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JoeDough Brings JoeDoe's Bodacious Brisket To The EV Sandwich Scene
By
Garth Johnston
Published Nov 16, 2011
Modified Nov 16, 2011
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By
Garth Johnston
Published Nov 16, 2011
Modified Nov 16, 2011
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When chef Joe Dobias first decided to open up his own place he originally wanted to open a food truck or a sandwich shop. Instead his girlfriend and partner Jill Schulster persuaded him it was better to start with a restaurant and then work their way down, and so JoeDoe was born (for which we are thankful). But now, three years later, Dobias is realizing his dream. Yesterday afternoon Joe and Jill opened up their second eatery, a sandwich shop on First Avenue and Eighth Street called JoeDough, of course. Finally, East Villagers can dine on brisket sandwiches from noon till all hours of the night.
The new spot is tiny (five stools) and has a short menu to match. It boasts nine static sandwiches and two specials a week. Each one costs $10 with tax (or $14 with a drink and a bag of Cape Cod chips). Unlike at the meat-tastic JoeDoe, vegetarians have real options here—including one of the weekly specials. We're partial to the brisket sandwich and have been since it first started appearing on JoeDoe's brunch menu (where, Dobias tells us, he will continue to try out new sandwiches) but there are some other really solid alternatives, including: The Conflicted Jew (chicken liver, bacon and onions on challah), The Stoner's Delight (grilled cheese, upgraded), the After School Special (fried bologna, mustard and chips on white bread) and the Strong Island (an epic vegetable parm). Still hungry? They also offer the sandwiches in huge 3' and 6' "Sandwich Boards," like the ones offices will order for parties, but upscaled.
Having had JoeDoe up and running for such a long time, in restaurant years, "ends up giving a lot more validity to what we're doing here and the fact that we're charging ten dollars a sandwich—which is inclusive of tax" Dobias says. "We're offering something like a deli sandwich but it is not a deli sandwich. Its more of a [air quotes] gourmet sandwich. We're trying to not make it unapproachable or too fancy or too much about how incredible the ingredients are. We want it to just offer really slamming sandwiches that people can always come back for and that will always be here. So they can get what they crave, as opposed to what they think the chef wants.
"Plus," he adds, "we don't suffer from the rogue ingredient philosophy where, just because we're driven by a chef, we have to push some annoying or eclectic ingredient into a sandwich just because—even if it doesn't go with the sandwich." He then smiled and said he wouldn't name names.
Since they just started service last night, JoeDough is still figuring out the details of the operation, but the plan is to eventually stay open until 5 a.m. on weekends. For now, they'll be open until 10 p.m. daily. And yes, they are offering delivery for those desk-bound all day. Between this and Xi'an Famous Foods around the corner, we could happily lunch on the corner of First and Eighth five days a week.
135 First Avenue // 212-780-9222
Tagged
east village
joe dobias
joedoe
joedough
manhattan
new restaurants
sandwiches
Garth Johnston
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