Unveiling the Mayahuel dudes' new Cuban spot

Many great things arrive in stages: just look at the Big Dig, which phased openings of I-90 and I-93 before rolling out the best part -- deadly ceiling murder! Less calamitously launching a sandwich shop as part one of an epic Cuban complex, the guys behind Carteles.

Serving sammys in a tiny nook done up like a pre-Castro cafe (white-and-yellow tile bar, blue wicker stools, vintage magazines on the wall...), Cart's the first component of a massive effort from part of the Death & Co/Mayahuel team, who over the next half year hope to open a secret, Hemingway-themed upstairs lounge, followed by a full-menu resto styled after an outdoor plaza; part four's still a secret, but might involve your head exploding. Designed by the group's longtime chef, the focused menu includes four gourmet sandos (plated with house-made potato/plantain chips), including the roast pork & sliced ham El Cubano, with pickles/mustard/Swiss/provolone, and the seductively spiced twice braised beef Sloppy Joe, tapped as the signature 'wich due to its origins in Cuba (proving that indeed everyone else in your elementary school cafeteria was a dirty communist). Rounding it out're the Pechuga (mojo-marinated chicken w/ Swiss & chipotle aioli) and the Jardinero (grilled market veggies, provolone, and warm sofrito), while off-the-crust offerings extend to rice-and-avocado abetted soup action: hearty chicken and root vegetable stew, and black beans in a vegetable broth w/ veggie sofrito ("Sofrito, we meet again" said the vindictive Funyun).

Drinks are currently limited to island sodas, plus popular coffee drinks like Cafe con Leche, and an Asian-inflected joe made with salt, a concoction that'll leave Bloomberg misty eyed for the days when all you had to worry about was being crushed by the ceiling.