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Joe and I already have beef about this (pun absolutely intended). The guy absolutely loves banh mi, the Vietnamese version of a hoagie -- a French roll stuffed with grilled meat (Vietnamese meatballs, grilled chicken, beef, pork, or other choice cuts of animal), julienned cucumbers, lightly pickled carrots and daikon, and a few condiments. I, on the other hand, am not fond of Vietnamese cuisine to begin with, and found the banh mi I tried at Pho 99 in Los Angeles to be a somewhat strange juxtaposition of cuisines. To be quite honest, it seems sort of plain for as much hype as it gets. I'd just rather eat those same ingredients, mixed with rice noodles, out of a bowl. Am I missing something, Joe??
I will concede to the fact that banh mi tend to be very inexpensive, though I find it hard to comprehend that Joe spent $12 on his at 5 Ninth. That's a lot of money for any sandwich, banh mi or otherwise.
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9-21-2006 @12:12PM Joe D. said... Sarah,
I confess it's true I love banh mi and from what you say I guess you have no love for Vietnamese cuisine. All well and good.
In my mind, a perfect banh mi embodies Vietnamese fast food, at least as I've come to know it. A mini-baguette smeared with pork pate, pork bologna and crisped roast pork along with a full complement of pickled daikon and carrot and a generous squirt of Sriracha get my vote every time.
For some reason many full-scale Vietnamese restaurants can't seem to execute banh mi as well as the delis do. I realize that the price at 5 Ninth, is way expensive compared to delis and such , yet it remains the best banh mi I've eaten in a restaurant setting.
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9-21-2006 @2:06PM bob said... $12!? holy crap. i wouldn't pay $12 for a master chef's sandwich. ok, maybe, but doubtful. you can get a nice vietnamese sandwich for about $2-$3 at best. they used to go for no more than $1 back before they got overly popular amongst mainstream culture.
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9-21-2006 @2:17PM Jonathan Harford said... I've often had fantasies about opening a Banh Mi cart in New York. 'Cept I'm a vegetarian. I think my soy-laden sandwiches would be laughed straight out of business.
But I do love a good veggie Banh Mi.
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9-21-2006 @2:18PM eatchicago said... Yes, you are missing something. You've lumped a few important ingredients in with "other condiments"--cilantro, vietnamese pate, and (optional) chiles.
Also, you shouldn't write off the bread as a "french roll" and say it would be the same in a bowl of noodles. A sandwich on a proper bahn mi baguette is a completely different expereince than meat and noodles.
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9-21-2006 @2:28PM Rhea said... I had these sandwiches here in Boston. Very inexpensive, indeed! I agree that the taste is not wow, but it's interesting if you want something a little different.
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9-21-2006 @4:26PM Johnny H said... We have a few shops in San Diego that specialize in banh mi. I've never been a big fan of the Lee Sandwich up north.
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9-21-2006 @4:49PM Tim said... Bahn Mi is one of the best fast food items out there and its cheap. For 2.75, I can get a Mi special sandwich and be satisfied. Whether it's the regular one with the ham, pate & head cheese or the bbq pork/beef sandwich, Bahn Mi is the perfect lunch time meal.
The bread is the reason it is what it is. If you'd rather have this sandwich in a bowl over some noodles then you need to find a new Bahn Mi place becuase a perfectly baked baguette with the fixin's is undeniable.
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9-21-2006 @4:51PM C(h)ristine said... OMG I LOVE banh mi! It's the perfect combination of flavors and textures: crunchy vietnamese-french bread...the sweet and sour pickled vegetables, the hot and spicy peppers, and the savory meat! I have half a mind to try to convert you but then again, you are entitled to your own opinion. :)
The best banh mi in the SF/Berkeley area is Saigon Sandwich in the Tenderloin of SF, imho.
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9-21-2006 @9:49PM dirtgirl said... at $3 here in Columbus, OH it's the best lunch deal around. the grilled beef is the most amazingly tasty and the bread is just the right kind of crunchy. I could eat it every day!
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9-21-2006 @10:30PM 2m8ohed said... The #5 (Grilled Pork) at Lee's Sandwiches is fabulous! We order piles and piles of them when we have a party! Only about $2.50 each! They have a good tofu banh mi, too.
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9-22-2006 @2:20AM Cin said... You definitely have to find a place that does good ones because they are not plain tasting at all! In Melbourne, there are a number of places that sell banh mi but some definitely execute it better and it's worth hunting those places down.
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9-22-2006 @3:02AM guest said... you were definitely exposed to the wrong vietamese sandwich shop.
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9-28-2006 @12:45AM Misao said... Haha, I looove bahn mi especially the pork one or the one with cha lua. :) Here, it cost 2 bucks only. Since there's a lot of Vietnamese place here. :D
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