Great things are happening between two slices of bread. Restaurant operators are promoting a new breed of upscale sandwiches with culinary flair, giving their patrons a taste of fine dining at a fraction of the tab.
For example, at the new Grahamwich in Chicago, chef-owner Graham Elliot showcases eight sandwich creations, each priced at $10. The headliners include a turkey confit sandwich with candied yams, stewed cranberries, field greens and sage mayo on Hawaiian bread and a beef shortrib sandwich with baby watercress, shoestring potatoes, pickled shallots and creamy horseradish on a pretzel roll.
A pair of cooks prep the meats, sauces and garnishes for those sandwiches overnight in the kitchen of Grahamwich’s older sibling, the Michelin-starred restaurant Graham Elliot, slow cooking turkey thighs in canola oil and braising shortribs as they would in a much higher-ticket establishment.
“We give those ingredients the same amount of love” as the products on the fine-dining menu, said executive chef Merlin Verrier.
At Be’Wiched Deli in Minneapolis, a pair of former fine dining restaurant chefs, Matthew Bickford and Mike Ryan, have built a loyal following for specialties like house-made pastrami on rye with pickled cabbage and coarse-grain mustard ($9.50), smoked turkey on ciabatta with bacon, medjool dates and goat cheese ($8.50) and tuna confit on focaccia with black olive, cucumber and preserved lemon ($9).
Bickford cited the vivid but balanced flavors of the smoked turkey sandwich, which are created by the brined and smoked turkey, smoky bacon, sweet dates, sherry vinegar-dressed bitter greens and earthy goat cheese.
“It really gets people delighted and surprised,” said Bickford. “It’s a true breakaway from the traditional, run-of-the-mill sandwich.”
Operators with larger and more diverse menus are finding a home for chef-driven sandwiches, too.
For Dirk Flanigan, executive chef of The Gage, a classy gastropub, and Henri, a French-influenced, American-cuisine dining spot, both in downtown Chicago, the better-sandwich trend is “really about honing our craft and expanding our knowledge.”
Flanigan’s menu at The Gage includes a house-made duck sausage sandwich ($12) and a pork belly reuben ($13), the latter featuring pork belly prepared in the style of corned beef and topped with sauerkraut remoulade. At Henri, the house-cured cobia gravlox on whole grain vollkorn bread with cucumber and lemon-onion seed butter ($14) is a standout.
At Big Jones, a neighborhood restaurant in Chicago featuring coastal Southern cooking, the smoked turkey croque madame ($12) was a brunch menu hit recently. A variation of the croque madame, a traditional French grilled ham and cheese sandwich topped with a fried egg, it featured house-smoked turkey breast, organic baby Swiss cheese and sunnyside up eggs on grilled multigrain bread.
“I love an egg sandwich and I wanted something that people could eat with knife and fork,” said chef-owner Paul Fehribach.
“I think a recognition has coalesced over the last few years that you can make a sandwich of fine dining quality if you use the right ingredients,” added Fehribach.
