Simple Signatures

The bocadillo presents a nice pushback to over-the-top sandwich builds, and it offers a relatively “mess-free” portability, compared to an overloaded sandwich. With a bocadillo, the beauty is in knowing exactly what you are going to get and taste. Guests can easily envision this and relate to the flavors and textures. This is fertile ground for creative takes that fit different concepts and allow for innovative menu expansion. A steakhouse, for example, could enter the sandwich fray by developing and marketing a bocadillo featuring shaved prime rib or a sliced steak or filet (a cheese is optional) on a baguette or its own scratch-prepared rolls. Here are six other opportunities to create a signature lineup of bocadillos:

1. 1Breakfast: Rolled omelette, shaved manchego cheese and crispy pancetta rounds
2. 2Veggie: Roasted yellow peppers, sliced summer tomato, arugula and pistou
3. 3Three Cheese: Aged cheddar and Comté cheese slices, garlic-and-herb cheese spread and fig jam
4. 4Carnitas: Carnitas, queso fresco crumbles and Tajín crema
5. 5Calamari: Fried calamari rings, pickled banana peppers and pico de gallo
6. 6Steak: Peppered beef tenderloin, caramelized onions and aïoli