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Scratching another sandy off the list

For someone who considers himself a huge fan of both sandwiches and Vietnamese food, I've been slacking on the bánh mì front. The bánh mì is the definitive Vietnamese sandwich and its popularity soared in 2008 judging by the number of times I read about it in food geek blogs and articles.

Well I tried it and I liked it. In San Diego, a local expert took me to Hamilton's Tavern, where they dish up the "Banh From The Pubs" sandwich. My understanding of the bánh mì is that it must be made of a baguette stuffed with Vietnamese ingredients. By this possibly inaccurate definition, Hamilton's sandy probably meets the standard. As the menu says, it was a (sic) "lovingly crafted version of a Vietnamese Banh Mi. it's tasty, its cute, its healthy, its a mix of CUCUMBERS, CARROT AND DAIKON SLAW, RED ONION, FRESH BASIL, CILANTRO, daveys PCS SAUCE and oh yeah ITS VEGAN!!!!!! With PUB CHIPS whooo!"

Excessive excitement aside, the sandy tasted good. It was like I took a Vietnamese noodle bowl and stuffed as much of it as would fit inside of a halved baguette, which is a good thing. Now the challenge is to find the real deal in NY. My esteemed colleague and Vietnamese connoisseur Kim has gone to great lengths to find quality pho in this big city; will the A+ bánh mì be as hard to find? Does anyone understand why New York City's Thai and Vietnamese offerings lag behind those of Denver? Next up I'll check out Banh Mi Saigon Bakery at 138 Mott St. thanks to a tip on SeriousEats by user Dragonguy.

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