All-Purpose team opens a dreamy Italian sandwich shop, market in Shaw
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Focaccia sandwiches at Fossette. Photo: courtesy Fossette.
Fossette Focacceria, an exciting Italian sandwich shop and market, opens in Shaw on Friday.
Why it matters: Chef Mike Friedman is behind a string of Italian hits — The Red Hen, Aventino — and this all-day café adjoining All-Purpose Pizzeria is poised to be another.
The big picture: Huge, overstuffed focaccia sandwiches from Florence-based All'Antico Vinaio, aka the best sandwiches in the world that became viral hits, partly inspired the shop.
- "They're so delicious and so Italian," Friedman tells Axios. "My most beloved way to eat anything is between two pieces of bread." His first job at 15 was at a sub shop in his native New Jersey and you'll find some nostalgic Garden State nods.
Dig in: Friedman and his team transformed the former Buttercream Bakeshop space into the kind of snack bars you see all over Italy. The star of the show is homemade schiacciata, a crisp and chewy focaccia-like bread from Tuscany that bolsters breakfast and lunchtime sandwiches.
- Guests can drop in starting at 8am for an espresso and homemade pastries like mascarpone cinnamon buns; sandwiches stuffed with scrambled eggs, homemade bacon, and fontina cheese; or slices of seasonal frittata.
Between the lines: There's no seating but guests can dine along a marble counter, order to-go, or get delivery.
- Fossette will also double as a catering arm with All-Purpose.
What to try: Lunch runs from 11am to 3pm with a bunch of tasty-sounding indulgences. Look for classic Tuscan combinations like the Mortazza (mortadella, stracciatella cheese, pistachio crema) or Tartufo (prosciutto cotto, stracciatella, arugula, and black truffle honey).
- You'll also find some of Friedman's Jersey nods like a play on an Italian cold cut sub or a summer tomato sandwich with heirloom tomatoes and aioli.
What to buy: The market is stocked with "cool products that you won't see on other people's shelves," says Friedman — jams from Montepulciano, San Carlo pesto chips, fun wines, Italian sodas, and cheese and salumi.
- Once the shop is up and running, Friedman plans to add a bunch of popular ready-made items from his restaurants. Look for All-Purpose pizza kits, pasta sauces, the justly famous "dippies" like feta-ranch or Calabrian chili, and dressings like Caesar or Italian vin.
Zoom out: Cheffy sandwich shops have proliferated in Shaw — and D.C. in general — since the pandemic (cue Ghostburger and Your Only Friend nearby).
- Friedman says the trend is partly business — lower overhead, more affordable for consumers — and partly lifestyle. "I think that chefs started to get burnt out and wanted to go back to basics, and everyone knows chefs love sandwiches."
If you go: Fossette Focacceria, 1250 Ninth Street NW. Open Wednesday through Sunday from 8am to 3pm.