A letter from our chef:
In the 7 years that I’ve been crafting new recipes for Mendo, this has to be the most fun and exciting line-up of new menu items we’ve come up with yet. We have drawn inspiration from many of the most delicious places on the planet, including Texas, Chicago, and Oaxaca. The flavors we’re going to bring you for the spring and summer seasons, range from the simplest down-home style macaroni salad, to a sophisticated pairing of peaches, prosciutto, and hot honey! Let’s dive in!
Kicking things off with a refreshing seasonally appropriate salad, Strawberry Fields Salad with Chicken, will feature fresh, juicy strawberries and a very interesting and colorful type of radish that is taking Instagram by storm, the watermelon radish. I love to pair thinly shaved veggies with fruit in salads, to give you the right balance for a healthy, satisfying meal, without getting too sweet. However, it’s the juxtaposition of these clean tasting fruits and veggies with the salty grated goat gouda cheese, the pop of fresh mint leaves, and the creamy greek yogurt poppyseed dressing that make it a party in your mouth.
Strawberry Fields Salad with Chicken
The salad consists of shaved, roasted chicken breast, strawberries, watermelon radish, shaved fennel, fresh mint, red onions, goat gouda, toasted pistachios, mixed greens, romaine with greek yogurt poppyseed dressing.
Next up, we have a fancy riff on our longtime classic Prosciutto & Chicken Sandwich, which features one of my all-time favorite summertime ingredients…fresh peaches! It’s called the Hot Honey Peach & Prosciutto Sandwich. This sandwich is way out there on the adventurous side of life, as it not only features a fine-dining style pairing of sweet, fresh peaches & salty prosciutto, but gets a drizzle of house-made hot peach honey, AND a swipe of spicy Calabrian chili aioli. Factor in the creamy texture of fresh mozzarella, the crunch of honey roasted almonds, and the lingering taste of our toasted sesame roll, and you have arrived at the flavor multiverse!
Hot Honey Peach & Prosciutto Sandwich
Italian prosciutto & peaches with fresh mozzarella, crushed honey roasted almonds, Calabrian chili aioli, hot peach honey, arugula on a toasted sesame roll.
Note: Since we’re committed to serving only the freshest ingredients, this sandwich won’t be available right at the start of our New Menu Drop. We’re waiting for the peaches to ripen & hope to make this available soon.
Can you believe we have never done a roast beef sandwich at Mendocino Farms? I knew it was time to take a crack at it! I thought long and hard about how to create a unique “Mendo-fied” version of a roast beef sandwich, and ended up coming up with a sandwich we love so much that we’re fast tracking it onto our core menu, a rare feat! This one is all about the simple combination of a good quality roast beef, whole milk mozzarella, Chicago-style giardiniera, and a darn good spread…all on a toasted sesame roll. The Italian herb aioli has some layers of herby notes and cheesy notes that do some magic.
Italian Roast Beef Sandwich – Shaved roast beef, mozzarella, Chicago style giardiniera, tomato, Vidalia onion, shredded romaine, Italian herb & cheese aiolion a toasted sesame roll
Next up is a revision of a Mendo Classic, the Study of Heat, which has now been transformed into what seems at first glance like an entirely new sandwich. It’s still essentially a spicy turkey avocado sandwich, and still has the smoked gouda, but we’ve doctored up the sauce situation, added a couple big flavor pops – cotija cheese and Mama Lil’s sweet hot pickled Hungarian ‘goathorn’ peppers – and now it’s going on ciabatta and takes a trip through our high heat conveyor belt oven. Don’t worry, you’re still getting some of our tasty Jalapeño Salsa Verde on the side. We have renamed it to Turkey Avocado Salsa Verde Sandwich.
Turkey Avo Salsa Verde Sandwich – Shaved, roasted turkey breast, smashed avocado, smoked gouda, cotija cheese, mama lil’s sweet hot peppers, jalapeño salsa verde aioli, tomatoes, shredded romaine, red onions on toasted ciabatta, and served with an extra side of jalapeño salsa verde
For deli sides, were bringing back the Oaxacan Potato Salad, thanks to high demand, and have two new ones to debut.
Oaxacan Potato Salad – Creamy potato salad with roasted corn, cotija cheese, cilantro, green onion, and a hint of jalapeño
No summer is complete without watermelon, and in Los Angeles, no summer is complete without a refreshing, tall cup filled with chunks of melons, jicama, citrus, pineapple, and cucumber, doused with lime, chile, and salt, from one of those rainbow umbrella street carts that are sprinkled throughout the city. That iconic summer treat inspired our new Watermelon Street Cart Salad, which is a more modest mix, punched up with fresh mint, and a splash of our most addictive dressing.
Watermelon Street Cart Salad – Watermelon, cucumber, jicama, fresh mint, green onion, chile-lime vinaigrette
My Grandmother lived in the South, and so naturally she made a tasty Southern Macaroni Salad. As a child, I remember seeing a lot of this salad in various church basements, always served in Tupperware, with my Grandmother’s name hand written on a piece of tape on the bottom. It’s one of the simplest salads I know and doesn’t need or want to be overly fussed about. That said, I did take some small liberties and added smoked gouda for smoke, pickled peppadew peppers for zing, and kicked the heat up a notch.
Southern Macaroni Salad – Creamy macaroni with pickled peppadew peppers, roasted red peppers, smoked gouda, spinach, celery, green onion, and a little kick of sriracha
For soups, we’ll bring back the Chicken Tortilla Soup and the French Lentil & Kale Soup for Spring, and then switch gears to our Creamy Corn Chowder for Summer.
Chicken Tortilla Soup – Puree of roasted tomato, tomatillo, poblano, jalapeño, garlic, cumin, and thickened with corn tortillas
French Lentil & Kale Soup – French lentils, kale, carrot, celery, onion, herbs, and garlic in a savory vegetable broth
Creamy Corn Chowder – Creamy roasted corn soup with onions, leeks, carrots, celery, a hint of smoky chipotle, and fresh thyme
I hope you enjoy and EAT HAPPY,
Chef Jeremy Bringardner
