
3

"In Flatiron, the sophomore Brown Bag outpost brings an old-school, retro sandwich shop vibe with six counter seats and a Coca-Cola logo, and keeps the sandwich-making on full display so guests stay engaged. The straightforward menu focuses on chopped takes of classics like a turkey club, spicy tuna melt, hot roast beef, and Italian; the spicy tuna melt stacks Albacore tuna, pepperoncini, house pickles, aji amarillo, Swiss, and crispy onion. Its chopped cheese comes classic, loaded with bacon and fried crispy onions, or spicy, and the team says it stands out by using good ground beef, slicing tomatoes in-house, and making their own sauces; Parisi Bakery hoagies and rolls baked fresh daily anchor the texture. Sandwiches run $14 to $18 and can be ordered non-chopped if you prefer. This location adds a hood and fryer, opening the door to bring back chicken cutlets and debut fries: crinkle-cut, plus cottage fries doused with Lawry’s seasoning that can be ordered loaded; sides ($6 to $9) include a macaroni salad slathered in pungent fish sauce and a local corn salad with Calabrian chile and house-made herb dressing. Led by co-owner and chef Antonio Barbieri, who rose to executive sous chef at three-starred Eleven Madison Park, the project nods to the bodega that knew his name and order, aims to be a neighborhood brand, and uses a basement as a mini-commissary hub for catering." - Tierney Plumb