Westminster banh mi crawl - Episode I
I defaulted to the 800 pound gorilla of banh mi, Lee's Sandwiches, for my Vietnamese sandwich fix, which told me that FDH syndrome had set in. Fat, dumb and happy, I stopped seeking out alternatives even before I knew what they were. So I began my banh mi crawl in earnest a couple weeks ago and have since hit a half dozen places other than Lee's to discover what else is out there.
There's plenty to like about Lee's. The location on the corner of Brookhurst & Westminster is open 24/7. Hot baguettes come out of the oven around the clock. Fresh bread counts for alot; in fact, it overcomes the merely ok fillings served at Lee's. There's no other banh mi in town at midnight, so there's always a place in my heart and stomach for Lee's. But what about all the mom and pop shops around Westminster?
I've found wide swings in the quality of bread around Little Saigon. Banh mi is all about the bread for me, just like pizza is all about its crust. The trio of bread, meat, and schmear (the Vietnamese term for pickles & spread ; P) is fronted by the baguette. Bread is the first thing that you see and taste. It sets the point to the meat's counterpoint backed with the syncopated backbeat of the various spreads or sauces used in banh mi. If you want to front a three piece band, don't expect to hide behind your sidemen. There is no room for slack in a three piece. Ideally, I seek a banh mi constructed from exceptional bread and filled with top notch meats and garni. The Medeski, Martin & Wood of sandwiches. The Emerson, Lake & Palmer of sandwiches. The McLaughlin, Di Meola & De Lucia or The Reverend Horton Heat of sandwiches.
I liked The Green Knight's post on baguettes from a few weeks ago, the link is below. It sounds like the Knight's baguette context is more for eating out of hand rather than their use in a sandwich, but I appreciate his knowledge of the matter, to which I'll add my ramblings. In an oversimplified view, there's two ends of the baguette spectrum: a rustic sourdough type that's baked really dark and has a bulletproof crust. The crust will have slashes cut into it that will spring outward during baking and form "ears" that stand away from the loaf. The ears will be hard and sharp, and can pierce your hard palate like a 12/0 fishhook if you aren't careful. Jet Li could use a loaf like this to dispatch a squad of lesser assassins. The interior has lots of voids of varying size and a crumb that's gelatinized from a long slow rise so it's closer to translucent than white.
A rustic loaf like this is great for tearing into bits and eating with a wad of Normandy butter. Not so great to make a big sandwich with, unless you're able to unhinge your jaw and swallow a porcupine whole.
Better for sandwiches, IMO, is the baguette characterized by a crispy, shatteringly thin crust and a white, soft interior marked by tiny, even holes. This type is made from a commercial yeast, but may get a boost from a prefermenting starter, either a poolish or pate fermentee. The starter will contribute a richer, wheaty flavor and chewy texture, and help to give the exterior character. By character, I mean a darker color than is otherwise possible in such a lean dough, and thousands of tiny bubbles that blister the surface of the crust. Ideally, this type of baguette may also have prominent ears. Baked in a steam injected oven, the crust forms a characteristic shell of nut brown crispness not possible in a dry oven. No crisp crust? That's a hero roll, not a baguette.
About the fillings - banh mi comes in many varieties but every shop has their version of banh mi thit nuong (roast pork) and banh mi ga (chicken). I am sampling the quality of these fundamentals before I assess the combination sandwiches, where other ingredients (cold cuts, pate, strongly flavored sauces, etc) can cover up the quality of the basics. As with the bread, I've found huge swings in quality (style?) of the meats from store to store.
With my ideal thus defined, I continue round 1 of my banh mi crawl. Since I've only made one pass through each shop, I will reserve my sandwich comments until I've made a couple more visits at each. Finding bakeries at every turn, this banh mi crawl is a much bigger task than I originally thought. Stay tuned, hounds.
Professor Salt
Jan 26, 2004 01:16AM
OK. This is creepy. I drove all the way from my place to Little Saigon today. I was jonesin' for some spring rolls and Pho. Went to Pho 54, which was about average.
I went to a bakery in the same minimall and was confused at the choices of different Banh Mi. I tried to talk to the person behind the counter to ask what were the different fillings, but they said they were out of sandwhiches. I left dejected, but I think I'm going to trek back next weekend to get my fix.
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Hey Xericx,
I took a picture of Gala Bakery's menu. I may take this photo down after I get the ensuing reviews written up, but I want to give you this to help you next weekend!
Image: http://members.cox.net/professorsalt/...
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My favorite Banh Mi shop, Banh Mi Che Cali on Magnolia and Bolsa also put up a new menu board, complete with English translations and pictures of the sandwiches to boot! And the prices are still the same - Buy Two at $1.50, get one free. They used to have a dinky 2 feet by 2 feet stenciled menu with only the Vietnamese spelling. Now there is no reason for anyone to be intimidated in ordering all the possible combinations of filling. However, I was surprised and intrigued that one of the fillings is translated as "head cheese". I know what head cheese is, but I hadn't ever thought it was a banh mi filling until now. I also wondered whether I've actually had it and didn't know it. Is it their translation of pate? Pate, I know is smeared onto the dac biet (combination).
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I've had head cheese on banh mi at Lee's. It's not the same as pate. I'm not a big fan of the textures in head cheese. The crunchy chunks in jelly don't do it for me, but it's not as objectionable when there's other meats thrown into the sandwich.
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Thank you for the incredibly informative post. Looking forward to the next chapter of your saga.
And double thanks for the Medeski Martin and Wood reference. You're undoubtedly an individual with musical taste.
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you rule.
i can't believe you used the rev horton heat in a review of bread. Just hope you never have to mention "The Cramps" while reviewing food.
i think what makes banh mi so good is that 1/2 punch of crispy/soft. First sensation: crispy shell of bread-then soft dry bread, then crispy veggies and peppers then soft meat and shmear. it's the same thing when you grill sandwiches or tortillas.
really really looking forward to a definative word on banh mi in westminster.
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Excellent post. Great narrative and breadth of knowledge! Looking forward to the next episodes.
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"The Medeski, Martin & Wood of sandwiches. The Emerson, Lake & Palmer of sandwiches. The McLaughlin, Di Meola & De Lucia or The Reverend Horton Heat of sandwiches."
What?! No "Flannigan/Carter/Tony Williams"? "Tyner/Jones/Garrison"?
Thi: yours?
RFGS
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Kindly Professor,
I thank thee for an entertaining first episode. I especially enjoyed your description of the rustic sourdough baguette. Now I see not only can it provide fair nourishment on a journey through the woods, it can, as well, double as a weapon most fell. Now if only I can find a way to secure it to my belt....
I pray you find fairer pastures on your continued journey. While I have enjoyed my sandwiches at Lee's, I find the flavors (of bread and schmear) lack true and distinct character. Rather, their sandwiches taste milled and mass produced, which is, I guess, to be expected.
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Behold the baguette holder!
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Ahh, the wonders of Google!
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Image: http://www.aoxw03.dsl.pipex.com/spele...
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