Vietnamese subs ("Banh Mi")

Hey -

Is anyone here a fan of Banh Mi? One of the few positive things to come out of France's colonialization of Vietnam was this sandwich, which is basically a marriage of the French baguette, aioli, and Vietnamese meats and spices. Yum-me.

Yumbo (Seattle WA)

Sounds interesting. Where can you find such a thing on the east coast? Any photos online that we should see? (you can link to photos in the forums btw)

Just for fun I searched Google with "Banh Mi Boston" (without the quotes) and turned up all sorts of links, including some for NYC.

We had such a sandwich for the first time about a month ago. In St. Louis they can be obtained from Banh Mi So 1 at 4071 South Grand Blvd. 314-231-2242. I was told by the owners that they sell as many as 200 at a time to customers in the area and Vietnamese traveling through St. Louis. It is a delicious sandwich with a crusty french bread bun, spiced meat, cilantro or other green and sauce. If you are ever in the neighborhood, Banh Mi So 1 also bills itself as having the best spring rolls in the city and I certainly can't argue with them about it.

Banh Mi are very popular in the area near Arlington, VA known as Little Saigon. There are several places that banh mi are available (along with other great stuff) at the Eden Shopping center. This is a worthwhile side trip if you are in this area -- especially check out the Four Daughters restaurant in the same shopping center for many excellent choices.

The best (and cheapest, at $2 and change) bahn mi I've had was in San Francisco at Little Paris, located on Stockton St. in Chinatown, and Clement St. in "new" Chinatown.
If you're traveling and in a hurry, they're avilable for six bucks at Lem, located in the food court of Grand Central Station!

In Boston, near the intersection of Stuart and Washington St. in Chinatown is a Banh Mi storefront. Can't remember the name because I am so intent on getting my sandwiches. The #1 (Vietnamese cold cut; ham, peppercorn headcheese and pork pate, $2.00) is the classic, and the #2 (shredded pork, $2.50) is close behind. There are four other variations. I always ask for them spicy, which prompts a liberal dollop of chopped fresh chilis. These all come with julienned carrot, cucumber, secret sauce, fresh cilantro on a nice crusty french roll (banh mi literally means "bread" the filling is a suffix). I have no idea how they profit at this pricing.

In addition, excellent "Pho" (Vietnamese soup) and fresh spring rolls etc. can be had two doors up on Washington st. Boston at Pho Pasteur. Around the corner is that venerable Boston classic, Jacob Wirths, with it's magnificent carved mahogany bar, turn of the century decor, excellent beers, and recently overhauled German menu. China Pearl for Dim Sum on weekends nearby in Chinatown...worth the unbelievable wait.

I'll look for some pics. Note that the sandwiches come with a variety of meat options. For beginners I suggest starting with the chicken. Some of the pork options can be, well, very porky.

quote:

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Originally posted by Stephen Rushmore Jr.

Sounds interesting. Where can you find such a thing on the east coast? Any photos online that we should see? (you can link to photos in the forums btw)

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Banh-Mi can be found all over chinatown in Toronto. Most windows offer 1$ sandwiches(thats canadian $'s) Beware.

yumbo - where's good in Seattle? After having had Bahn Mi in Vietnam several years ago, I suddenly see Bahn Mi signs everywhere in the ID and up around 11th and Jackson (home of Malay Satay Hut, which, on a related note, is my favorite Asian place in Seattle at the moment), but I always like a recommendation when dealing with food that includes organ meats (too much at stake to randomly sample places of dubious exterior appeal).

Eric

quote:

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Originally posted by VibrationGuy

yumbo - where's good in Seattle? After having had Bahn Mi in Vietnam several years ago, I suddenly see Bahn Mi signs everywhere in the ID and up around 11th and Jackson (home of Malay Satay Hut, which, on a related note, is my favorite Asian place in Seattle at the moment), but I always like a recommendation when dealing with food that includes organ meats (too much at stake to randomly sample places of dubious exterior appeal).

Eric

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I've had good luck with Number 88 on the SW corner of 12th and Jackson. It's a hole in the wall, but the Chicken Banh Mi are fantastic. Their BBQ beef and pork are good as well. The guy bakes all of their baguettes on site. I've also had good sandwiches from Saigon Deli on the opposite corner of that same intersection.

