La Madeleine thinks smallLa Madeleine thinks small

Ron Ruggless

Post-recession downsizing has gripped restaurant menu items this spring, with the latest entry being mini-sandwiches at La Madeleine Country French Café.

In a limited-time offer — now through May 30 — the 60-unit bakery café chain will be offering Mediterranean Mini-Trio Sandwiches for $7.99.

Boston Market offered barbecue sliders last year, but the small-mindedness has been especially evident in desserts. The 5,700-unit Dairy Queen last year introduced the Mini Blizzard, a 12-ounce version of its customizable milk shake. And Culver’s, the 424-unit burger and frozen custard chain, offers a 6-ounce version of its Concrete Mixers.

And in early March, the 17,000-unit Starbucks debuted eight “Petite” treats, each with less than 200 calories and priced at a recommended $1.50.

Susan Dederan, senior director of culinary operations at La Madeleine, said, “We wanted to give the guests a chance to sample lots of great fresh flavors.”

The Mediterranean Mini-Trio Sandwiches are offered in three versions with a choice of one of five side dishes:

• Balsamic chicken with herbed Parmesan dressing, field greens and tomatoes on an Asiago pesto roll.

• Country ham with pineapple, Dijon mustard, mayonnaise and field greens.

• Smoked turkey with pesto, provolone cheese, bacon, lettuce and tomatoes.

“Each mini sandwich has a unique flavor with three different proteins as the starts,” Dederan said. “This addition to our spring menu really gives our guest a chance to feast on the great flavors of southern of France.”

La Madeleine also introduced two new $8.99 salads for spring:

• Mediterranean Pasta with bowtie pasta, mushroom, garlic, artichoke hearts, Roma tomatoes and kalamata olives tossed with pesto.

• Mediterranean Salade with Chicken with cucumbers, tomatoes, green onions, hard-cooked eggs, artichoke hearts, olives and feta cheese and tossed in marjoram-infused vinaigrette.

La Madeleine has units in Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Texas, Virginia and Washington, D.C. The chain is owned by Le Duff America Inc., the North American subsidiary of Groupe Le Duff SA, which acquired Bruegger’s Enterprises last week.

Contact Ron Ruggless at [email protected].