ARMOUR SQUARE — Mr. Spanky's, the neighborhood sandwich joint, has reopened after a brief hiatus.
"The big thing for me is better focus," chef-owner John Schultz said.
Schultz closed his sandwich counter, 335 W. 31st St., in January in an effort to "reset" his restaurant business while working his full-time catering gig.
Now he's back, with less menu items but more ways to get the goods, including order-by-phone and delivery options, plus a forthcoming online ordering website. The restaurant reopened Wednesday.
Still available is a selection of four sandwiches served on a baked Chinese bun — smoked brisket, smoked pulled pork, smoked chicken and the "Badass BLT" — plus the "daily special," which will be set on a schedule.
"I'm doing that because it helps keep me focused ... and these are some of my best sandwiches," he said.
Also on the menu are fresh salads and several sides, including the Filbert's Root Beer baked beans, creamy mac and cheese, and braised greens.
Fans of the Mr. Spanky's prepackaged meats need not worry: Schultz is still selling dry-cured bacon, breakfast sausage and tubs of pulled pork.
Schultz, a former chef with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus, opened the sandwich shop in 2012 after hawking his wares — homemade hummus, fruit salsas, sausages and bacon — at several suburban farmers markets.
Mr. Spanky's is open 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays. For more information, see the restaurant's official website.
