John Fimmano on Shut Up & Eat's Upcoming B&M

Lardo isn't the only sandwich cart going full-on brick and mortar. As previously reported, chef John Fimmano's sandwich cart Shut Up & Eat — which opened in SE Portland's A La Carts pod in fall 2010 — will soon open a 30-stool counter-style restaurant on SE Gladstone. "With the new space, I really wanted to stay within a two-mile radius of where we originally were with the truck," says Fimmano, who co-owns SU&E with business partner Glenn Hollenbeck. "We're trying to keep it like a juke joint, diner atmosphere."

True to the cart's meat-heavy sandwich menu, Fimmano says the brick-and-mortar will "stick to the model of [food with] as little bells and whistles as possible," he says. "I think it'll be very casual, very comforting, big elbow-jerking sandwiches." In addition to the familiar cart menu, the new space will see the addition of more vegetarian-friendly sandwiches, housemade chips and french fries, rotating salads (including picnic favorites like macaroni and potato salads), and the return of the cart's deep-fried panzarottis, an original menu item eventually nixed due to lack of cart space. Also on-tap: a new line of breakfast sandwiches on housemade English muffins and biscuits, which will be available all day.

Shut Up & Eat's brick and mortar is scheduled to open the first week of August (the cart, meanwhile, will live on part of the concept's catering arm). Updates as they become available.
· Shut Up & Eat [Official site]
· All Previous Shut Up & Eat Coverage [Eater PDX]