-Yumbo

I have to agree with Yumbo on the Siagon Deli. Any more they are the only place that I go. But be prepared for controlled chaos. They are extremely busy. ALso try any of the desserts on the Left side of the hot foods. Yummy, even if I don't know what it is that I am eating.

Two excellent Banh Mi places in Portland, Ore.--a tiny nameless bakery adjacent to Thai Binh at NE Broadway and NE 67th, and Cali Sandwiches at NE Glisan and NE 66th. One Vietnamese secret I heard about is mixing a little rice flour with the wheat flour in the baguettes. Adds crunch.

Cali recently put up a sign apologizing effusively for raising their prices. . .to $2.75 per sandwich. My god! How will I pay the rent at these exorbitant prices!

One place to avoid in Seattle - the Vietnamese place at Uwajimaya. A colleague of mine got a sandwich there today and it was all gristle.

-Yumbo

this sounds a lot like a vietnamese po boy.........

We have Banh Mi in Vietnamese restaurants in South Philly about 3 blocks from Pat's and Geno's. I agree that a beginner should start with chicken. Yummm.

quote:

Originally posted by yumbo

I'll look for some pics. Note that the sandwiches come with a variety of meat options. For beginners I suggest starting with the chicken. Some of the pork options can be, well, very porky.

quote:

Originally posted by Stephen Rushmore Jr.

Sounds interesting. Where can you find such a thing on the east coast? Any photos online that we should see? (you can link to photos in the forums btw)

To dredge this topic up again; I hit Bahn Mi 88 the other day for a "cold cut", a "chicken" and a "BBQ Pork". $1.50 each, great bread, washed down with a Taiwanese peach drink in the thickest steel beverage can I have ever seen. It was a throwback to early-60's beer can technology. Amazing.

Anyway, the sandwiches were great, the price can't be beat, and the pork options were delightfully "porky" - were those strips of skin in the pork balls?

Eric

quote:

Originally posted by VibrationGuy

To dredge this topic up again; I hit Bahn Mi 88 the other day for a "cold cut", a "chicken" and a "BBQ Pork". $1.50 each, great bread, washed down with a Taiwanese peach drink in the thickest steel beverage can I have ever seen. It was a throwback to early-60's beer can technology. Amazing.

Anyway, the sandwiches were great, the price can't be beat, and the pork options were delightfully "porky" - were those strips of skin in the pork balls?

Eric

What I find fascinating at No. 88 are the other Vietnamese foodstuffs that they make on premises. They do an interesting-looking pork and spice puree wrapped in banana leaves. The proprietor tells me that you steam it for 30 minutes, upwrap and eat. Kind of like a pork sausage without the traditional casing.

I enjoy the desserts from Saigon deli. the little balls of rice flour and peanut in coconut milk is to die for.

Big decision with them is----jalapeno or no jalapeno. They are in abundance here in the LA area---I can't go more than a week without getting one. prices vary, but I have yet to pay more than $2.50. BBQ pork is the best, but the chicken and pork meatloaf is worth trying. I't a great sandwich!

Jalapeno is the only way. :)

I bit the bullet the other day and didn't remove the jalapenos from my banh mi. It was really good. Some are a little hotter than others, but delish nonetheless.

By the way Yumbo, it apears that Siagon deli might be changing a bit, The name has been changed from Saigon Dynasty deli to Siagon Viet Nam Deli, and there is now a different deli around the corner that is named Siagon Deli also. I have not been into the new one, but the old location is still very very good. I finally tried Bahn Mi 88, I have to say that I did not like it nearly as much as Saigon Deli.

Omigod! Banh Mi are the best things that have ever come out of French colonization!

Here's a list of Banh Mi places in NYC that my friend the "Rogue" posted on another board. I've only been to Vietnam Bánh Mì So 1
(the one's that East of Mott Street), but that place is GREAT. They've got the best fresh squeezed juices, like sugarcane and coconut. Literally, you walk in and you'll see the woman hacking away with a giant cleaver at some fresh sugarcane.

