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Fozzie's Sandwich Emporium has been blow-your-doors-off busy since it opened its doors three years ago. It didn't take owner Mark Lucas long to decide to open a second location, but it took him a while to find one. In the maeantime, SLM voted it a Best New Restaurant in 2011, SLM contributor Thomas Crone discovered it in May of 2012, and last July Food & Wine called out Lucas (left) as one of 20 "Sandwich Chefs to Know."
For location # 2, Lucas decided on a 1400 SF storefront in Des Peres, the former Dottie's Ice Cream Parlor at 11656 Manchester, in a center called The Shoppes at Tallbrooke. When asked for the criteria used, Lucas blurted out, "Seats. We need more seats." The flagship location in Richmond Heights seats about a dozen; the new location will seat 40. In Des Peres, Lucas took the full-time (indoor) seat route instead of the occasional (outdoor) seating he cobbled together in Richmond Heights.
One of Fozzies' notable and charming landscape features is the series of raised beds for growing herbs and vegetables. In Des Peres, Lucas will compensate by hanging several "vertical gardens" indoors to be used for the same purpose.
The wide menu of creative sandwiches, salads, and welcome oddities like Ed's St. Louis Slaw Dog and the stuffed-burger classic, the Juicy Lucy, will remain unchanged.
Alert the citizenry of Des Peres. The Big Bend Mafia (one of our favorite sandwiches) will arrive in late July.
FYI, Lucas named the restaurant not after this bear, but after his girlfriend's cat, named Fozzie.
