Enter Bravo! Gourmet Sandwich Shop during lunchtime any given weekday and you'll likely find owner Vanessa Fedak manning the front counter and her husband, Dennis, in the back at the stove. You'll also likely find a packed house eager to get its hands on one of Bravo's fine sandwiches.
Success recently spurred the couple to announce an expansion at their Wilton Manors location. Now complete, the dining room went from just 15 seats to a much roomier 55 seats. A few months prior, based on customers' pleas, the Peruvian menu expanded to feature popular dishes from the South American food capital. The Fedaks added lomo saltado, ceviches, and tacu tacu, among other items, to their list of gourmet sandwiches. A liquor license that will allow them to sell beer and wine is also in the works, likely just a few weeks away.
"Our sandwiches are still the favorites of our clients," Vanessa said. "We already started to fill the expanded dining room, especially on weekends."
The most popular sandwiches on the menu are the roasted pork and Bravo! steak sandwiches. The roast pork (pictured) is slow-roasted and served on a roll with red onions and spices. The steak sandwich is prepared using flame-grilled sautéed beef tenderloin tips in a red wine sauce and served with chimichurri, melted provolone cheese, bacon, fried egg, and potato sticks.
"Most people that try our steak sandwich end up ordering it every time they come in," Dennis told Clean Plate Charlie in between manning the stove and delivering orders to the front.
In addition to the menu and dining room expansion, the Fedaks hired a new front-counter person and two cooks to help them serve their eager patrons. Their homemade empandas, which are baked, not fried, are popular for those on the run, and their dessert menu expanded to include alfajores -- billed as the most delicious cookie you've never heard of. To avoid long lines, try going between the hours of 2 and 4 p.m.
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