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This is a list of some Bánh Mì (Vietnamese Sandwich) places in NY.
Rated on a 1-5 scale.

FYI: The most typical Bánh Mì is the "Dac Biet" which means Special. I tend to think of this as the combo or "everything including the kitchen sink" style. I always recommend this style as an introduction because it has pretty much all the possible ingredients on it. It is a toasted baguette that is made of half rice aand wheat flour. Very crispy outside and fluffy inside. It has warm or cold pate, pork roll, and warm/hot BBQ pork. In addition it may have a Vietnamese pork/seafood sausage/bologna and a Vietnamese "headcheese" of pork/beef tendon and other cuts in a firm gelatin. These aye put into the hot toasted baguette and then long cucumber slices, cilantro, and a pickled combo of carrot and daikon, plus occasionally turnip. Added to this are mayonnaise and hot sauce, also possibly fish sauce and bbq sauce are added. They best places also include thin slices of hot peppers, either jalapeno’s or Thai peppers. If they ask if you want it "spicy" I always say yes. I have never had one that was overwhelmingly so, just piquant.

Most places also offer vegetarian, pate, meatball, or chicken Bánh Mì. Some have sardine, I forget the Vietnamese name, as well.

If anyone has any other Bánh Mì places to add to this list please post.
Also your opinions on the ratings. Thanks

Manhattan Bánh Mì Places

Saigon Bánh Mì
88 East Broadway Mall, Unit# 108.
(The place under the Manhattan Bridge)
(At Forsyth Street between Division St. and East Broadway)
New York, NY. 10002
212-941-1541

Lots of meats and tons of veggies. They make only one style, the "Dac Biet."
Rated 4.5

Vietnam Bánh Mì So 1
369 Broome Street
(East of Mott Street).
New York, NY.
212-219-8341

Lots of meats and veggies. Make 4-5 styles including Dac Biet and a very good Vegetarian with mushrooms, sweet radish, and rice noodles.
Price: $2.75-3.95
Rated 4.5

Tu Quynh, Inc.
128 Hester St.
NY, NY 10002
212-966-687
Fax 212-966-6214

Very good selection of meats and lots of veggies, but only an average amount of them. They make only 1 style, the "Dac Biet."
Rated 4

Bánh Mì Sáu Voi Café
101-105 Lafayette Street
(on the corner of Walker Street).
New York, NY.
212 226 8184

Make 4-5 styles including Dac Biet. An average, but not great Bánh Mì.
Rated 3.5

Ba Le Deli Inc.
145-147 Canal St.
(By Manhattan Bridge entrance/exit)
NY, NY 10002
212-343-2657

Not as much veggies or meat as one would like, kind of skimpy. Have 5-6 styles including Dac Biet , meatball, and chicken.
Rated 2-3


Brooklyn Bánh Mì Places
(These places are about 7 blocks apart.)

An Ðông
5424 8th Avenue
(on the corner of 55th Street).
Brooklyn, NY. 11220
718 972 2269

Lots of meats and veggies. An overstuffed version. Make 4-5 styles including Dac Biet and Fish (Sardines). The Dac Biet is very meaty tasting. They use real pork slices and creamy great pate, and a lot of it. The owner insists on the best fresh local meats. You can get both hot sauce and jalapeno’s on them to brighten them up.
Price: Bánh Mì Dac Biet $2.50, Fantastic Iced Coffee $1, canned Pennywort leaf drink $1 (Very, very sweet herbal tea) Local enthusiasts say that this place is the best of the two Brooklyn Bánh Mì places.
Rated 4.5


Ba Xuyen
6011 7th Ave.
(between 60th and 61st)
Brooklyn, NY 11220
718-765-0037

Lots of meats and veggies. Make 4-5 styles including chicken and meatball. They have 4-5 different sauces that they use (Homemade bbq sauce, fish sauce, sweet mayonnaise, hot sauce, and something else?) plus all the meats and pate are supposedly imported frozen from France. (Is this a good or bad thing?) They do a mixed pickled veggie of carrot, daikon, and maybe something else, possibly turnip? A great contrast in flavors.
Price: Bánh Mì $2.75, Iced coffee $1.75
Rated 4.5

Lee's Sandwiches is a new chain in the Bay Area and Los Angeles that specializes in Banh Mi... good selection, and sandwiches that are nice and spicy with fantastic bread. The most you'll pay for one is probably $3, and the number of locations is growing rapidly.

