Chef's Blog

Banh mi never sells when it’s on our menu, winter or summer, but it’s one of my favorites whether it’s at Saigon Sandwich or Solbar.  Today we have a roasted duck banh mi on the menu with a duck pate:

Ooo.  Good and livery, just the right amount of quatre-epices, pistachio, and chunks of duck breast.  Plenty of pork fat in there too.

Finished product:  crusty baguette, spicy mayo, cilantro, pickled carrots, shredded romaine, sliced and seared duck breast seasoned with plenty of nam pla.  Served next to a pile of crispy sweet potato chips.

I like sandwiches.  A LOT.  I realize that’s not a terribly incisive or original observation, but realize that I’m a chef because I love food.  And sandwiches have a special place in my belly’s heart.  They are the sine qua non of restaurant work because they’re hand-held whole meals that I can eat standing up.  Empires have been built on less.

some standouts:

• chicken flyer at Ham’s in Chapel Hill, NC
• cheeseburger at Gott’s in St Helena
• chopped pork barbecue at Allen & Sons off Highway 86 outside of Durham, NC
• pulled pork barbecue at the Ugly Dog Saloon in New Orleans
• pork banh mi at Saigon Sandwich, Larkin & Eddy, SF
• roast beef po’boy at Zara’s, Garden District, New Orleans
• muffaletta, Frankie and Johnny’s, uptown just off Tchopitoulas, New Orleans
• hot dog all the way, Yum Yum Better Ice Cream, Greensboro, NC
• french dip with horseradish (and a Ketel One bloody mary), Rutherford Grill, NV
• cheeseburger at Red Rock Cafe in Napa
• santa fe turkey and jarlsberg swiss with the works at Giugni’s in St Helena
• grilled cheese at Sutton’s in Chapel Hill
• my grandmother’s tomato and cucumber sandwiches in the summertime
• the #18 (fishy slaw) at Palisades Deli in Calistoga

ADD THIS BANH MI TO THE LIST!!!  It is freaking stunning–crunchy, spicy, rich, meaty, tender, acid/sweet pop, just . . . ah.