89 PIRIPI: garlic pork loin, bacon, cheese, fresh tomato and mayo

 

Bacon is always a good smoke-amplifying addition to the garlic pork loin, so it helped this montadito but, alas, did not rescue it.

The garlic pork loin, which has varied in texture and flavor, seems to have settled into the version I originally encountered, which was not my favorite. It's simultaneously too bland and too garlicky. I wish this montadito had had honey mustard in place of the mayonnaise. That could have rescued it.

(I was amused by the menu description of "cheese." You know, cheese. Turns out it was manchego.)

Montaditos down: 89
Montaditos to go: 11
Next: 90 TRALARÍ: serrano ham, garlic pork loin and green pepper

88 TORERO: lomo, manchego cheese and green pepper

 

I'm not sure whether this was a stealth menu change or a mistake, but I got piparra (mild peppers from Spain) instead of green pepper. Which is fine with me. Piparra -- essentially pepperoncini -- is one of my favorite ingredients, and it made for a good sandwich. Not great, but good.

Montaditos down: 88
Montaditos to go: 12
Next: 89 PIRIPI: garlic pork loin, bacon, cheese, fresh tomato and mayo

86 PEPITO: brie cheese, garlic pork loin, piquillo pepper and arugula

I keep saying the garlic pork loin is different every time, and this example was, uh, no different. Or, rather, it was a throwback to my first taste of the ingredient -- thinly sliced and very garlicky but otherwise kind of bland.

Brie did not prove to be a good match, either, so even my new best friend brie couldn't rescue this sandwich. This may be the least successful of the "gourmet" montaditos.

Montaditos down: 86
Montaditos to go: 14
Next: 87 TIRITITRAN: philly steak, brie cheese, crispy onion and mustard

85 LERELE: goat cheese, arugula, piquillo pepper with olive oil

That was subtle and lovely. I could see having it for tea (the meal, not the beverage -- or well, both, but if I meant the beverage I'd have said with tea), and indeed goat cheese and arugula isn't far removed from cream cheese and watercress.

And this time I actually tasted the olive oil. Also lovely.

Montaditos down: 85
Montaditos to go: 15
Next: 86 PEPITO: brie cheese, garlic pork loin, piquillo pepper and arugula

84 IBERICO: chorizo, tortilla española, piquillo pepper and ali oli

You won't catch me refusing this montadito. Let's see: Take No. 7, starring two of 100 Montaditos' very best main ingredients, add two top-notch condiments, and put it all on a bigger canvas.

When I tried No. 7 (and No. 57), I did have a nagging thought that maybe the combination was overkill, that maybe one should get a chorizo sandwich if one wants a chorizo sandwich and a tortilla sandwich if one wants a tortilla sandwich. But no: This is a great combination.

Montaditos down: 84
Montaditos to go: 16
Next: 85 LERELE: goat cheese, arugula, piquillo pepper with olive oil

83 VIKINGO: smoked salmon, hard-boiled egg, pepinillo and mayo

Another Nordic-leaning sandwich on pillowy bread, though it would have been more so with the menu's pepinillo (pickles from Spain) than with the green pepper that was on my montadito.

Montaditos down: 83
Montaditos to go: 17
Next: 84 IBERICO: chorizo, tortilla española, piquillo pepper and ali oli

82 ROMERITO: shrimp, bacon, hard boiled egg, arugula and honey mustard

This Spanish sandwich on Italian bread in America just screams "Scandinavia." (Romerito? More like Sven!) This is what I picture eating for lunch in Stockholm or Copenhagen. It's cool, it's dainty. There are no strong flavors or saturated colors.

I like the pairing of shrimp with bacon (though this sandwich could have used a little more bacon). That's what I'm expecting in the "gourmet" section: Ingredient combinations and even ingredients that haven't shown up earlier. This is a successful sandwich all around.

Montaditos down: 82
Montaditos to go: 18
Next: 83 VIKINGO: smoked salmon,hard boiled egg,pepinillo (pickles from Spain) and mayo

81 HISPANO: tuna, piquillo pepper, hard boiled egg and mayo

My sandwich has a first name: It's H-I-S-P-A-N-O. My sandwich has a second name: It's -- oh, wait, it doesn't have a second name. So maybe I would have been better off with a Jim Croce allusion. It got a name. It got a name.

Yes, we have come to the "gourmet" section of the menu, featuring named sandwiches and chapata bread. I didn't get this right away, but soon enough after first seeing "chapata" on the menu I figured it was Spanish for ciabatta, and I figured a quick Google search would bear this out. Not so fast, it turns out -- the Webiverse is surprisingly quiet on the subject. There are hints here and there, but nobody seems to have tackled the topic at length, and I'm left unsure whether it's the same bread or whether chapata is a Spanish twist on the recipe.

Anyway, it's good bread, not necessarily better or worse than the non-"gourmet" bread at 100 Montaditos, but different. A nice change of pace. And it's a good foil for the simple and tasty Hispano sandwich.

Montaditos down: 81
Montaditos to go: 19
Next: 82 ROMERITO: shrimp, bacon, hard-boiled egg, arugula and honey mustard