Steven Rushmore Jr. had asked for a photo of a banh mi several months ago. I just noticed this topic, so here is a pic:

I'm so addicted, I've been thinking of making my own. Questions -

- do you think you can buy the pickled daikon and carrot - or would soaking them in rice wine vinegar work?

- the sauce - it's not quite aioli or mayo...hmm...

- some of the veg versions come with strips of gluten "cold cuts" - has anyone seen a form of this buyable in chinatown?

In Toronto, the best ones I've had are the ones at Ginger on Yonge south of Bloor - they're fresher and a lot bigger, and the tofu ones actually rock.

alison

The Gluten cold cuts, you can find at most large supermarkets, look in the refrigerated section, near salads. Ives makes a number of different lunch 'meats'. If you are looking for a more asian flavoring, I have found a number of really good ones in the local japanese market.

I have never seen the carrot and daikon premade, but I think that a soak in rice vinegar would work well.

There is something we should be proud of in Seattle, The first Vietmanesse Sandwiches served in the United States started in Honolulu, Hawaii before the end of the Vietnam Conflict, in the Chinatown area across from the Oahu Market, where there was a small Grocery that was making Vietmanesse Pate, Cold Cuts and Seasonings. When a Vietmanesse Bread Baker, made Small French Sandwich Loafs, lines started forming. The Baker and his wife who had worked at the store moved to Seattle, shortly after opened a hole in the wall location at the fringe of the "International District' at Jackson/12th Avenue. They were close to "Pho Bac" Restaurant the first "Pho" Place to open in America a year earlier. They are still in business in the original Pink Shanty on Jackson/Ranier. The first "Pho" place and the first "Banh Mi", to open in the Continental USA. This area now has become a extension of the "International District". Seattle, now has excess of 100 Pho and Sandwich Shops in almost every neighborhood.

quote:

Originally posted by EdSails

Big decision with them is----jalapeno or no jalapeno. They are in abundance here in the LA area---I can't go more than a week without getting one. prices vary, but I have yet to pay more than $2.50. BBQ pork is the best, but the chicken and pork meatloaf is worth trying. I't a great sandwich!

I can't exactly say that I've had them all over the place - I'm fairly parochial about Latin & Pacific Rim cuisines - but I've never even seen a banh mi with jalapeno around these parts. The only chiles I've found locally in these delightful sandwiches have been serranos. The same with other dishes. About the only time I see jalapenos in restaurants around here is in 'escabeche' [that is, 'pickling hot stuff'] with onions & carrots at local taquerias. Oh - and as 'chipotles' [smoked jalapenos], too.
Buen provecho,
Richard
Berkeley/SF, CA

P.S. I generally like my serranos as thin slices, floating in my bowl of jook or pho; a sandwich I'll spice up with a little Sriracha sauce....

They very well could be serranos------the only time I ever see them in the banh mi is when I've bitten halfway thru one!

San Jose, CA has some excellent Vietnamese subs (I never knew their Vietnamese name!) and we have been eating them for years. There is a very large population of Americans of Vietnamese descent, as many of boat people settled in the area - so much so that city services are offered in Vietnamese, alongside Spanish too. There are many great places in the burbs of San Jose, that we never tried, but our favorite place was a little hole at Santa Clara and 4th, near the Albertson's grocery store. Wish I could remember what it was called, but heck, if I couldn't remember what the Vietnamese name was for the sandwich .....

Love the hot peppers

You must be thinking of Cali Sandwiches on 7th St, right across from Albertsons. There's also a pho shop in the same shopping center, which might make banh mi, but Cali is far superior. A tiny hole in the wall, but great eats. Unfortunately, they burned down along with the old Seven Courses of Beef restaurant on the corner last month. I'm hoping for a grand reopening soon. Until then, it's Thu Duc on 13th or Lee's @ Jackson and McKee. Yum. Now I'm getting hungry.

