Fozzie’s Sandwich Emporium is an unassuming little joint. Witness the simple green awning on the exterior and the modest little walk-up counter with tiny seating area on the interior, pretty standard stuff. But the Fozzie’s menu and the unusual flavors proffered therein are anything but humble. This is the sort of fare that raises a foodie’s eyebrows and offers enough intrigue to warrant multiple visits – and three reasons to make a field trip:
1. The Unusual. Fozzie’s apps include a couple of specialized Greek spreads – skordalia (garlic potato purée) and htipiti (spicy roasted peppers, capers, feta cheese and olive oil). The Mango Tango salad joins diced mango, spicy pecans, goat cheese and greens under a drizzle of Champagne-honey vinaigrette. The Gracey, meanwhile, is a sandwich that stars falafel with support from roasted peppers, baby spinach, grilled onions and artichoke-spinach spread on flatbread. One standout soup of the day includes butternut squash soup topped with candied pecans and red-wine poached pears. During the warmer months, Fozzie’s grows the herbs and veggies for many of these dishes in a garden just beyond the dining room window.
2. The Decadent. Hello, carnivores. Fozzie’s offers the BABLT, which stands for bacon and bacon lettuce and tomato and sports a half pound of crispy bacon and roasted garlic mayo. The King, Elvis’ namesake, is a sandwich with peanut butter, bacon and bananas on sourdough. The Juicy Lucy is a burger stuffed with cheese (Swiss, American or Pepperjack) – the menu warns that the cheese gets “hot!” The Cardiac is a cousin to the slinger – a burger, bacon, hot dog, chili, slaw, tomato and American cheese. Don’t you dare try to eat it with your hands. And the Hair of the Dog is a formidable beer-battered hot dog topped with chili, jalapeños, American cheese and slaw.
3. The Desserts. Most sandwich shops treat dessert like a redheaded stepchild – forgotten and forlorn. Not here. The Foz-O-Licious is the joint’s signature milkshake: It blends roasted apples, caramels and goat cheese. All I can say is try it and see – it works. December’s featured shake is the Orange Peppermint Delight, which takes the Dreamsicle to a new level, adding crushed peppermint to the ice cream and orange flavor. Another fave is The Chocolate Julip, with Oreos, fresh mint and fudge. Past dessert specials have included nut and honey cookies (sugar cookies with pecans and walnuts, plus a buttercream and honey filling), the Drunken Pear Shake (featuring red-wine poached pears with toasted walnuts) and a refreshing blueberry-lemon ice cream sandwich.
Is there a line out the door at Fozzie’s? Now you know why.
This article appears in Dec 1-31, 2010.