Within a couple of days, restaurateur Bobby Zimmerman shuttered his Beat Street restaurant and opened a new concept, Sunny Day Sandwich Shoppe, in its place at 348 Hutchison Lane in Wilmington’s Cargo District.
“I closed on Wednesday, renovated, and then really built the restaurant before the weekend,” he said. “So, it was a quick turnaround.”
He said he loved Beat Street’s global street food menu, but the restaurant wasn’t where he wanted it to be. He turned to a concept that he and his staff had already experimented with at previous pop-ups and events -- one inspired by some of the best sandwiches he’s had.
“I think I missed Chicago a little bit,” he said. “That’s the only place I’ve really had drip-down-your-elbow sandwiches.”
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The messy aesthetic
He said Sunny Day could be seen as a response to the sandwich status quo. These aren’t sandwiches that should be plated, and may not even be easy to eat.
“Because they're messy. They're big. You know what I mean? They're not pretty,” he said.
The True Blue hospitality group includes restaurants like Farfalla, True Blue Butcher & Table, True Blue Butcher & Barrel, and True Blue Butcher & Baker. And they serve world-class fare like Japanese A5 Wagyu beef and artisan breads baked at their group’s Hampstead bakery.
But Zimmerman said he loves serving satisfying, blue-collar food just as much.
He said the sandwiches must be wrapped to be appropriately finished and presented.
“It needs to be rolled, and that little bit of tension,” he said. “We admit that these sandwiches are a lot. … The ‘drip down your elbow’ is really the call to action for this brand.”
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The new menu
Sunny Day offers hot sandwiches, cold sandwiches and a build-your-own section with a selection of meats, cheeses and a roster of house-made ingredients like giardiniera and vinaigrette dressing to choose from.
One of the signatures is the Chopped Cheese.
“Don't say it's a Philly,” Zimmerman said. “It's a chopped cheesesteak, more of a New York style.”
They use trimmings from the 200 whole beef tenderloins they prepare every week, liberally seasoned with their umami-filled house Beefsteak Seasoning. It’s the sandwich that will take the place of their popular smash burger special on Wednesdays – now a $10 Chopped Cheese special.
The chicken salad has some interesting additions, like Amarena cherries, tarragon and a potato chip crunch. And their Old School Italian is made with meats from the North Carolina-based San Giuseppe Salami Co.
The menu will also evolve. Those who create their own sandwiches at Sunny Day are asked to name them as well. Those that are especially popular or delicious may be an ongoing special or make it to the menu.
Allison Ballard is the food and dining reporter at the StarNews. You can reach her at aballard@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Look for drip-down-your-elbow sandwiches at this new Wilmington shop
