimsel Ponti

I’m a longtime Terra Cotta Pasta Co. devotee, primarily because of my obsession with the vegetable Italian (olive oil, balsamic vinaigrette, fresh mozzarella, local tomatoes, fresh basil, seasoned breaded eggplant, sweet caramelized onions, salt and pepper).

I get one of those bad boys every couple of weeks and always marvel at how delicious it is and, at $7.99, affordably priced. More often than not, I also frequently pick up a sfogliatella (flaky lemon ricotta pastry) for my neighbor and fellow Italian, Anna.

It was during a recent trip to Terra Cotta that something different in the display case caught my eye. So much so that I snapped a photo to remind myself. There, before me, was something called a Brunch Sando, priced at $8.99. This one featured spinach, scrambled eggs, Asiago cheese, maple sage sausage, tomatoes, greens and garlic aioli on a sesame seed bagel.

I was told that the daily Brunch Sando was a new offering at Terra Cotta, and in my mind, I channeled Arnold Schwarzenegger and said to myself, with conviction, “I’ll be back.”

And so it came to pass, about a week later, that I strolled into Terra Cotta as a woman on a mission. A smile accompanied my rumbling stomach upon seeing that the Brunch Sando of the day featured spinach, scrambled eggs, Asiago cheese, tomatoes, pepperoncini, bacon and chili aioli.

It was if someone stood in the middle of the kitchen, waved a wand and assembled a melange of ingredients that were destined to converge. The fact that this happens seven days a week is the stuff that brunch dreams are made of, as far as I’m concerned.

I repaired to Terra Cotta’s patio to sit and enjoy the kaleidoscope of flavors, all vying for the attention of my taste buds and all succeeding. It wasn’t a contest; it was a team effort. Was it the chili aioli that made this thing so delectable? Was it the bacon? Maybe it was the pepperoncini.

All I know is that this sandwich was hefty enough to be a filling meal and flavorful enough to make me temporarily break up with my vegetable Italian, because I can’t imagine resisting it for the foreseeable future. I applaud Terra Cotta for getting into the brunch game in such a tasty way.

Brunch Sando, $8.99. Terra Cotta Pasta Co., 435 Cottage Road, South Portland. terracottapastacompany.com