In late February, a little carryout spot opened quietly at 4241 S. Packard Ave. in St. Francis. Formerly Durango’s Pizza, the little strip mall location has served as home base for a number of spots over the past couple of years. But, Fat Dan’s Pizza & Sammiches just might have the recipe for success.

It’s a spot that’s easy to miss. But it’s worth keeping your eyes out for the little storefront, which is nestled in a primarily residential area. After all, behind the modest ordering window is a scratch kitchen where nearly everything on the menu is made fresh daily.

Owners of the restaurant include Katie and Daniel O’Brien, a couple whose dream of opening a restaurant came true after twelve years of scouting and searching for the right partners. They found them in industry veterans Tesa Santoro and Joe Schulte, co-owners of Blue Bear restaurant in Racine and former operators of Broadway Bakery & Cafe, Cafe Perrin and Nourri.

When we visited on a Tuesday afternoon, Schulte was busy in the kitchen finishing up a batch of morning buns (which sell for $3.75 each). They’re made with a recipe he inherited from the former La Boulangerie, a bakery and cafe that forged new territory as one of the the first eateries in the Third Ward on the heels of spots like Bella Caffe, Sauce and Nanakusa.

Freshly made croissants and hamburger buns were stacked in trays, and a proofer was filled with loaves of fresh sandwich bread, which would be baked to use for the restaurant’s sandwiches.

And freshly made bread is one of the differentiators for the restaurant, says Santoro, who grew up in an Italian family from whom she says she inherited the drive and desire to "make people happy with food."

"There’s so much competition in carry-out and delivery," she says. "So, if we weren’t doing something differently, it would be impossible to compete. But our goal is to make as much of our food as possible, source as locally as possible and really give people a superior product. It all starts with quality ingredients and we move forward from there."

The Fat Dan’s menu includes an impressive variety of items, including a nice selection of both vegetarian and vegan options like a house-roasted red pepper hummus plate with housemade tapenade and warm pitas ($11) and jalapeno peppers filled with chorizo from Hometown Sausage Kitchen, habanero cream cheese, cotija cheese and a smoked pineapple salsa made with both house-smoked and fresh pineapple ($7.50).

There's also tri-colored cajun fried cauliflower bites served with avocado cilantro sauce ($10). The latter features a gluten-free breading and florets fried in a dedicated fryer, a measure which ensures that guests with gluten sensitivities won’t experience cross-contamination from other fried foods.

"It’s our goal to offer as many vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options as we can," says Santoro. "And a good number of our offerings, including many sandwiches, can be made vegan or gluten-free upon request."

That includes the grassfed cheeseburger with caramelized onions, white cheddar and bacon ($11.50) or the veggie burger topped with boursin habanero cream cheese and Milaeger’s greens ($8.50) which can be upgraded with avocado for $1.50 or vegan cheese for an additional $1. Gluten-free bread is available for $2.

Other options include a meatball sandwich with marinara and smoked provolone ($10), Berkshire ham and cheddar melt ($8.50), BBQ pork sandwich ($8) a honey Sriracha fried chicken sandwich sharp cheddar and tomato ($11) and a reuben made with house-cooked corned beef with sauerkraut, 1,000 island dressing and Roth Swiss cheese on housemade marble rye bread ($11.50).

And because the restaurant is called Fat Dan’s, you’d expect there to be a number of indulgences on the menu. Take for instance The Fat Dan, a 6-ounce grassfed burger topped with Carolina pulled pork, bacon, white cheddar, caramelized onions and a fried egg ($19, pictured in cover shot).

There’s also The Garbage Pile, featuring scrambled Yuppie Hill eggs, white cheddar, ham, bacon, hash and Gouda cream on a housemade croissant ($14) or the infinitely shareable 3+ pound 5XL Hoagie, a 24" sandwich loaded with Berkshire ham, capicola, sopressata, mayo, red wine vinaigrette, smoked provolone, tomato, lettuce and onion ($34).

And there’s pizza. The pies – which are available in both 12" or 18" sizes – sport a cracker-crisp thin crust and can be built out with the guest’s choice of toppings including standards like sausage, pepperoni and onions to more creative options like chorizo, honey Sriracha chicken, housemade giardiniera and artichoke hearts.

Specialty pizzas include options like The Whole Hog featuring Berkshire ham, bacon, pulled pork, caramelized onions, smoked Gouda cheese sauce and mozzarella ($19/$27); Phil’s Italian Bomber with Italian beef, meatballs, Italian sausage, onions, giardiniera, mozzarella and red sauce ($19/$27) or The Veggie with fresh basil, tomato, red sauce, artichokes, mushrooms, roasted garlic and mozzarella ($16/$22). Vegan cheese is also available for an additional $3 or $5, depending on the size of the pizza.

Fat Dan’s also offers a Friday night fish fry for $13. It includes house-seasoned wild caught cod, house tartar sauce, housemade salted marble rye, malt vinegar coleslaw and housemade potato chips or French fries. For an additional $1.75, guests can substitute duck fat fries or housemade potato pancakes and freshly made applesauce. And there is a gluten-free option here as well.

On the sweeter side, there are also take-aways like brownies, cookies and Raspberry 7 Layer bars, priced $2-3.50 each.

The restaurant is a work in progress, says Santoro, who notes that some menu items will change with the seasons, as well as in response to what customers order. "As we get into the growing season, we’ll have produce from our garden at Blue Bear, and we’ll be able to source from additional farms, so people will see some different items, particularly among our pizza offerings, salads and appetizers."

Schulte notes that, as a new business they are also making a good faith effort to establish themselves in the neighborhood. Recently, that has included giving back 10% of sales to local high schools including St. Francis and Thomas More.

"We want to be good community partners," he says. "So, in addition to using local products, we make a real effort to give back to the people and organizations who support us."

There’s also hope that there will be enough community support to warrant expansion of the restaurant’s footprint into the currently empty retail space next door.

"If customer demand is there," says O’Brien, "We’d love to expand the restaurant so that we can add an area where customers can dine."

Fat Dan’s is open Tuesday through Thursday from 4 to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 4 to 11 p.m. and Sunday from 3 to 9 p.m. Currently, the restaurant offers carryout and delivery only. View the entire menu at fatdanspizza.com or follow Fat Dan's on Facebook.