Cheeky Sandwiches: Where I go after watching Treme

Om Nomz Hero Note to Self: Zapps chips are vastly superior to any chips I have had to date

I'm pretty sure Tom Sawyer painted that fence...

I finally finished watching the first season of Treme which is all about New Orleans and after watching it two things occurred to me:

1.       Steve Zahn can actually be a good actor

2.       I really, really wanted a po’ boy bad

Now what is a po’ boy one may ask? It is a sandwich from Louisiana that is comprised of roasted meats but more popularly with fried seafood, predominantly oysters or shrimp but fish as well. It is served on a sub/French Baguette. It is basically a sub/submarine/grinder/hoagie from Louisiana. Thankfully, as much as I want too, I do not need to buy a ticket to New Orleans to get a decent po boy, all I have to do is go to Chinatown, yes Chinatown to Cheeky to get myself a taste of New Orleans. 

Cheeky quietly opened about a year, but it has gaining momentum and building there Street Credentials at guest appearances at various markets and fairs and now have a location at the DeKalb market. If the décor is suppose to set the mood, then Cheeky has nailed it with the whitewashed wooden window shutters and aged wood that looked like it had its share of rough weather (totally natural, because Chinatown is known to get hit by coastal storms and wetland climate). Inside is no different from the outside with wobbly, narrow benches and weathered counters gets transports you to thinking you are in the South and at Domilise's or maybe a Brooklyn hipster hangout. Despite the way it looks, it is the food that matters and the food at Cheekys is worth the risk of a splinter.

Cheeky is a sandwich shop and I heard that they make a gut bomb biscuit and a tasty short rib sandwich but I was there to satisfy my po’ boy craving. I got the half and half, half the sandwich had oysters and the other half shrimp. The po’ boys are made to order, meaning they are cooking the oysters and shrimp for each sandwich and although it takes some time and be a wait when it gets busy, it is well worth it. The sandwich is simply dressed with mayonnaise, ketchup, lettuce and tomato. The bread I confirmed is flown in from John Gendusa Bakery all the way from Louisiana in order to get the right kind of bread for the po’ boy. The po’ boy was in short, delicious; the fried to ordered oysters had a great cornmeal coat and were still plump and juicy. 

The only thing that could have made this even better is a couple dashes of hot sauce, Crystals or course. The bread is the perfect match and I can see why Cheeky has their bread flown in, sure you can get a stellar baguette from Grandaisy but it would not be the same. The bread on first impressions seems like it is stale, but then you realize that the roll is just remarkably light and airy and has a certain crispiness to it that the fried seafood sits comfortably on. The bread is another example of “Terroir” and I am pretty sure you cannot mimic this kind of bread anywhere else. Cheeky may not be much to look at from the outside, but the food here is filling and good and I have to come back for their beignets and that chicken biscuit a combination that sounds like a perfect breakfast to me!

Cheeky Sandwiches

35 Orchard Street
New York, NY 10002

cheekysandwiches.com