Goodbye Panini Combo:Hello Adult Grilled Cheese

It was about 15 years ago we started doing our Panini Combo. Over the years, we sold thousands and thousands. We always tried to keep the sandwich filling interesting and accompanied it with a salad and cup of soup. This grilled sandwich filled a niche in our menu for a long time, but we feel it has run its course.

Another thing we noticed is the rise of the "grilled cheese." So much so, just recently a few new franchises were announced that their central theme is a grilled cheese sandwich. There is even a Grilled Cheese Academy.

Starting this week, we are switching to what will be called our "Adult Grilled Cheese." We will continue to mix it up using top quality and interesting ingredients. Obviously, it will always have a cheese (and a really good one) as well as a few other choice samplings. It will not be served automatically with a salad anymore, but it will be easy to add one as well as adding a cup of soup. Also, we will start serving it on a great crusty, crunchy ciabatta roll.

For our inaugural sampling, we are offering what I consider to be the king of ham and cheese, a Serrano Ham with Egmont Cheese. This combo has so much flavor it needs nothing else. The artisanal Egmont cheese is from New Zealand and has a creamy, almost butter-like texture along with a nutty finish. The ham is a Serrano Ham from Spain from the world-famous Redondo Iglesias.

Not your typical ham and cheese sandwich...