On a recent brainstorm with our staff, we thought, “wouldn’t it be great to have beverage pairing suggestions for some of our sandwiches?” What a delicious idea, especially since we have such a fantastic line-up of specialty Boylan’s sodas and our house made artisan iced teas and lemonades.

So, of course, we got to straight to work and sampled away (another great part of my job).  After our taste test, we came up with a selection of the best combinations that will be extraordinarily pleasing to your palate.

Since cherry and orange both taste great with the flavors of cranberry, goat cheese, and green apples, we highly suggest Boylan’s Black Cherry and Orange Cream Sodas with our Highway 128, a roasted chicken, Herbes de Provence marinated Cypress Grove’s goat cheese, ancho chili cranberry chutney, organic farmer’s market greens, green apple on wheat, and our Drunk N’Goat in Paris, a Herbes de Provence marinated Cypress Grove’s goat cheese, cranberry chutney, French brie, caramelized onions, green apple and organic farmer’s market greens on curcama hazelnut.

The dark, sweet, spicy flavors of cola and root beer are classic matches with beef and pork. (That’s why these sodas are also common ingredients in many meat marinade recipes.) We recommend trying the Steak BLT – carved steak, applewood bacon, romaine lettuce, roasted tomatoes, herb aioli, caramelized onions on toasted rustic white bread – alongside the Boylan’s Root Beer and Cola.

For a savory sandwich – especially one with chicken – a refreshing, fruity black iced tea makes a terrific match.  That’s why the Passionfruit Iced Tea from Sugarbird Sweets and Teas is perfect for the Chicken MBT, a sandwich with roasted chicken, Gioia fresh mozzarella, basil pesto, tomato, balsamic vinegar, and organic farmer’s market greens on ciabatta.

And, last but not least, tart and sweet citrus is a wonderful partner for fish, especially with tuna. Try our Success With Citrus (Tuna), an all white albacore tuna with citrus aioli, green apple, organic farmer’s market greens, tomato, red onion on buckwheat bread with our housemade Farmer’s Market Blood Orange Lemonade.

We hope you have a chance to enjoy these combinations soon, and we’ll let you know if we come across any new delicious findings.

The reason I bring it up is… this year’s is right around the corner. I am telling you, put it on your calendar – all caps – NOW. April 24, 12pm – 6pm in Downtown Los Angeles.  (Check their website, GrilledCheeseInvitational.Com for additional details).  If you are a food lover and a sandwich lover, you’re in for a good, good time. Last year there were something like 240 competitors, which means you’ll get to witness a lot of gooey, buttery, cheesy, crunchy sandwiches in the making. They’re rated on 4 factors, including a SPAZ factor. Definitely the best category, if you ask me. So which hot cheesy bite of goodness it’s gonna be this year? Go see for yourself.

Now that you’re sufficiently craving grilled cheese, here’s how to find some EXCELLENT ones. At Mendo’ of course.  Always on the menu is “Alex’s ‘You Create It’” with smoked gouda fondue, pepper jack, jalapenos, tomatoes with add on options like prime honey ham, applewood bacon, or seasonal roasted vegetables. Or try our spring menu’s “wow” sandwich, A French Onion Soup Melt, which will quench and saturate your taste buds with cheesiness, saltiness and richness.  Pretzel bread, smoked gouda, gruyere fondue, caramelized onions and prime honey ham. Need I say more?

Oh, and hey, are you curious about the next SANDWICH CHALLENGE??? Here’s a clue on what’s coming up next: how can you heat a sandwich with what’s a source of heat that’s neither mechanical, electrical, or fire?  Are you wracking your brains? Find out in the next sandwich guy challenge.

Dolce Forno Bakery, the newest addition to Celestino Drago’s group of restaurants and catering operations, is exactly one of these vendors. And, lucky for us, even though Dolce Forno’s initial plan was to a have a retail location only, their bread was in such high demand by Los Angeles’ food service industry, they’ve expanded their service to restaurants and hotels.

At Mendo, we use Dolce Forno’s breads for our sandwiches. We’re crazy about their Ciabatta, Buckwheat and Rustic White – all of which are a collaboration from kitchen geniuses, our very own Chef Judy and Dolce’s Chef Gavin. The breads are designed to be crusty on the outside and spongy and soft on the inside. Just the way we like it! You’ll seriously be blown away by the difference good bread makes – you’ll be compelled to drive straight to their bakery in Culver City.

In addition to the breads, we also offer their baked goods, like the chocolate tarts and mini Italian cookies, which are always on our Dessert Platter. And we’re head over heels in love with the cookies and the brownies. Actually, these items are made from Chef Judy’s special recipes, all of which are semi-secret. Our favorites are the chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, oatmeal chocolate chip and white chocolate chip with macadamia nuts and dried cranberries. We sell the cookies every day, so come over ASAP to treat yourself!

All of Dolce Forno’s products are available at the bakery in Culver City and at the retail counter at Enoteca Drago in Beverly Hills. Just a note: the Culver City spot is more like a production place. So, while the notion of chic, sexy bakery is appealing, this visit will definitely fall more under the category of “fun adventure.” Enjoy!

