May 30, 2007
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Art of the Vietnamese Sandwich
Metairie, LA
What is a Vietnamese Sandwich or “Banh Mi”? It’s a popular “deli-like” sandwich with strong French influences (mainly the bread type and pate spread) and takes it’s origin in Vietnam. This was poor folk food. Common ingredients found in these sandwiches? Carrots, Cucumbers, Daikon, Jalapenos, Pate and some kind of meat.. BBQ Pork, Pulled Pork, Char-grilled Pork, Chicken.. etc.. Pork is very popular in Vietnamese cooking and it doen’t hurt that it’s really cheap! If everything holds true, isn’t a Vietnamese Sandwich that is made in New Orleans, essentially a “Po-Boy”? lol
Frosty’s “Banh Mi Dac Biet”The sandwich pictured above was purchased in at Frosty’s Caffe in Metairie, La. The bread was soft and chewy but was very fresh and flavorful. This sandwich comes loaded with a bbq pork, ground pork, and pork forcemeat.(cha lua). Also with cilantro, jalapenos, cucumber and shredded carrots. Not as crispy as I would have liked, but the flavors more than made up for that.
Vina Sandwiches?This second sandwich comes from a shop in Houston, TX. My wonderful mom purchased it for me.. she said it was from Vina cafe? I was given the Char-grilled Pork.. just the meat and a little “Viet Mayo”! The bread was crispy and crunchy with a very soft interior. The meat was cooked nicely.. to the point where it remained moist and delicious, not pork jerky! Even without the veg, the bread quality was far superior and the simplicity of the Char-grilled pork just does it for me. I’ve been eating these since I was a kid and my appreciation for them continues to grow! =)
Other Notable Sandwich Shops: Lee’s, Cali, and Girvals.. When I lived in Houston, Girvals was my favorite place to stop and get a sandwich! Affordable and delicious, the way I like it! =)
Overall Rating:
1/2 (out of 7 )Future Entries:
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Comments (15)
both sandwiches look mighty tasty… I haven’t had a good one in a long time…
Hands down banh mi cha lua is it! I love Lee’s Sandwiches (they have tons of shops in the San Francisco Bay Area, too). mmmmm … can’t wait until I get my grubby little hands on one!
I enjoyed reading this entry. I haven’t ate a banh mi in a very long time and I think I’m going to go out and get some tomorrow after reading this entry lol. There aren’t much Vietnamese restaurants on the Westbank that I enjoy eating at. Where do you recommend I should get myself a banh mi at?
By the way, I LOVED Givral Hoang sandwiches. I think you’re talking about that sandwich shop on Bellaire by all of the Asian stores right? If I can recall, I think it’s called Givral Hoang Sandwiches or something. It’s behind Don’s Sandwiches which makes very delicious sandwiches as well! If you haven’t tried Don’s, I recommend it =)
I’m not a fan of Lee’s sandwich, but rave about Cali sandwich all day long. I ate there last weekend, ha. I hear that the pork is best, but being Jewish, I’ll never know, so I stuff myself with the shredded chicken.
i love your entries! if you’re ever in nyc, there is a little whole in the wall in chinatown with the best viet sandwiches.
Now I’m starving!! Thank goodness it’s almost lunch time for me!
i dont get why i always stumble upon your updates when its past midnight. oh hunger.
Great post! For me, the bread is the most important part. I’m all about the crispy exterior! If I don’t have crumbs all over me post-banh mi feasting, then it’s not a good sandwich. ^_^
I’ve never tried banh mi, I really should sometime. On your second sandwich the bread looks great! I used to work at an Italian Cuisine Restaurant and they handmade their bread, crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside. Good stuff!
You have to mention dong phuong having the best bread!
mmm… i think i’ll have banh mi for dinner tonight
i love banh mi! there’s really only a couple of places in az i can think of that make them– lee’s sandwiches for one. but my aunt is vietnamese and makes the most delicious food!
I love Vietnamese sandwiches. Thanks for sharing this entry!
I just can’t deal with the “mystery meat”. I will stick with “Ga Nuong” although American ga nuong will never taste as good as Vietnamese … because the American chickens get raised in concentration camps and get fed steroids.
vietnamese sandwich is one of my favorite! i love extra jalapenos in mine =).