The Gallows Group Opens Sally’s Sandwiches This Week
There's a new bun in the oven at the original Blackbird Doughnuts shop.
Sally’s smothered brisket is Gallows Group owner Rebecca Roth Gullo’s mother, Sally’s recipe. / Photo by Troy Ali
Savory breakfast lovers have never been overlooked at Blackbird Doughnuts, thanks to the shop’s signature everything bagel doughnut—but soon, there will be eggs a-plenty. Sally’s Sandwiches, a new concept from Blackbird owners the Gallows Group, opens Thursday, July 11, inside the original South End doughnut shop, serving up breakfast sandwiches and loaded lunch every day alongside the full gamut of artisan doughnuts.
Sally’s Sandwiches is the fourth concept from the South End-based restaurant group, which debuted the Gallows gastropub in 2010, and has since expanded with the modern-pan-Asian Banyan Bar + Refuge, and four locations (and counting) of the Best of Boston-winning Blackbird Doughnuts.
Named for Gallows Group owner Rebecca Roth Gullo’s mom, Sally’s deals in classic, somewhat nostalgic sandwiches, all with an elevated twist. The idea was born of the entire restaurant team’s love for sandwiches—they’re regulars at nearby Billy’s Sub Shop, says managing director Elena Todisco—and specifically, their love for the original Sally’s brisket. A Southern-style smothered recipe, Roth Gullo’s mother’s beef isn’t smoked or charred, instead braised into tenderness in a mix of Coca-Cola, ketchup, and aromatics.
“It’s what we serve for all the holidays,” Roth Gullo says, “and my husband prefers it the next day on Japanese milk bread.” Sally’s Sandwiches’ version is served on an Iggy’s sesame torta roll, but the inspiration is there in all its slightly sweet-savory, pimento cheese-bolstered glory. The team is considering, and workshopping, house-made breads, but is proud to start by serving Iggy’s, Roth Gullo adds. Gluten-free bread is also available.
Alfredo Pineda was recently promoted from Banyan sous chef to Sally’s Sandwiches chef. He developed the opening menu, with input from the entire Gallows Group crew, including Roth Gullo, the Gallows chef Andrew Tate and sous chef, Dan Doyle; and Banyan chef Matt McClelland.
The opening menu starts with a choice of breakfast items, either a bodega-style egg and cheese sandwich on a bulkie roll, with or without protein or avocado; or corn-tortilla breakfast tacos with scrambled eggs, salsa, and the option to add Sally’s brisket or bacon. Breakfast is served all day, while lunch items will start daily at 10 a.m. Alongside the brisket, there are between-bread staples like a roasted turkey Gobbler (complete with Stove Top stuffing); and falafel comprised of a bright green, herbaceous, gluten-free dough.
A bright, crunchy slaw with red cabbage, snap peas, and a horseradish bite tops a few of the sandwiches, and a bag of Lay’s potato chips makes anything a complete lunch. The full, opening menu is below, but know it’s poised to change as the team learns what the neighborhood needs. They’re having a lot of fun with it—as one might expect from a sandwich shop attached to a doughnut shop, which also serves soft-serve ice cream.
The expansion was made possible after Blackbird Doughnuts moved its production kitchen from the South End to Brighton earlier this year. The doughnut shop closed for a few days in late June while Cafco Construction extended the counter to accomodate two point-of-sale stations and two wall-posted menus. They built in a new dining rail where people can stand to scarf down a sandwich, but there is still no seating inside the Tremont Street shop. (There are a few benches outside.)
Sally’s opens each morning in conjunction with Blackbird Doughnuts, so either 7 or 8 a.m.; and it will close daily at 3 p.m. Guests can order from both menus at either ordering station. See the opening menu below, and follow @sallysandwiches on Instagram to whet your appetite.
492 Tremont St., South End, Boston, 857-449-0443, sallyssandwiches.com.
Falafel with a feta-kalamata olive spread, roasted veg, tomato jam, and Sally’s slaw. / Photo by Troy Ali
Roasted porchetta with arugula, garlic broccoli rabe, aioli, pickled cherry peppers, aged provolone and parmesan on Iggy’s Italian roll. / Photo by Troy Ali