Dolce Forno
3828 Willat Avenue
Culver City, CA 90232
310.280.6004
www.dolcefornobakery.com

Enoteca Drago
410 North Canon Drive
Beverly Hills, CA
310.786.8236
www.celestinodrago.com

THE EMPTY FRIDGE SANDWICH, PART I

So here’s the story. You’re up late trying to close a deal, finish a paper, trying to give up your facebook obsession, and you’re starving.  You open the fridge door and the only thing in there, besides the bright light, are condiment bottles, whatever remains in your produce drawer and a few leftovers. Doom, and hunger pangs, set in….

Hey, don’t sweat it. I (trusty sandwich guy) have got you covered. I’m going to turn the contents of your “empty” fridge into something awesome tasting, one sandwich at a time.  You’ve got my word, hungry sandwich makers.

OK, but to be fair, let’s first set a few ground rules. We’ll call them the “assumptions of sandwich guy.” These are assumptions of what’s in your fridge or home at all times.

AOSG #1: A few condiments in the side door, like BBQ sauce, Caesar dressing, Balsamic Vinegar, Sriracha Sauce, Mayo, Mustard, Pickles

AOSG #2:  A little in the produce drawer.  Maybe tomatoes, onion, carrot, lettuce/spinach/cabbage

AOSG #3: A fridge usually has some leftover protein in it, either from the deli, a home cooked meal, or restaurant.  Examples:  rotisserie chicken, pot roast, cheddar cheese, hot dog, turkey

AOSG #4: A piece or two of bread (Ciabatta is Mendocino Farms’ bread of choice) is in the house

Aaaand, noooow….. here’s the first empty fridge sandwich.

BBQ Chicken with Mustard Pickle Slaw

1.) Spruce up any left-over chicken by caramelizing some onions in a pan.  Add the chicken until warm, then throw in the BBQ sauce and let the sauce warm while it coats the chicken and caramelizes onions.

2.) Just as you are pulling the pan, hit it with half a handful of jack or cheddar cheese.

3.) Thinly slice cabbage, carrots or pickles. (the ratio should be 60% cabbage, %35 carrots, 5% pickles.

4.) Toss the cabbage mixture with a little dressing made of 50% ranch, 45% spicy Dijon mustard and 5% pickle juice.

5.) Pile on toasted ciabatta

Let me know how much you LOVE it and can’t live without it.

And if you’re having your own empty fridge crisis, bring it on people. Show me what you got (or don’t got.)  I’ll knock it out of the park.

Post me a challenge below.

What you’ll need

During your weekend shopping purchase a pre-made pizza dough – varieties at Trader Joe’s make for a good crust.

1 Lb. Monterey Jack Cheese or Mozzarella  - I prefer to shred the cheese myself as it tastes fresher and is more gooey when you melt it

1 jar of your favorite marinara sauce of spaghetti sauce

4 oz. of thinly sliced prosciutto

Fresh arugula

How To

Bring the dough to room temperature – take out or fridge at let sit on floured surface for about 10 minutes

Set your oven rack to the bottom most setting and preheat oven to 450°

Take out a sheet pan and dust with polenta or corn meal (don’t worry – you can substitute flour)

Dust the dough with flour – stretch, don’t knead the dough, to fit your sheet pan

Gently brush the dough with olive oil

Spread out about 3-4 tablespoons of tomato sauce on the dough

Sprinkle with shredded cheese

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating once about halfway through, until dough is golden and crispy, and cheese is bubbly

Remove from oven and quickly layer thin prosciutto over pizza

Finish with a sprinkling of fresh arugula

Cut and serve with your favorite salad

Enjoy!

To get the right flavors in a great sandwich you need to start with the freshest and best ingredients, from the highest quality proteins all the way down to the last little leafy piece of greens.  If you’ve ever wondered what you’re getting when you order something with “Organic Farmer’s Market Greens” on our menu, you should be happy to know that you’re getting just that – the freshest, highest quality, locally grown produce you can find.  We would love to share with you about the great farmers who produce the beautiful lettuces we receive fresh every day from Kenter Canyon Farms.

Owned and operated by Andrea Crawford and husband Robert Dedlow, Kenter Canyon farms now harvests over 80,000 pounds of produce per year from its three locations in El Centro, a winter farm in Baja California, and Fillmore.  Andrea’s talent for growing fine produce stretches back to her love for gardening growing up in Kentucky, and became more serious while waiting tables at Chez Panisse in the Bay Area.  During her time in San Francisco, the kitchen crew of the restaurant would regularly borrow from her backyard garden.  Quickly her gardening hobby became full time employment, and she began selling lettuces to Chez Panisse.

In 1985, Andrea moved to Southern California and started Kenter Canyon Farms, utilizing the biointensive method of farming, an organic farming technique focused on getting as much from a small amount of land as possible, while improving the earth.  Today, Kenter Canyon Farms grows a large variety of plants, mostly herbs and lettuces, and is committed to staying local – once harvested, produce arrives to Downtown LA distributors within 24 hours.

Working with our distributor and Kentery Canyon Farms we have developed a custom blend of certified organic greens called “Mendocino Mix”, which includes green romaine, green tango, mizuna, lollo rosa, triple red, red oak, and purple Osaka mustard – all grown on their ranch in Ventura.  So every time you’re chewing on those greens, eat well and enjoy knowing you are getting the best, and at the same time, promoting small sustainable, local farming!