Though No. 7 Sub--the Ace Hotel outpost of Fort Greene's No. 7 restaurant--won't open for nearly two months, the sandwich testing is well under way at the mother ship.

There, chef Tyler Kord has been using his bar menu as a workshop for potential heroes, developing classic and not-so-classic hoagies that might find their way onto the menu when the take-out shop opens in January.

A crispy fried-tofu sandwich with Kewpie mayo has already come and gone, but its replacement--an imitation lobster roll (pictured, $11)--would give its real-life adversary temper tantrums. The filling, a mixture of rough-chopped shrimp and tilapia, comes stuffed inside a bun dressed with pickled-ginger mayo. Dusted with crispy shoestring potatoes, studded with sweet and spicy bites of candied wasabi and wrapped tightly in wax paper, this impersonator is as addictive as Maine's best roll.

Upcoming torpedoes include hot-and-sour egg salad, albondigas (Mexican meatballs) and a turkey-based Cubano. As for the bread, pastry chef Amanda Clark has substituted a subtly sweet, brioche-like loaf made with whole-wheat flour, wheat bran and whole grains for standard white and wheat bread.

The bar staff is also testing soft drinks, including a yuzu Sprite, hibiscus ginger ale and maple cream. Sadly, the spritzers have not found their way onto the bar menu.

No. 7, 7 Greene Ave., (between South Oxford and Cumberland sts.), Brooklyn; 718-522-6370 or no7restaurant.com