Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Banh Mi Battel-Dorchester MA#1

  
  
What: #7 Beef Grill BBQ Banh Mi
Where: La Baguette Restaurant (aka King Do)
1229 Dorchester Avenue
Dorchester MA 02125
How Much: $3.50

Banh Mi. The words give me pause and cause me to wonder just what and where is the perfect Banh Mi sandwich shop.  Thanks for some posts on Chowhound and Yelp, I found a place to try that I have not been to yet.

(readers, cue Street Dogs - In Defense of Dorchester though I'm not sure these two should even be on the same page) (clicking on link should open YouTube in a new browser tab so you can hear my selected audio track playing, but you will have to click back on this tab to return)

This day's travels took me to Dorchester MA for work. Well, I was in Milton and this was close enough.

Lots of similarities to the Kent WA post...

Banh Mi University graduate?  Yeah, I guess. Note the white deli wrap (though way bigger than I am used to) and elastic as one would expect.  The bread was the big downfall.  For me, the most important part of a sandwich is the bread. It was a fresh and chewy inside, but the crust was barely crisp. Maybe due to all the snow we just got the day before I visited, the bread baking/delivery didn't happen and they had to use some frozen stuff.  The skin inside my mouth was safe, but I just could not get past the lack of crunchy bread shards. The meat was there in quantity and tasty, not at all fatty. The size of the beef pieces were above average, similar to Nhu Y in Lowell.  The beef was thin and wide with consistent quarter-sized pieces. The beef tasted ...well...not marinated and certainly not caramelized nor spicy.  Plant material quality was very good esp. considering the weather.  Cilantro was crisp, but very sparse. There was no hint of darkness on the leaves.  Carrots and daikon were somewhat crisp, though also not generous.  The cucumber was fresh, but thin.  A few scallions were visible. The Banh Mi did drip a very little bit, but not seem to have much fish/soy sauce on it. There was no sign/taste of mayo.  Jalapenos were very large and plentiful, but they did not seem too hot. The sandwich had a no afterburn.  Size was comparable to most.  The counter help was very friendly, spoke English and asked if I wanted hot peppers.  I asked for "very spicy", which it did not turn out to be.


As you can see in the first picture, the name is now La Baguette at least on the outside of the storefront.  The takeout bag was King Do. I asked for a menu. the woman handling the cash register said that they did not have one, but handed me a business card (that was printed as King Do Baguette & Pastry).  The second picture will have to do as a menu.  They also serve bubble teas.  There are tables to sit and eat.  I was focus on the Banh Mi and did not check out the pastry collection.  Everything looked very clean and the television screen menu is pretty good looking.

I'd give it 3B/6

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An ok banh mi, worth a trip if you are near Dot Ave.  In the coming months, I'll try to get to Banh Mi Ba Le, Hau Giang, Chau Bakery and Lee's Store down the street soon to compare.


King do Baguette and Pastry on Urbanspoon

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Sandwich Slam-Bristol CT




What: #5 Special Grinder
Where: Broaster House Deli
223 Farmington Avenue
Bristol  CT 06010
How much: $8.75

(readers, cue The Capicola Brothers - Come to Me)  (clicking on link should open YouTube in a new browser tab so you can hear my selected audio track playing, but you will have to click back on this tab to return)
 
This day's travels took me to Bristol CT.  I have been eating here since I was a kid.  I can still remember my mom and my aunt getting a couple of sandwiches from the Broaster House (probably #10 ham and cheese) and taking us kids to Page Park for a picnic. My cousin, MarathonMan, lost one of his loose baby teeth biting into on of these oversized sandwiches.

I'll not get into the regional variations of sandwich names and how or if they differ at all.  For whatever reason, long sandwiches are called grinders in many areas of Connecticut.

The #5 is the Special. The bread has a very soft, yet chewy inside with a slight crust outside. The bread is cut fully in half, then built atop the bottom half  (unlike impatient chains that cut the bread open, leaving one side connected and build across the "hinge" and fold over, compressing the meat around the veggies, or worse, meat/cheese on one side and veggies spilling out the open side.  Sorry about the rant, back to the subject matter at hand...

All cheeses and meats are cut fresh for each sandwich.  No items are pre-sliced.  The American cheese (provolone is optional and more expensive) is first layered slightly overlapping.  Then high quality boiled ham is draped over the cheese.  I say draped as it is not laid flat,  this is critical to keeping some air in between layers and helps define the individual tastes of the meats.  Prosciuttini (not Prosciutto), a ham with black pepper encrusting the outside is draped on next.  This is then topped by Hot Capicola. In a standard sandwich, this is then topped with onions (cut as rings), shredded iceberg lettuce and tomatoes slices (NEVER chopped).  Salt, black pepper and oregano is liberally sprinkled atop the veggie layer. The top is then doused with red wine vinegar, then olive oil.


The sandwich is then placed om waxed deli paper and cut in half and rolled up in the deli paper.


Half sandwiches are available.

Considering the effort and ingredients, a great value for the money.

A broaster is a pressurized deep fryer, usually used to fry chicken.  Back in the day, Broaster House Deli used to be known as "The Broaster House" and featured broasted chicken. Alas, no longer. times change, people get health conscious and names change, like Kentucky Fried Chicken becoming KFC. 

The place is always very clean. Service was not ultra fast, but food like this takes time and love.


I'd give it 6B/6. Buttalicious!  This is my gold standard for an Italian cold cut sangwich.



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Broaster House on Urbanspoon

Concert Alert-Gang of Four

‘Content’ in stores January 2011





Sorry about the vintage video, but I figured you needed to get a bit of a history lesson...
And later...



