Paris Sandwich (On a Banh Mi Bender)

If you follow my Twitter or are my Facebook friend, you’ve already heard me mumbling half-incoherently to myself about being on a banh mi bender.  Well, the first place I went to was Paris Sandwich, as I’d long ago noted that it was a friend’s favorite place (she’s since told me that Baoguette is now her favorite place, but that’s for the next banh mi bender).  Lizz and I had talked about meeting up for lunchtime banh mi, as Chinatown is sort of directly in between our offices, so off we went. 

I like to try the classic of anything, wherever I go, so I immediately latched onto the Paris special baguette.  Lizz said she had a fondness for grilled pork, and generously offered to split both sandwiches with me so that we could both try more variety.  Sold! 

Nom nom nom.  Unfortunately, the weird thing was that neither of the sandwiches were cut in half.  Lizz and I both were a little confused, because our experiences in the past were that most places cut them in half… but she gamely tore both sandwiches in half while I went to Wah Mei to get some pork chop over rice.  Thanks again, Lizz 🙂

I couldn’t wait to dig in, so while I was waiting for the train to go back to the office, I whipped out the Paris special, took a quick pic, and devoured it.  Mmm, earthy pate, a bit of creaminess from the butter, crunchy pickled veggies, and the bread – the bread is perfect.  Crisp on the outside, soft and yielding, holding the insides perfectly… just.  YUM. 

The grilled pork – well, the bread was the same delicious bread.  I wasn’t as fond of the meat – it was a little too sweet for me, and discussing with Lizz later, she felt the same way.  Not my favorite style of sandwich there.

Here’s a little secret: after having eaten so many banh mi at the Banh Mi Cart, I am pretty certain that the two places are related.  It was really busy so I didn’t bother trying to ask someone, but the green tea waffles available at Paris were also available at the cart for a short while, and when I saw someone order them – they looked exactly the same as what I’d gotten at the cart once!  The menus were suspiciously similar as well, but then, it’s banh mi, you figure everyone has somewhat similar offerings… but what sealed it in my mind was the bread.  The bread is absolutely the same (which I confirmed by going to other banh mi places and noting the bread being completely different): the perfect baguette, crisp exterior, soft interior, resists sogging… it’s the exact same bread.  That’s my strong suspicion. 

Paris wins extra points as one of the few places I went that had tables inside, and a pretty clean interior that had lots of goodies to look at, drool over, and really want.  I mean, we walked in, and while we were waiting for our sandwiches, I was so close to picking up some Vietnamese salads, summer rolls, drinks, all sorts of brightly colored containers that just screamed “take me home with you, I will make you happy!” 

Yvo says: Within the “cheap” banh mi set ($4 and under; the lowest I’ve seen in NYC is $3.25), these are on the “expensive” side at $4 a piece.  However, with excellent bread, fairly quick service, an actual eating area, and loads of other goodies to look at and/or eat while you’re there, Paris definitely ranks high on the list for banh mi.  I think it’s also an excellent place for beginners to start, as it’s an actual eatery (you’ll understand this comment with forthcoming posts), and fairly bright and clean within the place. 
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Part 1 of 4, Banh Mi Bender Week