Food and restaurant reviews are a feature recently added to this blog, and it’s one which I enjoy a lot. I like to visit Chicago eating spots (be they well-established or newly opened) and to discover innovative and exciting menu items, made with care and with the freshest ingredients. And when these new items are sandwiches or panini – that’s even better. 🙂 This is why I was very excited when Potbelly invited me and other fellow food bloggers to try out their flat sandwiches, which are available in stores starting this week.Â
You can now get any of your favorite “Original” Potbelly sandwich on flat bread. “The flats,” as their creators affectionately call them, are not only delicious, but also less calorific: a flat sandwich is 90 calories lighter than its “Original” version.
The pre-launch event was informal and gave us all a chance to find out more about the process behind the creation of these new flat sandwiches. There was live music too!
I tried several of the flat sandwiches and my favorite by far was the Mediterranean. It had hummus, feta cheese, roasted peppers, artichokes and cucumber, all wrapped inside a deliciously thin multi-grain bread. The abundant hummus had a wholesome flavor and a velvety texture, while the cucumber provided a fresh crunchiness which truly elevated this sandwich. As a big fan of peppers, I was also pleased with the inclusion of roasted red peppers, which added a new layer of flavor and made the sandwich stand out for me.
The Italian flat sandwich was my next favorite. Packed full of Italian deli meats (mortadella, salami, pepperoni, capicola) and provolone cheese, this sandwich was not heavy thanks to the welcome addition of lettuce and tomatoes. I was impressed with how well the flat bread held under the pressure of so many ingredients. The sandwich was easy to hold and to eat, and never fell apart.
I couldn’t leave without trying out the new frozen raspberry lemonade, which will be available in stores in early June. Made up of raspberry sherbet and Nantucket lemonade, it was flavorful and refreshing, albeit a bit too sweet for my liking. Moreover, the presentation was very enticing:
Overall, I liked Potbelly’s concept of “flats” and thought they were a fitting addition to their menu. The new multi-grain flat bread held really well and was the perfect vehicle for the other ingredients, which came together to deliver a lot of flavor. I will definitely get these sandwiches in the future, and the first one I’ll try again will be the Mediterranean for sure. 🙂
*Disclaimer: I was not compensated by Potbelly for this post. All opinions expressed here are my own.
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