Cutty's: Laid-back Local Sandwich Shop

I’m standing in line at , the sharp new sandwich shop in Brookline Village.  In line with me are a couple of college kids, an elderly man on crutches, a glamorous woman toting a Floris-London bag, and a young couple with a stroller.  Ah, sandwiches—the great equalizer.

Inside the door is a large sign, handwritten on butcher paper, advertising Cutty’s own pork fat for sale, with suggested uses ranging from the serious (sautéing, roasting) to the tongue-in-cheek (bronzer, eyebrow sculptor).  That’s the kind of place this is: a gourmet sandwich shop for those serious about taste and locally sourced ingredients.  But even if you don’t care about all that—even if you just want a really good sandwich—then this is your kind of place, too.

Cutty’s serves breakfast beginning at 8am, offering dishes like their own crumb cake ($1.70) and housemade granola with honey and yogurt ($3.65).  I’m still hoping for a morning when I can head over to Cutty’s to make a breakfast out of their roasted seasonal fruit with yogurt ($2.95).

But for my lunch visit, I was eager to order the “Spuckie” ($7.75), a sandwich hailed as an inspired creation on far-reaching foodie websites, and it lived up to its reputation: supple handmade mozzarella, mortadella, capicola with a hint of heat, fennel salami, and an olive-carrot salad that simultaneously added sweetness, brine, and a bit of crunch.  Vegetarians can choose the Eggplant Spuckie ($7.25), with savory planks of marinated eggplant replacing the meat. Ciabatta bread, with a crust crispy enough to produce an audible crackle when you bite in, plays as equal partner to the fillings here.  Other places might get a draw through portion size, but the Spuckie―and indeed all of Cutty’s sandwiches―illustrate a “less is more” mantra, with the final product being a balanced gourmet sandwich.

Alongside my Spuckie, I had a cup of tomato soup, smooth and intensely tomato-y but too sweet for my taste, and a bag of crispy, golden, and perfectly addictive homemade potato chips ($2), sprinkled with large-grain salt.  A number of salads, like carrot and chickpea salad ($3.75) and mixed greens with shaved fennel, crispy shallots, peanuts, and aged gouda ($6.95) beckoned temptingly from the menu.

The Niman Ranch ham in the Ham Dijon sandwich ($6.45) is so good―soft, smooth, and smoky―that I could eat it plain by the forkful.  It arrives on a chewy baguette with a veneer of Dijon mustard and another of butter, giving a subtle richness to the bread.  Sliced cornichons add a gentle pucker.

Sautéed chard lends a deep earthiness to the Greens Bacon sandwich ($6.95), which suffered overall from intensely salty bacon; be sure to order a drink, like the not-too-sweet hand squeezed limeade ($1.85), alongside.  

The Roast Beef 1000 ($7.95) is one of the simplest sandwiches on the menu, yet one of the most satisfying―the beef itself is sublimely tender and savory, showcased with cheddar cheese, 1000 island dressing, and a layer of crispy shallots on top of a brioche bun.

On Saturdays, Cutty’s offers two additional specialty sandwiches, both featuring slow-roasted pork: the Pork Fennel ($8.75) with pickled fennel and roasted garlic, and the Pork Rabe ($8.95) with provolone and sautéed broccoli rabe.  We didn’t care for the unpleasantly gamey taste of the pork, and set our Pork Rabe aside after only a few bites.

Round out your lunch with a chocolate chip cookie ($.95) so buttery it could pass for chocolate-studded shortbread, or a truly amazing brown sugar cookie ($.95) with a depth of flavor revolutionary to sugar cookies in general.  This is perfect picnic food―and with nothing but warm, sunny days ahead, a picnic seems like the perfect reason to grab a Spuckie.

Cutty’s is open for breakfast and lunch Monday through Saturday 8am-3pm, with lunch beginning at 11am.  248 Washington Street, Brookline.  MBTA: Green line (D) to Brookline Village.