Oh yeah! We have a wealth of Vietnamese restaurants here in Atlanta; I most frequently get to the Pho Bac on Buford Highway. When I get the sandwich (about $2!) I go for the grilled pork. They also have cold cuts that are kind of puzzling.

Generally I get the vermicelli dishes with the pork or grilled shrimp - the julienned raw veg at the botom of the pile area a nice touch. Summers I go with the cold rice paper rolls and an avocado shake, yum.

Cali Sandwiches is the one. They burned down!??!! How sad

Ain't got them in Knoxville. wish we did

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

quote:

Originally posted by marberthenad

Cali Sandwiches is the one. They burned down!??!! How sad

I drive by it almost daily (I work at SJSU) and it looks like they're rebuilding. The fire started at the Asian Garden (a grease fire, believe it or not ) and half the block went up.
On the bright side, there's always Tofoo Com Chay just down the street (at 9th). No meat, just TVP and tofu, but you'd never know. Their "BBQ pork" is better than the real stuff at Dakao or most of the other local shops. I still miss Cali, though. You can't beat a $1.50 sandwich!

I am a big fan of Banh Mi, too. I used to live in DC where the nearby VA has a large Vietnamese community. You can easy find one in the Vietnamese shopping center in Falls Church. While you are there, try the spicy beef stew serve with french bread and the Green papaya salad w/shrimp and pork. Now in Pittsburgh, I only know the little stand out side of My Ngoc that sells this refreshing Vietnamese sandwich.

quote:

Originally posted by EdSails

Big decision with them is----jalapeno or no jalapeno. They are in abundance here in the LA area---I can't go more than a week without getting one. prices vary, but I have yet to pay more than $2.50. BBQ pork is the best, but the chicken and pork meatloaf is worth trying. I't a great sandwich!

Where do you get them in LA???

Anyone know where to get good ones in Gaithersburg/Rockville/Wheaton MD??

My New Year's resolution: At least one bahn mi per week. I love the chicken with peppers.

You can't beat the $2.00 price tag

quote:

Originally posted by Rhodes

Anyone know where to get good ones in Gaithersburg/Rockville/Wheaton MD??

Rhodes. Not sure what's available in your immediate area, but I recommend you drive over to the Eden Center on Rte. 7 in Falls Church, which is the Vietnamese shopping center alluded to by chinesegirl in her earlier post. At last count, the center has 10 bakeries that sell fresh banh mi. My favorite is Song Que, which has an excellent pedigree by way of its affiliation with the most successful restaurant in the shopping center. But it's easy enough to sample the goods from a few different places and choose your own favorite.

quote:

Originally posted by jpatweb

quote:

Originally posted by Rhodes

Anyone know where to get good ones in Gaithersburg/Rockville/Wheaton MD??

Rhodes. Not sure what's available in your immediate area, but I recommend you drive over to the Eden Center on Rte. 7 in Falls Church, which is the Vietnamese shopping center alluded to by chinesegirl in her earlier post. At last count, the center has 10 bakeries that sell fresh banh mi. My favorite is Song Que, which has an excellent pedigree by way of its affiliation with the most successful restaurant in the shopping center. But it's easy enough to sample the goods from a few different places and choose your own favorite.

Sounds good - thanks! I think I'm gonna make my way over there soon.
Alright! - I just noticed I'm a Cheeseburger - kewl!!! Now if I could just be a banh mi....

quote:

Originally posted by Rhodes

quote:

Originally posted by jpatweb

quote:

Originally posted by Rhodes

Anyone know where to get good ones in Gaithersburg/Rockville/Wheaton MD??

Rhodes. Not sure what's available in your immediate area, but I recommend you drive over to the Eden Center on Rte. 7 in Falls Church, which is the Vietnamese shopping center alluded to by chinesegirl in her earlier post. At last count, the center has 10 bakeries that sell fresh banh mi. My favorite is Song Que, which has an excellent pedigree by way of its affiliation with the most successful restaurant in the shopping center. But it's easy enough to sample the goods from a few different places and choose your own favorite.

Sounds good - thanks! I think I'm gonna make my way over there soon.
Alright! - I just noticed I'm a Cheeseburger - kewl!!! Now if I could just be a banh mi....

