It was worth the verbal abuse, although we are masochists.Photo: Josh Ozersky
Kenny Shopsin, the profane prince of the New York short-order world, is back cooking again. As Eater reported yesterday, Anne Saxelby of Saxelby Cheesemonger is collaborating with the gray-maned curmudgeon on egg-and-cheese sandwiches at Essex Street Market, and we just had to try one. Kenny’s stand — which will, like his online novelty business, be called Shopsin’s General Store — isn’t open yet. You order the sandwich from Saxelby, and Anne disappears behind a red door, where Kenny is cooking away. We got a few mouthfuls of sandwich, and then earfuls of curses from the man himself.
You should see what the sign says on the other side.Photo: Josh Ozersky
The sandwich was soft and fluffy, with just enough aged Cheddar to accentuate the farm eggs, and dabs of clarified butter to give the whole thing a touch of richness. After wolfing it down, we asked Kenny if we could photograph him. “Get the fuck out of here! What? Fuck you!” he said, slamming the door. The éminence greasy then referred to the sweet-as-pie Saxelby as “that fucking bitch.” Nice, Kenny. And nowhere in that storm of salty language did he reveal when his stand might actually open. It didn’t appear to us to be any time soon. In the meantime, Kenny will remain behind the kitchen door. Maybe that isn’t such a bad arrangement, after all.
The charming Anne Saxelby.Photo: Josh Ozersky
