Critic's Review
Old friend Bozo's was sold last year, and the new owners have opened a Millenial-friendly overpriced sandwich shop. I'd checked the menu and couldn't believe how inept it was; who's going to pay $12 for a Cuban sandwich with dijon mustard at a roadside shack in the woods? At Bozo's you got a big Italian hero for $7. What are these guys thinking?
Getting here can be tricky if you don't know the way. The first time I went to Bozo's the bridge was being refurbished, and there was no way to get to the place from the North. It's a narrow bridge but it seems to hold 2 cars at a time successfully.
Every recipe was fancied up in a way that you could almost hear the guy who made the menu beat his chest and shout "Look at Me, I'm a Chef". Mozzerella and aioli on the Italian, Dijon mustard on the Cuban, parmesan on the grilled cheese. Pulled pork with pineapple. Good grief.
The menu doesn't say that the sandwiches include a side, which they do. They don't even have the sides listed on the menu; this is a real amateur operation. I was really just coming to get a picture of the place; I decided to try the $3 cauliflower poppers after seeing them on the Y review site.
I mistakenly tried to order at the pick up window; you have to order at the front.
They seemed disappointed that I just wanted the poppers; they want you to order A $15 lunch with a drink.
While waiting I chatted with the guy who took my order and they seemed to be the owners; I was surprised that he seemed completely unfamiliar with Bozo's; how can you buy a business without fully understanding the business that you're buying? Of course they didn't really buy the business; this place is something different.
When the food was ready I asked for it in a bag; they have covered seating but I wasn't eating these here.
I took one out and tried it in the car; they were breaded and not very tasty on their own. I'd try the sauce when I got home.
When I think of "poppers" I think of Jalapeo poppers, so I kind of expected these to be stuffed with spicy cheese. But they're just breaded cauliflower.
The sauce that came with it, which I suspect is the "Spicy Remoulade" they serve with some of the sandwiches, is trash. Thousand Island dressing; I'd rather just season the cauliflower and eat it plain.
Instead I whipped up a spicy cheese sauce for it, which transformed them into something really good.
It appears that the side included with the sandwich is smaller than the "ala carte" sides.
Conclusion
I'm baffled why people will pay the same price for a sandwich out in the woods as they do in the high rent district; I can't see anyone out of the neighborhood coming to this place. I guess it's a cheap dinner but I couldn't see coming here and paying $20 for a sandwich and a beer.
This place is doing what everyone else is doing; taking tried and true 100 year old recipes and adding "avocado puree" or aioli to prove their food is worth 40% more than the traditional recipe.
I'd doubt that the people who run this place have ever had really good food; the recipes don't even sound good to me. There's things you know; and I know there is no mustard on a French Dip.
You can buy the whole kit and caboodle for $400K.
Thanks for saving me the trip!