Banh Mi

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Gourmondo
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Banh Mi

Post by Gourmondo »

A while back I heard about a place with good bahn mi that a caller or correspondent had recommended to Lorin. Since it happened to be not too far from one of of my work sites, I decided to check it out. So I headed over to try the Eat Well store on the corner of Canal and Broad. I didn't realize this was a sandwich, at least the way they do it here. But it's pretty tasty with viet style bbq pork, cucumbers, julliened carrots, cilantro, etc on a small baguette. The bread is very good. This place is a convenience store with a steam table for cheap plate lunches run by a Vietnamese family. Nothing on the line looked very appealing my two stops. Are there other good versions of this out there?
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justagirl
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Re: Banh Mi

Post by justagirl »

I have to run over to Hong Kong Market today to get some noodles and produce and I'm going to pick up a sandwich there for lunch, I hear they are excellent there. But they are pretty much as you described it, and oh so yummy.


Around here it's called a Vietnamese po-boy. Sounds like what you got was what it is.
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justagirl
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Re: Banh Mi

Post by justagirl »

That had to be the best $2.50 sandwich ever...
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kcdixiecat
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Re: Banh Mi

Post by kcdixiecat »

Where is the Hong Kong Market...and what exactly is it?
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justagirl
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Re: Banh Mi

Post by justagirl »

I'm not good with the West Bank, so maybe someone else will chime in with directions. I'm not sure how to describe it...I'm lost over there.

It's a LARGE Asian market. They have great produce, the regular stuff that you and I see in any market and a ton of stuff I've never heard of. It's crazy to just go walk around the store. The prices are great and the produce last so much longer than the crap I used to buy in the regular grocery stores.

They have a huge live fish area, a long seafood counter, a meat counter and lots of frozen stuff too. They have a great selection of noodles, sauces, candy, drinks, ect. It's just huge and fun to look at everything.

And there's a section where they make the sandwiches and sell the bread, have peaking duck and other cooked meats hanging for purchase.

Most of the produce is well labeled. The stuff in the frozen area just has a Hong Kong Market sticker and price on it. So if you don't know what it is, there's nothing to tell you what it is. The bakery is pretty well labeled.

One thing though, you have to get past the smell to be able to shop there. I go a lot and don't even notice it most of the time anymore. I did today, it was extra ripe. lol And I think they are getting used to seeing me there too, I got fewer weird looks today.

I love their produce and noodles. That is mainly what I go for, but I always take my time and walk around and try new things. I've never spent more than $25 there at any one time and that's usually at least 2-3 bags full of stuff. Way better than our regular grocery stores, which I eschew.
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Low-N-Slow
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Re: Banh Mi

Post by Low-N-Slow »

925 Behrman Hwy. in Gretna. The least "scenic" route is:

From the GNO bridge, take the Terry Pkwy exit, and go to Belle Chasse Hwy. Take a left, and then left again on Behrman. It will be a short ways up on your right.

JAG is absolutely right about the produce lasting. There are some signs in the produce area about the bags being 10 cents each. That appears to be only if you want to buy an empty bag.

Also true is there are things you'll see there that you will have no clue what they are. On the flip side, they have stuff I can't find or haven't seen anywhere else, including Morton Tender Quick and a Chipotle version of Goya Mojo Criollo.

I don't notice the odor thing unless I'm back by the live fish tanks. BTW, KC, this is not an open air affair with chickens hanging on poles, or dogs running around loose. It's a modern supermarket.
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kcdixiecat
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Re: Banh Mi

Post by kcdixiecat »

Low-N-Slow wrote:925 Behrman Hwy. in Gretna. The least "scenic" route is:

From the GNO bridge, take the Terry Pkwy exit, and go to Belle Chasse Hwy. Take a left, and then left again on Behrman. It will be a short ways up on your right.

JAG is absolutely right about the produce lasting. There are some signs in the produce area about the bags being 10 cents each. That appears to be only if you want to buy an empty bag.

Also true is there are things you'll see there that you will have no clue what they are. On the flip side, they have stuff I can't find or haven't seen anywhere else, including Morton Tender Quick and a Chipotle version of Goya Mojo Criollo.

I don't notice the odor thing unless I'm back by the live fish tanks. BTW, KC, this is not an open air affair with chickens hanging on poles, or dogs running around loose. It's a modern supermarket.
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RouxTheDay
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Re: Banh Mi

Post by RouxTheDay »

2 options for a more direct route:

Take Gen. DeGaulle EAST and go to Holiday Drive and turn right. (Holiday turns into Behrman Hwy.) It will be about 2 miles down on your left.

If you're more comfortable with Terry Pkwy...take that exit then turn left on Carol Sue and right on Behrman.


It's a neat place but I'm w/ JAG on the smell. I buy my soba noodles there but I make sure I get several pkgs at a time so I don't have to go as often. :)

Last time I was there the owner/chef of Stella! was in there and then a woman in an Emeril's chef uniform was walking in as I was walking out.
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Dark and Stormy
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Re: Banh Mi

Post by Dark and Stormy »

Was there today, picked up 3 bahn mi dac biet for $2.50 each. I think the smell is durian. I saw someone walking out with one of the damn things. We usually pick up a case of the jasmine tea when we are there. The frozen gyoza is great and sourced from a company in California, so you do not need to worry about it being made of kittens and recycled batteries or anything.
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RouxTheDay
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Re: Banh Mi

Post by RouxTheDay »

In case I'm not the only one who didn't know what durian was....From Wikipedia:

The durian is the fruit of trees from the genus Durio belonging to the Malvaceae, a large family which includes hibiscus, okra, cotton, mallows, and linden trees. Widely known and revered in Southeast Asia as the "King of Fruits", the fruit is distinctive for its large size, unique odour, and formidable thorn-covered husk. The fruit can grow up to 30 centimetres (12 in) long and 15 centimetres (6 in) in diameter, and typically weighs one to four kilograms (2 to 7 lb). Its shape ranges from oblong to round, the colour of its husk green to brown, and its flesh pale-yellow to red, depending on the species.
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