A month shy of its second anniversary Broad Shoulders Sandwiches, chef Tom Azar’s gourmet shop for shrimp po’boys, Chicago beef and andouille gumbo soup, has slung its last handheld on Fort Lauderdale’s Commercial Boulevard.
Phone lines were disconnected and paper wrapped the windows of the Broad Shoulders storefront, which Azar opened with his wife Cheryl in February 2022. The final day of service was Dec. 30, the owners told the South Florida Sun Sentinel in a statement.
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The shrimp po’boy at Broad Shoulders Sandwiches in Fort Lauderdale. (Broad Shoulders Sandwiches/Courtesy)In that statement, Azar also vowed to reopen Broad Shoulders soon, with active plans to “bring Broad Shoulders back in a new location.”
“We cannot put to words what the love and support has meant to us, not just after the news of our closing but also during our time getting to know and serving our customers,” owners Tom and Cheryl Azar told the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “So many became regulars and friends.”
Azar broke the news to customers in a Jan. 2 Facebook post but didn’t elaborate on his reasons for shuttering, writing, in part, “We have made the difficult decision to close our doors at this location due to circumstances beyond our control.”
According to state records, the restaurant’s annual lease was up for renewal on Jan. 20.
A Chicago native (Broad Shoulders ranks among the Windy City’s many nicknames), Azar cut his teeth cooking Louisiana classics at Emeril Lagasse’s Nola in New Orleans’ French Quarter. From there, Azar ascended the ranks at multiple Emeril properties, first becoming sous chef at Emeril’s Orlando in the late 1990s, followed by a primo post as chef de cuisine at the late Emeril’s Miami Beach.
Broad Shoulders became Azar’s mash note to New Orleans and Chicago, his menu of savory sandwiches and soups alluding to recipes he gleaned in the celebrity chef’s kitchens.
There were po’boys piled with breaded extra jumbo shrimp, red onion and house-made remoulade on crusty French bread; and creole shrimp and corn chowder, a silky roux that also included bacon and potatoes.
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The Rueben at Broad Shoulders Sandwiches in Fort Lauderdale. (Broad Shoulders Sandwiches/Courtesy)Azar saluted Chicago with Vienna all-beef hot dogs, topped with green sweet pickle relish and house-made sport peppers on a sturdy poppy seed bun. But the fan favorite was undoubtedly the Chicago Style Italian Beef, thin-sliced and seasoned top round on a roll topped with house-made giardiniera and au jus.
And, of course, there was his Reuben, a vacation on seeded rye with house-made sauerkraut, Thousand Island dressing and corned beef so tender it could be enjoyed without teeth. The menu also featured Azar’s versions of a hot Italian panini (salami, mortadella, capicola, provolone cheese), half-pound cheeseburger and Cuban sandwich, along with sides of mac ‘n’ cheese, potato salad and creamy creole coleslaw.
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The half-pound cheeseburger at Broad Shoulders Sandwiches in Fort Lauderdale. (Broad Shoulders Sandwiches/Courtesy)For dessert, he made New Orleans-style bread puddings infused with whiskey along with deep-dish Key Lime pies.
