Whether driven by lingering bird flu fears or just plain old chicken fatigue, 2006 was the year of beef at many quick-service restaurants. Pollo Tropical, for example, rolled out Steak Skewers, the first beef product in the chain’s 16-year history. Taco John’s began offering a steak version of all its entrée menu items and introduced two new steak burritos, the Steak and Potato and the Steak and Rice.

But it was the beef sandwiches that debuted in 2006 that seemed the most inventive. In February, Quiznos introduced its Prime Rib and Peppercorn Sub, followed by its Prime Rib Cheesesteak in September. Subway rolled out two premium steak sandwiches of its own, the Blackened Cajun Steak and the Steak and Cheese, in September.

The big players weren’t the only sandwich shops with beef fever; even smaller, fast-casual brands got in on the trend. We talked to two about the process of developing a premium beef sandwich.

Bocana Beef Sandwich | Togo’s

A year ago we prepared a round of sandwiches for the Togo’s executive team for daily special options and were given a mandate to explore South American and Latin flavors. Our primary objective was to create a new sandwich out of existing proteins. West Coast customers were the audience so we wanted to do something different, the whole Cochina Nuevo thing, Douglas Rodriguez, mixing the old and new ways of cooking.

The past few years everything has been about chicken. Well, we’ve always done well with our roast beef. It’s finished, ready-to-slice, top round, good quality from Rayburn. So we started playing around with that: Could roast beef become brisket? Could roast beef be steak? The challenge was keeping some of the qualities of the beef. It’s got a good beef flavor, rich. We wanted to accent, not overpower. Cilantro, lime. Summer, Latin.

We came up with a dry seasoning that mimicked a olive oil, lime juice, and jalapeno ceviche. We turned a wet marinade into a dry one. Getting the lime intensity and that timing right took a little work. We wanted to flavor the beef, not change it, which you could do easily if you over-limed or over-chilied. You have to be careful to balance. We made about four or five attempts. The mix is re-hydrated with water and then used to marinate the roast beef for a minimum of three hours.

The beef is served with chunky mashed avocado, sliced red onion, and a baby greens spring mix on a baguette. We can also use it on a salad. It’s doing well, capturing a lot of interest. It’s a really flavorful, very fragrant, really good-tasting sandwich. We gave away something like 4,000 samples during Togo’s Surf Tour.

Steakhouse Panini | Au Bon Pain Bistro

We use shaved steak, made from the shoulder. We considered the mouth feel of the steak and how it heats on the sandwich. We choose this cut specifically because it will thinly slice.

We probably tried about 15 different kinds of steaks, varying in flavor and texture. Some of it was chewy…there is a lot of bad quality steak out there. There wasn’t really any other choice after we’d gone through a dozen or so varieties. It was really about the quality of the steak, how it tastes and the flavor.

Simple seasonings give us more flexibility. The beef is marinated in salt and pepper, a little garlic powder, onion powder, and some herbs. We can change the dressing or change any other ingredient and come out with a new flavor profile for the sandwich. We can do that easily. The steak is not overly powerful.

We use what we call our farmhouse roll, something almost like a flatbread. It’s pretty thin and was specifically designed for panini. It heats very well, very fast. It doesn’t have much flavor of its own. The bread is a mix of white and potato flour and made with buttermilk. The potato flour stops it from being too chewy, and it keeps the moisture.

Then we use some caramelized onions, Swiss cheese, roasted red peppers, and roasted portabella mushrooms. Onions are a great combination with any kind of steak. It’s a classic pairing, like with mushrooms. You often see steak being paired with mushroom sauce or sautéed mushrooms. It just tastes better. Roasted red peppers also go well with the flavor profile and give the sandwich a nice color.

My end goal was to make a very substantial sandwich where you get the protein and a lot of vegetables with it. It’s a whole meal served between two slices of bread. That’s why we went with the name Steakhouse.

Our Riviera salad goes very well with the sandwich. The salad is a blend of Romaine and mesclun greens, sun-dried cranberries, grapes, tomatoes. It’s served with a light Parmesan ranch that goes well with steak.

We also have hearty soups that go well with it. You could also go with one of our lighter soups—Mediterranean bisque or a tomato bisque. But if you want something heavier, our corn chowder goes great.