Congrats! Eden center is THE place to sample banh mi... I like the steam chicken ones. You can buy the pickled carrot and daikon to make your own banh mi at home.

I never knew the actual name of these sandwhiches, there's my new fact for the day. I used to get them often in Houston though, near down town there's a sizable Vietnamese community with pho and sandwhich shops on every corner. The bbq pork ones are my favorite. Seems like the $2 price tag is universal.

Anyone know of a good place in Vancouver? There's lots of Vietnamese (and really any other Asian cuisine I could desire) here, but I still love recommendations :)

Emily

quote:

Originally posted by capnhank

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<div style="border: 1px #999999 solid; background-color: #DCDCDC; padding: 4px;">Originally posted by marberthenad

Cali Sandwiches is the one. They burned down!??!! How sad

I drive by it almost daily (I work at SJSU) and it looks like they're rebuilding. The fire started at the Asian Garden (a grease fire, believe it or not ) and half the block went up.
On the bright side, there's always Tofoo Com Chay just down the street (at 9th). No meat, just TVP and tofu, but you'd never know. Their "BBQ pork" is better than the real stuff at Dakao or most of the other local shops. I still miss Cali, though. You can't beat a $1.50 sandwich!


This is good news. Don't live in SJ anymore (in fact I used to live in Naglee Park and would walk through SJSU campus everyday on my way to the office -- beautiful campus you have there!)

Never tried Tofoo Com Chay, but went to that vegetarian buddhist place near 12th street, which was OK, but a little too much vegetarian dishes masquerading as meat dishes.

Sure miss the weather, although I guess SJ is now in the throes of "winter."

Here is another link that gives a description of those tasty Vietnamese subs, Banh Mi.

Try this link, and scroll down to the second picture:

www.detnews.com/2000/food/1005/sexy/sexy.htm

That public television special, Sandwiches You Will Like, featured the Banh Mi in San Jose's Huong Lan supermarket and deli. Check out their website for other links,

www.wqed.org/tv/natl/sandwiches/websites.shtml

My favorite Banh Mi is the grilled pork. Yummy!!!

I am looking for one in Chicago...any suggestions? I am thinking that there has got to be a place that serves these in Uptown.

best banh mi I know of in Boston are at Sugar Bowl, the Vietnamese stall in the Super 88 food court at Packard's Corner (the intersection of Brighton Ave and Comm Ave, for those less familiar with Allston). For the timid, they have a lot of versions that have much less scary meats than you'll find in a lot of places.

quote:

Originally posted by chinesegirl

I am a big fan of Banh Mi, too. I used to live in DC where the nearby VA has a large Vietnamese community. You can easy find one in the Vietnamese shopping center in Falls Church. While you are there, try the spicy beef stew serve with french bread and the Green papaya salad w/shrimp and pork. Now in Pittsburgh, I only know the little stand out side of My Ngoc that sells this refreshing Vietnamese sandwich.

I've just recently moved to Pittsburgh from San Jose, CA and am looking for good Vietnamese food. Any suggestions?

The best places to get these sandwiches in San Jose are the Thanh Huong and Huong Lan shops. My favorites are barbequed pork, grilled chicken and shredded chicken. The shredded chicken may be a little dry but I like it.

Lee's Sandwiches has been expanding like crazy in CA but I don't like their sandwiches at all. They bake their own bread and it's not very good. Their meats are terrible. I think they've altered the taste to suit the taste buds of Americans.

It's not difficult to make these sandwiches. Carrots and daikon can be julienned and soaked in vinegar overnight. Add cilantro, sliced chile peppers, and your choice of meat. Mayo if you prefer. Add some soy sauce (Maggi brand) for flavoring. I guess the hard part is seasoning and cooking the meats.

For Banh Mi sandwiches in Pittsburgh, I only know of a sidewalk vendor, Lucy, who has been selling them in the Strip District for many years. She is located on Penn Avenue, by 22nd Street. She is there 7 days a week, arriving at 7am to start setting up and is there the entire day. In fact, Lucy keeps longer hours on Fridays and Saturdays, working into the evening. Look for her umbrella and grill-you can't miss her.

