LONGMEADOW – I stepped far, far out of my comfort zone when it came to ordering a sandwich during our recent department lunch outing at Posto in the Longmeadow Shops. With the chicken milanese sandwich – which would have been my first choice – already spoken for by two colleagues, as well as the grilled eggplant, we were down to the three meat-based offerings.

I made a blind choice and selected the porchetta panino; at $13.95 it was also the most expensive offering on the sandwich menu.

I’ve read enough press releases from local Italian organizations hosting porchetta dinners over the years to know I was getting a pork-based sandwich, but had never actually sampled the specialty dish before that afternoon. Posto’s version of porchetta in this sandwich consisted of a thick stack of thinly shaved meat, piled high on a split, grilled brioche bun. The meat was melt-in-your-mouth tender, with a subtle ham flavor; the brioche – which I was familiar with from a trip to Italy – was a rich, buttery, slightly crunchy complement to the savory meat. Accenting the porchetta was a delicately flavored truffle cream sauce, melted fontina cheese and sprigs of arugula.The sandwich was served topped with a Parmesan-crusted, over-easy egg.

The egg presented a dilemma for me – I wasn’t sure whether I should try to turn it and the bun top over, thus adding the slightly runny egg to the sandwich contents, or eat the sandwich with a knife and fork. As the sandwich was large – and would have been somewhat messy to try and eat with my hands – I opted for the knife-and-for approach, leaving the egg where it was served.

The flavors of this sandwich complemented each other beautifully, creating a very satisfying meal – and I’m not usually much of a meat eater. In fact, the sandwich – which came served with an ample portion of thin, crispy, seasoned french fries – was large enough that I took a portion home and shared it with my husband later that day. Italian by birth, he found it delicious.

            Would I order the porchetta panino on a return trip to Posto? Perhaps not, as a meat sandwich is not normally my first choice. But I’m looking forward to another lunchtime visit to this modern, upscale bistro to try out that chicken milanese sandwich my colleagues so enjoyed.