Phat Sammy’s owner Nick Quinn and chef Eric Pavlik call it “the Taco Bell method.” Utilizing many of the same ingredients for different dishes but presenting them in various combinations and forms.

Along those lines, Pavlik constructed the new and expanded food menu at Phat Sammy’s, an Asian fusion restaurant/Tiki bar in downtown Huntsville, all from ingredients from their previous menu.

For example, Pavlik says, “Look at the shiitake truffle burger. What else do you use shiitakes in an Asian restaurant for? A ton of stuff. So we have a burger, but then we have the ramen and then we have the stock from it to make soups.”

That approach extends to beef shoulder. Phat Sammy’s rebooted menu includes a beef bulgogi cheesesteak and lettuce wrap. Pork shoulder is diversified for bulgogi, lettuce wraps and for Bhan Mi and Cubano sandwiches.

“It’s all intertwined together,” Pavlik, “but you cook them different ways. Same stuff but different methods.

It’s creative efficiency. Delicious, too.

I recently bellied up to Phat Sammy’s beef shoulder birra ramen, a dish that’s the lovechild of Japanese ramen and Mexican street tacos. Supple thin sliced beef submerged in aromatic brew with consommé, onion, jalapeno, cilantro and rivulets of noodles. Punctuated with slices of avocado and lime. A satisfying and soul-defrosting eat.

Their spicy pork bulgogi is sweet peppery pig counterpointed with onions, radish kimchi, sticky rice and fried egg. It calls to mind the spicy pork dish at dearly departed Korean eatery Big Oh’s. There’s a reason for that. Pavlik used to cook at Big Oh’s. During his career, he’s also worked at restaurants specializing in French, Italian and Mediterranean cuisine.

A lifelong Huntsville resident, Pavlik’s interest in food heightened during a trip at age 10 to Iowa to visit family. Two of his uncles that lived there were chefs. But it was a third uncle, who worked as a UPS delivery driver, who cooked up a mushroom chicken Thai soup for the family that sealed Pavlik’s fate.

“I had like three bowls of it,” Pavlik recalls. “He had spent three days making this soup and sourced everything from local farms and markets he’d gone to. It was the best soup I’ve ever had in my life.”

Quinn gave Pavlik cart blanche for Phat Sammy’s new menu. A few signature items remain, including poutine riff “Phat Fries” and “K-Mac,” a double burger goosed with kimchi, cheese and fried egg.

“I just wanted to unleash Eric into the wild and see what’s going on in that brain of his,” Quinn says. “And this is what he came out with. This is my favorite menu that we’ve come out with.”

This menu is more traditional and less whimsical than food Phat Sammy’s made their name for. “It’s more approachable,” says Quinn, who cites Jordan Lane’s down-to-earth dining options as an inspiration thereof.

But Pavlik adds the new menu is “supposed to be a foundation so we can do crazier, more interesting stuff later. I don’t want to make it boring.”

Phat Sammy’s is in a vibey subterranean space at 104 Jefferson St. S. The exterior entrance is marked with a small, neon-lit sign in the shape of a pineapple. After you descend the steps and walk into Phat Sammy’s, you feel like you’ve been transported somewhere else besides Huntsville, in the best way.

A colorful mural runs the length of the space’s right wall. Other walls are dotted with far-out bric-a-brac, including a mermaid skeleton. Quinn calls their moai statue, which has a “Aladdin Sane” Bowie lightning bolt across its visage, “David Moai.” On the Phat Sammy’s sound system the day of my chat with Quinn and Pavlik, indie rock.

Up front, a bar that could be from the set of “Gilligan’s Island.” Libation wise, Phat Sammy’s is known for vacation-drinks-and-Tiki-culture-inspired cocktails. Mai Tai. Painkiller. Pina Colada on the rocks.

Other cocktails have names like Dr. Funk (Bacardi Black Rum, Herbsaint, lime and lemon juices, demerara syrup, grenadine), Jungle Bird (Gosling’s Black Rum, Campari, demerara syrup, lemon, orange and pineapple juices) and Porn Star Martini (Tito’s Vodka, passionfruit, vanilla, lime juice, served up).

“And then a big thing has been the non-alcoholic mocktails coming into play,” Quinn says, “so we’re happy to provide a substantial list for that. Bun In The Oven is our number one selling mocktail. That’s passion fruit, orange juice, pineapple juice, lemon juice, coconut cream. It’s amazing.”

Since Phat Sammy’s is chill and dimly lit and just steps away from posh hotel 106 Jefferson, some visiting famous folks have drank and dined here, including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

The musician Jack White dropped in while in town to play a concert at Orion Amphitheater in 2021. “None of the staff knew who he was, but I did. We had a younger crew working that night,” Quinn says. “But it doesn’t get much better than that.” Of course, not getting hassled for selfies while out in public is a huge plus for a celeb of White’s wattage.

Phat Sammy’s launched in spring 2020 amid the pandemic. As inopportune timing as it gets. Still, they came out hot. Phat Sammy’s quickly became a food and drink go-to for Huntsville creatives, hipsters and young service-industry types.

Approaching five years later, Huntsville dining and nightlife landscape has changed significantly. West Huntsville has become hotter than ever, thanks to hubs like Campus No. 805 and Stovehouse.

Across the city, many strong new restaurants have opened, both local and chains. “It’s very competitive,” Quinn says,

Meanwhile, there’s a disconcerting amount of “for rent” signs in front downtown spaces.

“When we opened up,” Quinn says, “we wanted to have the speakeasy vibe. Just have a little glowing pineapple [for a sign for the business]. Now I want the largest sign known to man. [Laughs] The speakeasy vibe, that’s something that you would find in a much bigger city.”

Quinn continues, “Downtown Huntsville is mostly popular on the weekend, Friday and Saturday. So I think the goal is to market downtown as an everyday place instead of just for your special occasion. We want to be an everyday place.”