Bánh mì

After moving here from Boston a couple of years ago, one of my first tasks was to find Bánh mì in Louisville. I have found them at Annie Cafe, Vietnam Oriental Supermarket on Third and at Pho Binh Minh. While the offering at the Supermarket is by far the least impressive, Pho Binh Minh (as the recent CJ article points out) are the best. Annie's were good, if not a tad on the sweet side.

In any case, no one seems to offer a sandwich with the chicken liver paté that can be found in other cities. Has anyone found a sandwich in town that offers the paté as well?

What are others' opinions on Louisville's bánh mì? Favorites? Any spots I've missed?

Thanks,
John

you can try Coco's Bakery (502) 368-9280

6915 Southside Dr
Louisville, KY 40214

i believe they have them

Not to be an uneducated idiot; what is Bánh mì?

Not to be an uneducated idiot; what is Bánh mì?

I Googled it and came up with this. I hope it's correct. Looks wonderful.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banh_Mi

[Robin Garr]

Not to be an uneducated idiot; what is Bánh mì?

Doogy's post is close to the mark. Short answer is that it's Vietnamese street food that picks up the baguette as a legacy from the French colonial period, and stacks it high with a tasty mix of Western and Vietnamese flavors. The Saigon baguette usually has a portion of rice flour mixed with the wheat flour, which makes it very fluffy and light.

Marty's Saturday Scene piece on sandwiches mentions them, and so did my Christmas review of Pho Binh Minh, a tiny new Vietnamese spot in the South End. Here's what I wrote about it there:

<i>Banh Mi Thit ($2.50), a classic Vietnamese sandwich, reflects the ethnic fusion from Vietnam’s years as a French colony: A small, crisp-crusted but light French-style baguette is split open to carry a load of red-ringed roast pork, crunchy bits of cucumber and carrot, and a couple of fiery rings of thin-sliced raw jalapeño (so hot that the wary might want to remove them before eating), lightly spread with a pink, not-too-spicy aioli-type dressing. The combination of flavors and textures make it an exceptional sandwich, and at this price it’s one of the best lunch deals in town.</i>

You also used to be able to get them at Coco's bakery, a couple of blocks from Pho Binh Minh on Southside drive, and I expect you still can.

I got hooked on Banh Mi when I was living in Honolulu...I happened to see a http://ba-le.com/index.htm restaurant with a "Vietnamese Sandwiches" neon sign and I just had to go inside to satisfy my curiosity...Man...Did I ever satisfy my curiosity...I ordered a Lemongrass Chicken Banh Mi along with a Vietnamese iced Cafe du Monde coffee and a chilled banana tapioca dessert...Simply devine!...I enjoyed this triple combination so much that I would treat myself to Ba-Le at least once a week...BTW, Ba-Le is Vietnamese for Paris...When I visit Hawaii, my first stop and my last stop is to a Ba-Le location where I have to get my Triple Play...O' Yeah...Hmm..I just might have to make that drive to the Ba-Le sandwich shoppe in Chicago's Little Saigon to satisfy my Banh Mi and tapioca craving...

BTW, I have tried the Pork Char Siu Vietnamese sandwich at Pho Binh Minh and it was excellent...I just wished that the Vietnamese restaurants in Louisville offered a Chicken Banh Mi...not to mention a chilled tapioca dessert with a choice of banana / papaya / mango / taro fillings...O' well...I guess I got a little spoiled living the good life in the Melting Pot Of The Pacific...