I have always had mixed feelings about steak sandwiches. I feel like steak is something that should be eaten with a fork and a very sharp steak knife, not bitten into like an animal. And I’m not talking Philly cheesesteaks where the finely shaved ribeye melts in your mouth. I’m talking about a perfectly cooked medium-rare steak sliced (not too thick and not too thin), sandwiched between two massive pieces of bread. 

It always feels risky ordering a steak sandwich at a restaurant. The criteria that needs to be met in order to have a good bite is no joke. Is it juicy, was it sauced properly, was the steak cooked perfectly so my teeth will go right through it (not too rare not too dry), is the bread holding its own without being so thick it takes over the flavor? For those of you wondering…YES, these are the thoughts going through my mind whilst staring at a restaurant menu. As you can imagine, most of the time I opt out and order something else because I’m just not sure I can handle the potential disappointment.

BUT, all of this changed earlier this year when we went to a restaurant with friends while visiting Lexington, VA where my husband attended Virginia Military Institute. While looking at the menu and having ALL kinds of internal thoughts, our friends who had been to this restaurant before said “you have to try the steak sandwich, it’s SO good.” Talk about a predicament! I can’t NOT order the sandwich…they’ll think I don’t trust their food recommendations, but if/when I do order the sandwich I’ll have to say it’s good even if it doesn’t check all my boxes. 

Well, let me tell you…those friends will be trusted from here on out for any food recs. This sandwich was amazing, and it inspired me to make a steak sandwich of my own knowing the impossible COULD be possible, that a perfect steak sandwich can exist. (I feel like that M&M’s commercial…THEY DO EXIST!) 

This sandwich has so many flavors, but they all meld together well. And this doesn’t have to be an all day project, you can easily cut corners here and buy roasted red peppers from a jar, and buy chimichurri instead of making it homemade. My husband and I actually fell in love with chimichurri after meeting a wonderful Argentinian couple selling their recipe at our local farmers market. You can always smell the fresh aromas from a mile away because they throw their chimichurri into an electric frying pan and let it drag in the crowds for samples. BRILLANT I tell you! 

Any chimichurri will pair nicely with this sandwich, it’s acid alongside the creaminess of the mayo, the salty crust of the steak, and the smokey flavor of the gouda…I’m drooling just thinking about it. 

The one thing you cannot cut corners on is the bread. If you’re going to go all out and get a nice steak to slice for the inside then you better make sure you have the perfect bread to bring it all together. Ciabatta is a wonderful sandwich bread, light and airy, while being thick and sturdy. Not too crusty on the outside where you’ll suffer cuts on the roof of your mouth, but toasts up nicely to add to the delicious flavor. I am all about supporting local businesses and we are lucky enough to have a bakery about 10 minutes from our house. Their bread is baked fresh daily and the ciabatta baguette is what sandwich dreams are made of. It’s the little things in life, but I can honestly say when I picked out the perfect loaf that was slightly squared on the ends I was smiling and cheering for at least 20 minutes as I drove to the studio to create this recipe for you.