Banh Mi

Houston, TX. chowhound/LTH lurker moving back to Chicago this week. I look forward to dining out in, contrary to what many say, a superior food town. However, I have acquired a hearfelt bond with tofu banh mi. Good Vietnamese food is definitely one thing Houston has going for it. I have seen bahn mi discussed, but without mention of a tofu version. Any info on the availbility or recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks

Marquee wrote:Houston, TX. chowhound/LTH lurker moving back to Chicago this week. I look forward to dining out in, contrary to what many say, a superior food town. However, I have acquired a hearfelt bond with tofu banh mi. Good Vietnamese food is definitely one thing Houston has going for it. I have seen bahn mi discussed, but without mention of a tofu version. Any info on the availbility or recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks

Marquee,

Yes, though Chicago's reputation as a superior food town is much disputed, there can be no doubt that the Hog Butcher of the World is also the Tofu Capital of the Midwest.

Let us know what you find.

Hammond

i get banh mi at

Ba Le French Bakery & Restaurant
5018 N. Broadway

great place. super cheap. i can't seem to recall if they have tofu banh mi, but, assuming they don't, i'm sure you can ask for tofu to be substituted for the meat.

Ba Le definitely has tofu banh mi.

Growing up amongst the increasing visability of the Vietnamese in Houston(specifically Alief), I'm interested in any comparisons between Uptown and SW Houston on offer. Last visit I saw my old neighborhood transformed into Vietnamese stripmall upon stripmall.

As per tofu banh mi: I tended to bbq pork in the mid-90's at the place just north of Argyle and Broadway.

Banh Mi is the new Muffaletta according to the gratuitous national food press. If I traveled Uptown more often I'm sure I'd slip back into my viet sammy routine.

Since Tank Noodle opened on the corner of Argyle and Broadway, I have not gone ot any other Vietnamese restaurant. So I decided to stop at Pho 888 on Argyle, just for something different. I was quite peckish last night, having had a very early lunch, so I decided to get a banh mi with my pho. Having remembered this post, I ordered the tofu banh mi. It was delicious.

While the pho broth at 888 does not have the depth of Tank, it was richer with more sparkly pools of beef fat. I must say that the amount and quality of the beef was also quite good.

pd

pdaane wrote:[...] I decided to stop at Pho 888 on Argyle, just for something different. [...] While the pho broth at 888 does not have the depth of Tank, it was richer with more sparkly pools of beef fat. I must say that the amount and quality of the beef was also quite good.

I have never been impressed with Pho 888. I know a number of people that are very impressed with the waitress there, though.

I have mentioned this a number of times, but it is worth repeating: Dong Thanh's rare beef is really exceptional. It isn't the flavourless eye-of-round that has become the stardard on The Strip. Instead, they use a fattier, "beefy" cut that has a wonderful mineral tang. Additionally, it stays nice and rare for quite awhile. Dong Thanh is the only place where I don't ask for the rare beef (tai) on the side.


hu tieu bo sate at Dong Thanh.

Pho 888
1137 W Argyle St.
773.907.8838

Dong Thanh
4925-B N. Broadway
773.275.4928

As for why I am talking about this in a veg-friendly thread, well, I have the flu and I am heavily medicated.

Regards,
Erik M.

My two cents...

After our lunch today at Cozy's, Octarine and I headed over to Argyle to get some groceries. We also went to Vin Phat and got a combination banh mi. As I was walking to my car, I decided to get another banh mi (pork and pate) from Bai Le, just to compare...

Bread - Both were nice and crusty, but Bai Le's was crustier. It is all a matter of taste, but I am not a fan of way crusty bread, so I like Vin Phat's

Filling - Vin Phat is chock full of meat, and while Bai Le was a little skimpy on the meat, they did have a lot more of the pickled vegetables that I like. Also Bai Le added some fried shallots in the mix, and that sealed the deal. I prefer Bai Le for the pickled vegetables and shallots, but I prefer the taste of the meat from Vin Phat.

Cost - Vin Phat was $2. Bai Le was $2.50.

All in all, Vin Phat has my business, but I will definitely request more pickles and bring my own fried shallots... =)

I tried banh mi for the first time today. Because I had seen its name mentioned on this board, I stopped at Ba Le on Broadway. Very impressive. The sheer balance of flavors knocked me over. I tried the #11 "Chinese Barbecue Pork," which added a little sweetness to the spicy & pickled flavors. I agree with the earlier post about the texture of the bread. It WAS very crusty. But then, I love crusty bread. Obviously, I can't compare Ba Le's product to any other place, but I was delighted. I'll be back there again soon.

I was also intrigued by the pre-packaged items shown in the refrigerated cases. They were selling small portions of pate and headcheese (!) as well as several desserts in plastic cups.

Overall, it seems like a very slick sort of joint. Is it a chain?

I don't know whether they are a chain or not...I was told they were by some and not by others. What is important to note is that Ba Le does not exhibit many of the "chain" negatives. In other words, the folks there really do care about the product that is sold. I know that is not in all chain stores...but I'm sure you get my point.

