Bring me a Banh Mi
Washington State goes the fusion route
When I think of the state of Washington (not to be confused with Washington D.C., no-thanks-very-much people in charge with naming the parts of our country), I think of things like the Space Needle, Apple Orchards, Puget Sound, Mount Saint Helen’s, Pike Place Market, notorious serial killers, and Banh Mi Sandwiches.
What? Vietnamese street cuisine isn’t top of mind when you think of the Evergreen State? Yeah…me neither. This is why I was a little surprised to see the Banh Mi sandwich representing the state of Washington on this list. What a wild card entry, Washington! I definitely would have guessed something seafood-related — salmon or crab, maybe — or maybe even a sando with crisp apples tucked in amongst the other ingredients.
But no — it’s the Banh Mi.
So naturally, I did a little Internet tippity-tappitying to see if I could get to the bottom of this not-that-interesting culinary mystery. Unlike Missouri’s Hot Salami or Oregon’s Fried Chicken Biscuit Sandwich, there didn’t appear to be a shop that sold a definitive, be-all-that-ends-all Banh Mi sandwich that was so unique and excellent in status, that it became a thing that people talk about in reverent tones for weeks after chowing down on the fusion-y sandwich. Instead, it just appears that Washington has a relatively large Asian population, so there may just be more Banh Mi’s per capita than there is across the rest of the country.
Unfortunately, that’s as close as I got to solving the mystery because the Internet seemed to mostly want to offer up Banh Mi recipes or suggest restaurants where I could order my very own Banh Mi. Also, as I said before, it’s not that interesting of a mystery. Even Nancy Drew wouldn’t as much as sneeze at The Case of the Seemingly Odd Sandwich Selection. We’re very busy people, me and Nancy.
In a rare, but not unprecedented, decision, we opted to purchase our Banh Mi’s this week rather than attempt to make them ourselves. Is it something we could have made on our own? Probably? But it also felt like it would just be a tastier/more authentic experience to just leave it to the experts.
So we did.
TBH, it felt weird not making a sandwich this week. I definitely had more than one moment throughout the day where I thought that I failed to plan dinner for the night and wonder what were we going to eat???
We clearly need to do takeout more often.
Fortunately for us, we live near quite a few places that seem to specialize in Banh Mi sandwiches. We went with Nong Lá Cafe, partially because their sandwiches looked great, partially because of their high rating, and partially because they were kind of the most convenient stop on our way home from the playground with the kiddo. Mostly the latter, if I’m being honest, but the other two things helped make it feel like we did a ton of due diligence when making this decision.
Come dinner time, we ate as the good Lord intended us to — no plates. We unwrapped those puppies (no puppies were actually used in the making of these sandwiches), and ate them straight out of the wrapper.
The Banh Mi’s were excellent. The meat was outstanding, the toppings were crisp and fresh, the condiments gave it just the right amount of moisture, and the French bread was very French Bread-y (maybe a bit too crunchy on the ends for my taste, but lets not split hairs). I’m glad we ordered these because I don’t know if I could’ve gotten meat to be that tender and flavorful. Well done, Nong Lá Cafe.
If you’ve never had a Banh Mi, you should. It’s a slightly more Asian-flavored version of sandwiches you know and love. It’s tasty and fulfilling and makes you feel like you’re adventuring outside your comfort zone, even though it’s definitely something you could eat every day. I can’t say it’s a sandwich that knocked my socks off, but it’s definitely one that I’ll eat again.
Are sandwiches kinda “your thing?”
It was a wonderful read and sandwich!