This should come as no surprise: another St. Louis restaurant that deserves its accolades.
In the soon-to-be-released July issue of Food & Wine, owner/chef Mark Lucas of two-year-old Fozzie's Sandwich Emporium was named one of 20 "Sandwich Chefs to Know." The remainder of the sandwich shops/chefs include three from Los Angeles, two from New York, two from Portland, Ore., but only one other restaurant from the Midwest: Rick Bayless' XOCO ("little sister" in Aztec), his three-year-old, 40-seat, soup and sandwich shop in Chicago.
Lucas' pedigree includes stints at Momo's, Boogaloo, Roxanne, and El Scorcho in Maplewood, but clearly he's hit a home run at Fozzie's (the name of his now-wife's cat). The simple exterior (at left) belies the creativity within. The F&W blurb gives an indication, noting that homegrown vegetables are used for items like the black-bean burger with roasted peppers (which is pictured in the piece). Our favorite is still the Big Bend Mafia, with shaved Italian roast beef, salsiccia, giardiniera, and provolone on a garlic hoagie. With a side of au jus, a sandwich gets no better.
We've been to Fozzie's (an SLM "Best New Restaurant" for 2011) countless times and still have yet to dent the broad salad/sandwich/burger/hot dog/gyro/shake menu, here. A plum location in Richmond Heights with easy-on/easy-off access to Highway 40/64 made the decision to deliver a no-brainer, according to Lucas. Good thing. The line at Fozzie's is about to get a little longer.
