DRIVE-BY DINING

Reclaiming its surfin' turf

By Dog Davis
Special to The Times

August 24, 2006

TOGO'S opened in San Jose in the late 1960s, making sandwiches for surfers and hippies. Today, its 283 locations are still mostly on the LeftCoast, despite having sold out years ago to the Man (actually a Massachusetts corporation that also owns Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins).

Recently, the chain has been trying to reconnect with its groovy surfer heritage, and the result is the Bocana Beef Sandwich, named for a surf spot in Baja. Picture a hand-sliced hunk of ciabatta bread, stuffed with avocado, onion, mayo and a spring salad mix, then crammed full of tender roast beef that's been doused in a "ceviche-style" concoction of cilantro, jalapeño and lime juice.

It's a limited-time offering scheduled to end Sept. 15. Is it worth a trip to Togo's?

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Togo's Bocana Beef Sandwich

Taste****

This may be the best sandwich you'll eat all year. The green things taste great inside the chewy ciabatta, and the "ceviche" seasonings turn the roast beef into a spicy, sweet delight; a perfect cold meal for a hot day. (And if you have something against bread, they also serve a Bocana Beef Salad, which includes tomatoes and ranch dressing.)

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Diet Watch**

We were suspicious of Togo's claim that this sandwich had only 560 calories, because roast beef, avocado and mayonnaise are notorious fat-magnets. Then we noticed their official "serving size" was only 10.5 ounces and the sandwich's list of ingredients didn't include the mayo. In our findings, the regular-sized sandwich is 12.5 ounces and is slathered in mayo, so we conclude the actual calories to be closer to 750.

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Portability***

Surprisingly, this hefty sandwich passes the driving test. Sliced in half, the Bocana is easy to handle, and the sticky avocado prevents the beef and salad from spilling out. Also, the attractive carry-out packaging includes a sturdy plastic plate, and they toss in a free fistful of yummy potato chips because of this item's special status.

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Hype-o-meter**

All this month, a Volkswagen van has been trucking up and down the coast, displaying surf art and doling out sandwich samples as part of the Togo's Surf Art Tour. The tour ends Labor Day weekend at BoardFest in Huntington Beach. One wonders how successful it's been so far, because in a stroke of marketing genius, Togo's has forgotten to mention the tour on its website.

•  Ratings are on a scale of one (lowest) to four (best).