surprise?!

We make a lot of sandwiches.  I just needed to type that and come to terms with it.  We sell a lot of cheese but we also make a lot of sandwiches.  At applewood in Brooklyn the menu changed just about every other day.  It was a lot of fun to try new things and also a challenge to keep up with the changes.

I wish we could change the sandwich menu as frequently here but for logistical reasons it would be a total nightmare.  Too many employees making sandwiches, and really after all we're a cheese shop.  So we have rotating specials on our sandwich menu which helps satisfy my need to make something new.

Yet that wasn't quite enough.  I dug deep into my brain to a great meal I had at a little restaurant in Cambridge, Massachusetts called Craigie Street Bistro (now Craigie on Main).  Tuesday through Thursdat after 9pm you could go and have a tasting menu at a reduced price, but the catch was that they wouldn't tell you what you were going to eat.  It was, well, you know, a surprise.

And so we decided it would be fun to have a surprise sandwich.  Something that could change from day to day and even customer to customer.  We'd charge only $7 to entice people to take a chance and if it wasn't their favorite sandwich ever they wouldn't feel entirely disappointed.  We try very hard to make it different than our other sandwiches--different combos than we might normally try out.

Thus far the response has been great.  Apparently people like surprises.  Some folks try and ask what's on it but our response is always the same: "It's a surprise".  It's hilarious to watch people hem and haw over taking the leap or not.  I totally understand because a bad sandwich can really ruin your day.

Both shops are making surprises and each shop has its own idea of what is delicious.   Feedback on your surprise is always appreciated.