This week marked the opening of a new takeout panini window at Serafina in Eastlake.

“We got the Ferrari of panini presses from Italy,” says general manager Rachel Aiken, referring to the restaurant’s new fancy Nuova Simonelli toasting machine.

The menu will change regularly and likely expand. For now, Serafina offers three ’wiches: a porchetta panini on Macrina ciabatta with pickled onion and salsa verde; a salami sandwich with fontina cheese and artichoke olivada on baguette; and a Caprese on housemade focaccia with basil pesto, heirloom tomatoes, and fresh mozzarella.

Paninis will be available from 11:30am to 2:30pm Monday through Saturday, and Serafina eventually plans to offer picnic lunches for lakeside dining, according to Aiken. The window is intended for takeout (Serafina offers a weekday sitdown lunch as well), but Aiken says customers are also welcome to eat the paninis in the sidewalk seating area, and can order beer, wine, and other beverages along with their lunch.

Also: Is this the dawn of a new bad economy-eating trend? With happy hour now saturating the city’s restaurants—from high-end eateries to dive bars—perhaps the sandwich stand is the new recession-busting move for local restaurants? We can list Dinette as an example, but it takes three to make a trend….