By all means, if you have any continuing interest in exploring this type of food, you should read the Lonely Planet Food Guide to Vietnam...or just read the first 20 or so pages while at the bookstore. This cuisine has not been mainstreamed to the point you can easily navigate without some guidence. Its not to say that you fumble around for a long time, I did just that. But, after reading the LPWFG, it was like visiting a place for the first time.

pd

p.s. A co-worker, who is from Houston and of Vietnamese stock, claims there is no good Vietnamese food in Chicago...although she gives Le Colonial a "maybe." She has not been to Tank Noodle.

HI,

You may find this helpful as well.

I was at Tank Noodle on Thursday for lunch. Amongst my selections, I had the first Bahn mi on their menu, which has no description. It was filled with quarter sized pieces of black sausage, which was marbled like headcheese. I suspect it was a headcheese variant with blood mixed in, which is why it was black. The sandwich was seasoned with a lot of black pepper, but no jalapeno peppers, so I who-don't-love-chilis could eat it easily.

Have fun with your new food discovery.

banh mi xui mai at Tank Noodle.

The freshly-formed pork meatballs are served in a delicately-seasoned tomato sauce.

Regards,
Erik M.

Hi,

I had a taste of the meatball's pictured above, which were much better than my expectations. Tank also serves a variant of Bahn mi with chicken or beef curry. The roll is served separate from the curry, which you either dip your bread into the sauce or spoon the meat onto your bread.

I think I will try the curry version soon, I just have to have the peppery blood sauce headcheese once more before moving on.

Happy New Year!

If I'm not mistaken the original poster was looking for a tofu bahn mi. To my knowledge ba le is the only shop making these, it's on their menu as #13 bi chay. I've looked for other versions as well but haven't found any - including the following exchange at hung phat:

Me: What do you call a banh mi without meat?

Counterperson: No Meat?

Me: Yeah, a bahn mi, but veg- no meat

Counterperson: Bread

one of the family members running ba le once told me that there is another ba le in atlanta. it's owned by the same family (i think the "original" is in atlanta). as far as i was told, i don't think that there are any others (at least owned by this family), but a google search tuns up tons of restaurants with similar, if not the same name (and perhaps logo, too).

incidentally, i'd never been to vin phat for banh mi (i've been a ba le stalwart), but, after being inspired by the post above, i went on friday. all in all a good sandwich, and i can't say that it is better or worse than ba le's. while vin phat was a bit cheaper ($2 with tax, an insanely cheap deal), ba le has a variety of banh mi, which, assuming i didn't miss anything, vin phat doesn't.

Me: What do you call a banh mi without meat?

Counterperson: No Meat?

Me: Yeah, a bahn mi, but veg- no meat

Counterperson: Bread

Interesting. Out here in Portland, I'm not sure you can find a place serving banh mi that doesn't have tofu as an option.

I took advantage of the long weekend to hit some places on the growing "need to try" list. Finally had my first Chicago tofu Banh Mi at Ba Le French Bakery & Restaurant. I got the banh mi with no mayonaise, extra jalapeno. Good overall flavor, but barely any tofu and not a trace of extra jalapeno. I like the look of Ba Le and saw a lot of other items I would like to try, so I will definitely go back. For now, I will continue to get my Vietnamese fix on my monthly trips to Houston. Thanks for the responses to my original inquiry.

Marquee,

Why not look at the sandwich on the spot, then return it to them to make it the way you want it. Also express a willingness to pay a little extra to have it your way. Extra jalapeno's is cheap though I imagine they consider the tofu a more expensive ingredient.

It's worth a try.

Regards,

did you get the #13 banh mi bi chay?, if so it's not really a tofu banh mi, just a vegetarian one - mostly a mix of the shredded pickled veggies

if folks have leads on other veggie banh mi worth ordering i'd be happy to hear about them.

Erik M. wrote:The freshly-formed pork meatballs are served in a delicately-seasoned tomato sauce.

Regards,
Erik M.

Had the Sardine Bahn Mi this weekend at Tank - I think they used the same tomato sauce, it was quite good.

All,

The Banh Mi at Ba Le is lovely. I had the lemongrass sausage banh mi, which I think is the last number on the menu, and it was sublime. Sausage was flavorful with a little bit of zest, the lemongrass added that freshness, and the pickled goodies made it nearly perfect.

Plus, I had it with takeout pho from Tank. If you get take out, you add the sliced raw beef yourself, so--depending on how far you have to travel between pick up and drink down--it stays rare for quite a while.

Sorry vegetarians,
J. Ro

ab wrote:Had the Sardine Bahn Mi this weekend at Tank - I think they used the same tomato sauce, it was quite good.

I love the Vietnamese take on a sardine sandwich.

During the "dog days" of summer, when it often seems too hot to eat much at all, I can take great comfort in a sardine sandwich and a bowl of crabmeat and asparagus soup at Pho Xe Lua.


banh mi ca moi & sup mang cua

E.M.

Pho Xe Lua
1021 W. Argyle
773.275.7512