I used to live in Arlington, VA and frequented the Eden Center on a weekly basis. The Banh Mi in Pittsburgh are a little different, but they still are tasty! Hope this helps.

I second M&M on Banh Mi So 1 in St. Louis. Outstanding sandwich and the French baguette is wonderous.

I was browsing older threads and found this one and am just dying for one now! I lived in Vienna,VA for a few years as a kid, and my best friend's mother used to make us banh mi sandwiches for snacks after school, though I would never have come up with the name.

I wonder if anyone could help me identify exactly *what* we were eating - having moved out of the area before I was an adult, and into areas where Thai food was still extremely rare, it's still something of a mystery to me. Her sandwiches were always made with this meat paste stuff - it looked a lot like tofu would, if it were meat, cut into a thick julienne. She had tons of this in her freezer, and would thaw it as needed. She made two versions, one spicy, one not - and I learned quickly that in their house, they were serious about the "spicy" version. I love hot/spicy foods, and this was almost too much for me to take, so she'd use part spicy, part regular for me.

When I read that pate is a frequent addition, it occurred to me that it might have been a kind of pate, but definitely not a creamy one.

quote:

Originally posted by txtwister

I wonder if anyone could help me identify exactly *what* we were eating... When I read that pate is a frequent addition, it occurred to me that it might have been a kind of pate, but definitely not a creamy one.

"Pate" is exactly what you were given. I'm no authority on Bahn Mi, but I suspect pate is the basic ingredient of the native version, and the more identifiable pork, beef and even chicken cuts are made more prominent for Western tastes in the U.S.

They can make that pork as prominent as they want at Wrap Delight ( http://www.sfsurvey.com/restaurant_details.asp?ID_restaurant=1161 ) on Larkin St., my favorite banh mi spot in SF, 'cause that's what I always get. They do have pate, though, as well as "meatball" and other goodies. My second choice, but a big local favorite, is Saigon Sandwiches in the next block of Larkin St. ( http://www.sfsurvey.com/restaurant_details.asp?n=restaurants&Submit.y=12&rest=Saigon&Submit.x=27&ID_restaurant=525 )

Wraps Delight does seem to have sharper flavors, and that "special sauce" (eat your heart out, McDonald's). There's a new one in the immediate area called Baguette Express that has generated some positive buzz too, but I haven't tried it.

quote:

Originally posted by Gary Soup

Wraps Delight does seem to have sharper flavors, and that "special sauce" (eat your heart out, McDonald's). There's a new one in the immediate area called Baguette Express that has generated some positive buzz too, but I haven't tried it.

Me either--I'm suspicious of the name (sounds too "western") but I suppose the only reason I never had the same reaction to Wrap Delight was that I had eaten there for a year or two before I noticed the name. Rumor has it that the owners/staff at both Baguette Express and Wrap Delight are formerly of Saigon Sandwiches.

By the way, as an aside, I wonder if you (Gary) have tried the newish Chinese place on the same block as Wrap Delight and, if so, what you think. I'll tell you I personally haven't been able to get beyond the potstickers in sampling their menu. I love potstickers and I find theirs excellent (wrappers aren't too thick, stuffing is unusually light and tasty).

quote:

Originally posted by BT

quote:

Originally posted by Gary Soup

Wraps Delight does seem to have sharper flavors, and that "special sauce" (eat your heart out, McDonald's). There's a new one in the immediate area called Baguette Express that has generated some positive buzz too, but I haven't tried it.

Me either--I'm suspicious of the name (sounds too "western") but I suppose the only reason I never had the same reaction to Wrap Delight was that I had eaten there for a year or two before I noticed the name. Rumor has it that the owners/staff at both Baguette Express and Wrap Delight are formerly of Saigon Sandwiches.

By the way, as an aside, I wonder if you (Gary) have tried the newish Chinese place on the same block as Wrap Delight and, if so, what you think. I'll tell you I personally haven't been able to get beyond the potstickers in sampling their menu. I love potstickers and I find theirs excellent (wrappers aren't too thick, stuffing is unusually light and tasty).

Sorry, my reply got mangled by the system (maybe I'm pushing the wrong button). Basically, I said that I hadn't tried the Chinese place because my office is no longer in the Civic Center area.