Switch to the mobile version of this page.

Arkansas Times

Eat Arkansas

« Big Orange goes gluten free | Third time's a charm for Taqueria S… »

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Reviews 'Wich Trials: The sandwiches of Boulevard Bread

Posted by Daniel Walker on Wed, Jul 18, 2012 at 10:36 AM

Over the years, restaurateurs have struggled to adopt the vision of Alice Waters and her culinary utopia, often succeeding to varying degrees of success. It is easy to toss around the same old buzzwords and scribble them on a rustic hand-printed chalkboard. But local, sustainable, organic, and seasonal won’t get you very far if your food is no better than what’s being offered by the evil soulless corporate giants. Perhaps no one in Little Rock has successfully captured the slow-food spirit better than the folks at Boulevard Bread. Lucky for us, they’ve not only created a menu that embodies the ideals that made Chez Panisse a household name, they also make some seriously good eats.

As much of their regular menu is taken up by sandwiches in their various forms, I ventured out to get a better idea of what the slow food concept can do for an item so marred by the grab-and-go, five-dollar-footlong attitude promoted by the “sandwich artists” behind some of the big chains. The results of my studies were enlightening and satisfying, and I’m happy to report that Boulevard’s efforts are really paying off.

The caprese sandwich has no elements surprising to an admirer of the classic salad bearing the same name. Fresh mozzarella, ripe red tomatoes, olive oil, and an herbaceous pesto make their way onto a house-made baguette. Though it is certainly straightforward, the key is freshness. Local tomato, hand-pulled mozzarella—this is how decent caprese must be done for any self-respecting person to enjoy. The results are impressive and refreshing.

The traditional pastrami came highly recommended from a number of people, including the guy manning the counter. This version is decorated with pastrami, Swiss, organic field greens, tomato, red onion, pickle, and Dijon on rye sourdough. I enjoyed the sandwich overall, but I found myself a little underwhelmed after all the glowing praise I’ve heard about this thing. The pastrami itself was flavorful and salty, but I found the rest of the sandwich seemed to fall flat, a bit too one-note for me.

Porchetta sandwich

My sandwich sorrows quickly subsided after one bite into the pristine porchetta sandwich. Porchetta, a boneless Italian pork roast, traditionally layered with stuffing, rolled and roasted, is thick cut and stuffed into a rich, buttery focaccia with tomato and aioli. The porchetta, which could easily be called “the pork that launched a thousand faces” due to its sheer beauty, makes nearly everything it touches an instant success. Pair it with the smooth, creaminess of aioli, and it’s one impressive piece of pig.

Finishing any meal with one of their palm-sized cookies, in all of their glorious varieties, makes for a lunch to remember any day of the week. But don’t get me started on the cookies…that’s a different story for another day.

Tags: Boulevard Bread, Sandwiches, Wich Trials, Caprese, Pastrami, Porchetta

        
Tweet
Share

Speaking of...

The 3 Best: Cookies

June 12, 2013

by Daniel Walker

Cookies are ubiquitous across Arkansas; everyone has their favorite variety and many restaurants and shops carry their specialty item. But a few do it better than anyone else, adding a unique twist on an old classic or simply coming darn near perfection with a timeless recipe. Grab a glass of cold milk, here’s the 3 best cookies around central Arkansas. /more/
Chew on this: Boulevard's breakfast sandwich

March 26, 2013

by Daniel Walker

Waking up to a beautiful sandwich at Boulevard Bread. This dainty little number is definitely worth waking up for. /more/
More »

Comments (1)

Showing 1-1 of 1

Add a comment

Subscribe to this thread:

By Email

With RSS

Showing 1-1 of 1

More by Daniel Walker

The Turkish Food Fest is sure to be terrific

This Saturday, May 4th, the Raindrop Turkish House presents the 3rd Annual Turkish Food Fest. The event will take place at the Raindrop Turkish House located at 1501 Market St., Little Rock. The event will be from 11 am — 4 pm, admission is free as is parking, and will happen rain or shine.
- by Daniel Walker
- May 2, 2013
Howdy, Chuy's! Welcome to Arkansas

Little Rock welcomes the Texas-based chain, Chuy's, this week. Here's the dish on what to expect from this Tex Mex staple.
- by Daniel Walker
- May 9, 2013
More »