The Order:
The banh mi may very well be the NYC sandwich of 2009, but I don’t think we’ve given it a fair shake on the blog…until now. AnnMarie did try that one from FreeFoods NYC over the summer, but that wasn’t exactly traditional. Today’s order? Two banh mi from Baoguette. Before you tell me that this isn’t traditional either, understand that we’re not that close to Chinatown and high quality ingredients for slightly higher prices is usually ok in my book. AnnMarie went for the classic Baoguette, featuring terrine, pate, and pork. I decided to branch out and try the Catfish.
The Meal:
If you don’t like cilantro, watch out. These puppies are fully loaded with the green stuff, especially the Baoguette. But I digress. You’re probably a little more concerned about the main ingredients of my sandwich. To begin with, the bread was a warm and soft baguette. Fluffy, not too crusty, and easy to bite into. One of the most critical parts of the sandwich was a success. How about the fish? From what I’ve read and heard, catfish is not a traditional banh mi ingredient. After tasting this sandwich, I think that the Vietnamese should re-consider. Huge, moist chunks of fish stole the show here and made for a delightful meal. Finally, the red onions and honey mustard sauce gave the sandwich a little more texture and diversity of flavors to push it over the top into “must-eat again” territory.
When AnnMarie chose her sandwich, she did it based on blind faith in me and Michael “Bao” Huynh. Luckily, her faith was fully rewarded with a generous portion of pork and a deliciously simple sandwich whose high quality ingredients immediately made her curious exactly what else she could try off the Baoguette menu…
If you’re craving a banh mi and wanna get in on the craze before 2009 comes to close, Baoguette is a great place to start.
Check out Baoguette’s menu and feel free to give us recommendations for future orders in the comments.