For years I worked near Little Saigon in Orange County. For years I ate Vietnamese foods. But with the wide variety of tasty dishes, I never had a Vietnamese sandwich.
Today I met a friend for lunch. She picked me up at the office and took me to a Vietnamese take-out. I had a hot lunch, which struck me as more Chinese than Vietnamese. But I also got a thit nuong (grilled pork) sandwich and a couple of bi cuon for dinner. I’ve just finished the sandwich, and will have the rolls tomorrow. Boy, that was a good sanga! The 8" French roll sandwich had, along with the deadpig, the usual veggies with a good amount of cilantro, some hot peppers, and fish sauce. And it cost two bucks.
Too bad it’s not really walking distance from the office. (I try to limit my lunch breaks to half an hour. Today was an exception.) I work in Belltown, and the place is on the edge of the International District. It can’t be much more than a mile away, but still too far for a quick lunch. I should have bought some of those pastry balls with the bean paste inside.
There’s a very popular place by my work called Ba Le. Great French Vietnamese sandwiches. Paired with an egg roll and a Vietnamese Iced Coffee - great lunch or dinner!
I bet you’ll be back. I crave the pickled cabbage/carrot stuff.
No, I haven’t been to Salumi yet. I try to stick close to the office, so my usual haunts are Ohana, Two Bells, Bell Thai, Buckley’s, Noodle Ranch, New Vietnamese Restaurant, and sometimes Blarney Stone or Pike Place Market.
EDIT: I don’t remember the name of the place we went today. It was getting close to Pioneer Square (but not there yet), and we turned up a hill at a weird f-way intersection. There’s a Vietnamese jewelry store across the street. The food place itself has food court-type hot tables with the hot stuff, and other (cold) things on tables in front of them. They make the sandwiches behind the hot table. Pastries and Vietnamese desserts are on a table in the middle of the shop, and there are two fridge cases with drinks. (I had a pre-made sua da from behind the counter.) There is no seating. You get your food and take it out.
My cousins and I call them salmonella buns because they gave a whole bunch of people salmonella poisoning about a decade ago and it was all over the news. Didn’t stop me eating them mind you.
Once my sister gave her friend a bite of one of hers because he’d never tried one. He chewed and said wistfully “this is the best sandwich I’ve ever had.” She said she gave him the rest because he looked so pathetic.
I don’t even know the name of my favourite place, just vaguely where it’s located and what its shopfront and interior look like. They used to be $2 here but they went up to $2.50 awhile ago and I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re $3+ now. Still fantastic value though.
I dunno if you have flexible enough hours that you can take a good chunk of time out for lunch one day, but you really oughta try it. At a minimum, you should stop by the DeLaurenti deli counter and get some Salumi salami, though it’s not the same as hanging out at the lunch table chatting with Mr. Batali.
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Those are awesome! There’s a “Little Saigon” called Eden West in Falls Church, VA (West end of Wilson Blvd just outside Arlington, near 7 Corners) that has several little shops that make those awesome sandwiches!
Ironically, now that I live in Korea, nothing with baguettes can be found. Maybe I’ll take a trip down South sometime…
Spice Orient, on 2nd between Pike and Union. It’s a deeply frightening place built out of the corner of a parking garage, but with delicious pho and decent sandwiches.
I love banh mi! Mind you, since I’ve been low-carbing it a sandwich is a rare treat, but I do love them dearly. I like the grilled pork ones, too, and especially like the pickled carrot and daikon that they add.
Well, I went to Spice Orient – only to find they charge seven dollars for a sandwich. Couldn’t bring myself to pay that much for one, when I knew I could get one elsewhere for $2.
Banh mis from Ba Le. Oh, hell yeah! Bahn mi sandwiches are among the greatest sandwiches known to man. Gimme lots of pate and hot peppers on mine, please. And for under $4? Way better than any deal from Subway or Quiznos.