I saw them for the first time with FreeEye2 (I didn't know J-Mar then and she has already said no to this show?!? "Gang of Who?") at what is now the House of Blues in Boston a couple of years back.  I believe it was their first reunion tour (drums still played by Hugo Burnham).  My most fond memory  of the show is them utterly destroying a  microwave oven with a wiffleball bat.  The show was one of my top ten ever.

This tour is supporting their new material (artwork above).  I heard a new track "Never Pay for the Farm" over at NPR's Son of the Day of all places and GoF sounds as great as ever.
Date is February 7, 2011
Venue is The Paradise in Boston.

Taco Takedown-Somerville MA


What: Tacos Al Pastor
Where: Tacos Lupita
13 Elm Street
Somerville  MA 02143
How much: $2.50 ea
(readers, cue South ParkTaco Flavored Kisses (and other South Park taco songs))  (clicking on link should open YouTube in a new browser tab so you can hear my selected audio track playing, but you will have to click back on this tab to return)
This day's travels took me to Somerville MA.  I have eaten here a bunch of times and I finally got around to taking pictures and later, posting. This place was first brought to my attention by a Boston Globe review.  When I asked around, I heard nothing but great things about it.
The tacos are freshly made by two very nice women who are always there.  I mean always.  In the several years that I have been stopping by, the same two are always at the window regardless of day or time.  You order and pay at the window and have a seat.  Sometimes they bring it out to you, sometimes not.  The place is always very clean.  I usually do take out, to enjoy the peace and quiet of the chariot (and to reinforce my liberal leanings and listen to NPR).

Al Pastor is roasted pork.  It has never been too fatty or ligamentous.  The pork is sweet glazed and well cooked.  I have tried most of the others (Carne asada de res ((grilled steak)), Lenngua de res ((tongue)), Pollo (chicken)) and Chorizo ((sausage-my number two favorite)). These appear to be soft masa tacos.  There are always two shells for each taco.  Each always has plenty of fresh tomatoes, onions and cilantro.

The green salsa served with Al Pastor is unbelievable.  It is very spicy hot, in the best possible way.  There is plenty to dress the two tacos that I usually get and have a bit more to drink if you want.

Exceptional value for the money. 

The menu is an interesting mix of Mexican and other Central American food (Cave Cibum says Salvadoran).  Other options include papusas, huaraches, mulitas, burritos, quesadillas, tortas, gorditas and sopas. The beverage options are very interesting if you want to experiment, but they have the standard stuff too.  The only time I was ever disappointed here was over Christmas vacation a couple of years ago when I tried to go with the family and they were closed (I think the staff went back to their homeland).


Don't bother to any of the chain Mexican if you are anywhere near Somerville (Urbanspoon says there are also locations of Tacos Lupitas in Lynn, Revere, Lawrence and Haverhill). Go to Tacos Lupita!

A great taco!.


I'd give it 5.5B/6. (Well, a 6B/6 for Boston)


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Tacos Lupita on Urbanspoon

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Banh Mi Battel-Kent WA










What: #4 Grilled Pork Banh Mi
Where: Pho Saigon Restaurant
25632 Pacific Highway South
Kent WA 98032
How Much: $?

Banh Mi. The words give me pause and cause me to wonder just what and where is the perfect Banh Mi sandwich shop.  I realize I have just scratched the surface, so it is time to widen the search.

(readers, cue The Clash - Washington Bullets) (clicking on link should open YouTube in a new browser tab so you can hear my selected audio track playing, but you will have to click back on this tab to return)

This day's travels took me to Kent WA for work. We were able to send out for lunch.  Panera was the option, but I asked Tabanhmi to do me the big favor and get me a fix. She had surprised me the day before and had Five Guys Burger and Fries waiting for me when I arrived from the airport.  I was able to convince three other co-workers to make the leap beyond the ordinary. No one I work with knows about my alter ego, so it was a bit hard to explain why I was taking pictures of my food.  I did mumble something about blogging about food to one co-worker, but I think he thinks I was kidding and was testing out my new phone or going to pic text a mutual co-worker. I do have a bit of a reputation as a Luddite (go ahead, laugh away POTN) or at least anti-social networking.  After all, I have just started to text in the last two months. I really think that phones are made to talk into, not to use as an appliance to segregate and prioritize communications to and from your family, friends and business partners.

Banh Mi University graduate?  Yeah, I guess. Note the white deli wrap (though way bigger than I am used to) and elastic as one would expect.  The bread was the big downfall.  For me, the most important part of a sandwich is the bread. It was a fresh and chewy inside, but maybe due to the rainy Pacific Northwest weather, the crust was barely crisp.  The skin inside my mouth was safe, but I just could not get past the lack of crunchy bread shards. The meat was there in quantity and tasty, not at all fatty. The size of the pork pieces were average.  The pork was thin and long and apparently marinated in a somewhat hot sauce.  Plant material quality was very good.  Cilantro was crisp, but not exactly generous. there was no hint of darkness on the leaves.  Carrots and daikon also very crisp and tasty, though also not generous and there was no onion.  The cucumber was fresh, but thin.  The smear of mayo was a little light.  There were jalapenos, but they did not seem too hot.  Sandwich had a relatively weak afterburn.  Sandwich size was comparable to most.  Since work picked it up, I did not see how much.

Check the title link for info on Pho Saigon Restaurant.

I'd give it 3.5B/6

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A decent banh mi.  Tabanhmi, thanks for indulging me and allowing me to expand my search out,  but somehow with a larger Asian community out west, I had higher hopes.

 

Pho Saigon Restaurant on Urbanspoon