Last summer, there was some chef drama, and an ownership change. Because Fitz and Starts used to be Hungry Pigeon, a restaurant this magazine once touted as the best in the whole damn city.

It’s really hard to pull off what chef-owner Pat O’Malley has pulled off at Fitz and Starts. Because at Huda - and we’re not joking here - you can order a side of lamb chops. You could order a drink and a side of chips. The buns are milk buns, of course (all sandwich buns are milk buns in 2021): fluffy and feathery, yet strong enough to hold a hefty cut of grilled swordfish over Napa cabbage slaw, or a crispy fried hunk of maitake mushroom with Mexican torta fixings. The sliced kind is sourdough (which he learned to make at the beginning of the pandemic, just like all of us - except he mastered it), and he tops it with seasonal goodies like apple butter, cheddar and roasted Brussels sprouts, or cheffy things like house-smoked lox and mushroom butter. And at Huda, chef-owner Yehuda Sichel (formerly of Abe Fisher) makes pound-for-pound the best sandwich bread in the city. Photograph by Ted Nghiem.Įvery good sandwich starts with good bread, and the best sandwiches start with the best bread.

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