The best thing since sliced bread? A sliced bagel.
A pair of local bagel connoisseurs are getting ready to bring their delicious wares to Downtown Brooklyn in a new form — open-faced sandwiches served on a fresh-baked flat bagel.
Filthy Flats is the newest endeavor of brothers-in-law and business partners Randy Narod and Joseph Anzalone, of the popular Long Island Bagel Cafe. After more than two decades of serving delicious bagels at nine locations on Long Island and in Westchester, the culinary creatives are taking their first steps into New York City — and, amid a crowded bagel market, they’re hoping that their take on a tried-and-true classic sandwich will stand out.
The creative eats start out the same as LIBC’s normal bagels — early each morning, they’re rolled out, boiled, and baked at the company’s Long Island bagel bakery.
One step sets them apart from the other big fluffy bagels being sent out, though, as their dough bagels are flattened before baking, ensuring they become especially crispy in the oven.
Once they arrive in Downtown Brooklyn, where Filthy Flats is officially opening on April 15, the open-faced sandwiches are loaded up with ingredients — classic bacon, egg, and cheese; chicken salad; feta and avocado, and more.
Narod and Anzalone’s motto for the store is “All Day, the Filthy Way,” and the menu is full of “flats” for all times of day — breakfast, lunch, dinner, even dessert. The pair are taking the opportunity to introduce some of the top-selling items from Long Island to a new audience, including Narod’s “signature” cranberry chicken and tuna salads, which have been carefully crafted with the help of expert chefs.
In opening the new eatery in Downtown Brooklyn, which will sit right across the street from Brooklyn Borough Hall and in the midst of the high-traffic area near Brooklyn Law School, NYU Tandon, and MetroTech Center, the Filthy Flats team wanted to provide “quick, tasty, and affordable sandwich options.”
“When customers arrive at the new eatery at 32 Court St. (or order online), they’ll be greeted by a large menu with basic sandwiches available at as little as $3.50. Breakfast options top out at $6.50 for an open-faced sandwich with avocado and feta cheese, and the quick-service joint’s pizza flats range in price from $3.50 to $7.
There are also more elaborate and expensive “signature” options — like the $13 Korean BBQ Short Rib with braised short ribs, cheese, and crispy onions; or the “Filthy Reuben” with sauerkraut, melted Swiss cheese, and special sauce.
Rounding out the choices are three dessert options served on cheery rainbow bagels — including those inspired by s’mores, strawberry cheesecake or cannolis.
The ordering process was designed to be quick and efficient to feed hungry New Yorkers on the move, according to the team, which will fit the high-traffic, on-the-go nature of the local clientele.
To celebrate the grand opening of Filthy Flats, the bagelry is offering 20% off any order for all city employees, students, and faculty on April 15.
