Wylie Dufresne's Dad Finally Opening Wacky Sandwich Shop on LES

It's been more than three years since Wylie Dufresne's dad, Dewey, announced his plans to open a Lower East Side sandwich shop called BYGGYZ, but it looks like it's finally happening. The shop should open at the end of next month say the Robs. Dewey ran a sandwich shop called Joe's Old Abandoned Grocery Store in Providence, Rhode Island in the 1970s. So he's not exactly new to this business.

Sandwiches are, obviously, also the main focus at this new shop, and Dewey has put together a slightly wacky assortment (like father, like son). The eponymous Byggybeef is composed of beef short ribs, American cheese, pickled vegetables, a proprietary "XO-llent sauce" (mayo, mustard, and sweet peppers) and a pomegranate demi-glace. There's also the Tuna South of France, which is a sandwich riff on a Nicoise salad with tuna, anchovies, roasted tomatoes, red onion, and hard boiled egg, and, in deference to the neighboring Chinatown, is served on a sesame pancake. The vegetarian option called the Veggylotta features hummus, roasted portobello mushrooms, butternut squash, house-made ratatouille, artichoke hearts, cheese, and is served on pizzabread, spread with tapenade or harissa. For dessert, there are dacquoise ice-cream sandwiches in the works courtesy of a collaboration with Sam Mason of OddFellows.

In other fancy sandwich news, Earl's Beer & Cheese vet Corey Cova will soon open Lord Hamm's, his meaty sandwich takeout shop, in Alphabet City. This opening is also planned for late April, and will likely feature some inventive combos like Hudson Valley foie gras served on waffles.

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