Banh Mi Battel-Hartford CT #1

What: #9 Grill Beef Grinder

Where: Mini Saigon

2014 Park Street
Hartford CT 06106
How much: $3.50
Time of visit: a Thursday about 12:30PM

Banh Mi. Connecticut. The mystery of these two co-existing in the same place was motivation to hit the road. So I hit two Banh Mi spots in one day.

(readers, cue Saigon - Get Busy) (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 link is self-referential and thus the perfect musical name check on two levels. Please click on it.))

This day's travels took me to the greater Hartford Ct area via Central MA.  I got a hot tip from Leeanne at Fun With Carbs. I saw her comment to a post about Ba Le in Dorchester on another blog. She replied quickly to my e-mail inquiry about Banh Mi options in CT.

Mini Saigon is a sit down restaurant in Parkville section of Hartford CT. I was with The Datrman and Nonna Buttali, so we sat down and ate. When I ordered, the waitress took our order quickly. We all shared #2 Summer Rolls. Nona got #33 Chicken Sautee with Chinese Broccoli. It was served with white rice. Dartman had #11 Grill Pork Grinder.  This being Connecticut, I guess it is called a grinder (see menu photo I uploaded to Urbanspoon). I got the #9 Grill Beef Grinder. When the waitress brought out the food, she got my order wrong. I had ordered by number, not description and got a #10 Grill Chicken Grinder. As I opened up the sandwich up for pictures, I noticed the meat product seemed a bit pale. I called the waitress over and told her the issue. She said that I had ordered number #9 "Chicken" I had to open the menu to show her that #9 was in fact beef. She acknowledged the mistake and started to take it back to the kitchen. Dartman, sharing genetic material with my Grandmother and I, could not let it go to waste and offered to eat it.

Banh Mi University graduate? Graduate of the state school. Note the white deli wrap. The bread was fair in this use. It was very similar to Chau's (which I had eaten at later in the day). The crust was thin, but not flaky. The inside was light and airy with that slightly chewy texture. Loaf size was just much shorter and thinner than others I have had recently. This would be superb bread for an Italian cold cut sangwich, though.  I guess there isn't a Viet bakery nearby, so they need to make due with the bread sources in CT.  The beef was VERY generous in quantity and tender. There was absolutely no fat or ligament. The beef was cut into long and thin pieces. Cilantro was fresh with no dark spots. The carrots were tasty and slightly pickled. They were grated into smaller and thinner pieces than the usual matchstick size put onto many Banh Mi. There were a few pieces of daikon. There were thinnish spears of cucumber. A few scallions were present. There was no mayo, but there was soy/fish sauce. I asked the waitress for spicy. I got Thai chiles that were wonderfully hot.

I knew in the back of my mind that there were other places close by or on the way home to review, so I held back eating more.  Dartman and Nonna Buttali headed out right after lunch, so still being hungry, I decided to try more. I hit Chau's next.

Parking on Park Street might have been tough with the snow, but Mini Saigon has a parking lot (though it was very icy). The genuine article in Connecticut! Price was good for what and where it is. Dartman liked the chicken better than the pork. Sriracha was on every table.

Leeanne gave me two more leads, so more Hartford CT Battels in the coming months.

I'd give the Banh Mi a 3.0B/6.

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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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