Juvu's Profile
Mirliton/Chayote Squash
Anybody know where I can find it? Has it been spotted at any farmers markets in the DMV. I miiiight even drive to Baltimore if it's there.
Best Banh Mi?
Just go with the "Dac Biet" which in Vietnamese means "special." It typically includes all the cold cuts. So in this case the four "meats" are:
Jambon - Vietnamese Ham
giò thủ - Vietnamese Headcheese (Consisting of bits of pork which is awesome. Don't shy away from the stuff)
Cha lua - Vietnamese "Bologna" which is really pork and chicken ground with spices, wrapped in banana leaf, and then boiled. The leaf is removed, and the remaining meat is sliced.
Paté gan - Vietnamese (Pork) Liver Pate
There are other meats that do not come in Dac Biet, like grilled pork, which is only alright. The way that DP prepares it for sandwiches is by no means as good as it would be if you ordered it in a noodle bowl (Bun Thit Nuong).
HK Market's Dac Biet also includes xiu mai, which is a vietnamese meatball consisting of (you guessed it...) pork. Yeah, I guess that Banh Mi is about as unkosher as it gets. I'll have to try Midcity's suggestion and try the chinese roast pork, that sounds awesome.
As for the galley, I don't know about them, but I had a cochon de lait po-boy at a wedding, and it was served on DP Baguette. I love the bread, don't get me wrong, but it ain't no Leidenheimer.
Best Banh Mi?
Banh Mi is usually served at room temperature, but I really like toasting the sandwich. The kicker is usually that the vegetables get wilty, and the pickled radish and carrot get REALLY smelly. If you get your sandwiches to-go to eat for later, it is actually quite common for most Vietnamese to get the vegetables on the side. That way, you heat up the sandwiches (or in my case panini the sucker), and then put the vegetables inside afterwards. The mixture of hot & crusty, with cool and crisp make for an awesome sandwich.
It really makes Hong Kong's Banh Mi tolerable. And actually, Hong Kong's Banh Mi isn't that bad. Just because they don't use Dong Phuong bread doesn't make them inferior. Dong Phuong is good for a lot of things, but that bread gets way more hype than it deserves. It's good if you eat it fresh, but otherwise, it loses flavor real quick. If you're going out to Dong Phuong, don't do it for the bread, do it for the pate chaud (meat pies). The ones with jicama are particularly delicious.
food for the airplane
Crabby Jack's is really awesome but I'm not sure the duck po-boy would travel well. With all the juices/gravy from the duck, you might be over the 3 oz. rule. (just kidding).
Not to mention, I would find it hard to resist scarfing down that sucker before I got to the airport. Something has to compensate for Airline Hwy or I-10's awful traffic.
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Crabby Jacks
428 Jefferson Hwy, New Orleans, LA 70121
Pho Orchid
I was really surprised with how good Pho Orchid was. The day of the NFC Championship game, my friends and I knew that Pho Tau Bay was closed on sundays, so we drove all the way out to Kenner (polar opposites practically) to eat at Pho Bang, which was always a favorite Pho joint of mine growing up. I could've sworn that Pho Bang was open on sundays (as I thought with PTB as well) because I remember eating there after sunday morning mass with my vietnamese family.
ANYWAY. We made the trek all the way out to Kenner only to find out that Pho Bang is also closed on sundays. So here we were all the way out in Kenner, and we didn't know where to go next. We thought about Frosty's, but Pho Orchid came up, and we said we'd roll by and see if it was sketchy or not.
The location is not immediately visible, but it's not hard to find. Once we got there, the entire wait staff (including the 60-something Vietnamese woman who was running the place) was adorned in Saints jerseys. They were so so friendly, but what really impressed me was the food (and portion size). The Pho was definitely good and if they did use any MSG they were definitely light on it. Trust me, I do not react well to MSG in Pho (in other words, stay away from Jazmine Cafe's pho if you don't take well to MSG). The Goi Cuon (Spring Rolls) were super good too, though I adhere to the school of thought that it's really hard to mess up Goi Cuon.
Def. recommended.
Short Drive from New Orleans into Mississippi
I second @rockbound. Leatha's is some extremely amazing barbecue. Leatha's actually originated out of Columbia. It was supposed to close due to leasing problems or something, I forget. But everyone in that town loved it so much, particularly this one politician (state rep, maybe?) who ended up investing in the place just so they could remain open. They now operate out of Hattiesburg, but the barbecue is still ridiculously good. (Fair warning though, the sauce is really sweet, so go light at first).
Of all shows for it to have been featured on, it was featured in Andrew Zimmern's Bizarre Foods when he visited the South. He of course ate off-menu and had some bizarre stuff, but the bbq will do you good. You can't go wrong with either ribs or pulled pork. It literally melts in your mouth.
Leatha's is located on Hwy. 98 in Oak Grove behind a camping trailer dealer. A little hard to find, but it is right off the highway, and some of the best barbecue I've ever had.
Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) report
I heard that Quan An Ngon used to be very good, but since moving to their new location, it just hasn't been the same. I can't attest to this, seeing as to how I never got to try the old place. Either way, Quan An Ngon is a really neat concept, but to be totally honest their food is nothing spectacular. I've tried many a dish, but most of them were either underseasoned, or lacking in consistency. The Banh Xeo was really soggy, and the vegetables were not cleaned very well. The che selection is pretty amazing, but it wasn't amazing in taste. I had che bap the first time, and I could've sworn I've had creamed corn that's tasted better than that, and the next time round I had che ba ba, which was okay at best.
Quan an ngon should be tried at least once. Maybe you'll have a better experience than the two times that I went.
Dong Khanh Oriental Food Store
Yeah really nice owners. It's the only west bank asian grocery to still be around since the 1980's. DK specialize in Vietnamese and Chinese goods. If you're looking for other ethnic goods (i.e. Japanese, Korean, Latin), then Hong Kong is where to go. There's not much of a price difference. Hong Kong is already pretty inexpensive.
Walking Distance in Garden District
You should probably avoid Hoshun like the plague. Iv'e heard nothing but reviews of disappointment.
Is the Best Wurst really the Best Wurst?
I'm from out of town, and every time I come to Austin, I get suckered into visiting Best Wurst on 6th. It's pretty alright, but I'm convinced that in a city as cultured and epicuriously enlightened as Austin, that there's got to be a better place. I mean don't get me wrong, Best Wurst is good, but I guess that as a tourist, I don't see much outside of 6th street, and downtown Austin.
So please, I ask, where's the best wurst/sausage/hot dog/chili dog in the city?
NYC hound @ Warehouse District
The only local beer that the Delachaise carries is Heiner Brau Kolsch (draught).
French Fry Po Boy????? Please explain. In detail.
The Boudreaux Special is actually the crawfish pie po-boy (with remoulade sauce). The meat pie po-boy (with gravy) is called the Coonass special (which I think is hilarious). Both of which are delicious, as you mentioned.
Great Burger in a Magazine Street Bar
It definitely wasn't the Buddha Belly. Their burger (although on Magazine st.) is a big disappointment.
Vietnamese Food
It depends on what you like. For the most part, N.O. east, and the west bank vietnamese communities are respectively on par with one another, though I'd probably give the West Bank the upper hand. Rumor has it, that post-katrina, alot of N.O. east people moved to the west bank, so now that the Vietnamese population on the west bank is significantly larger, the quality of restaurants there is increased.
I will say this however, Dong Phuong can't be beat pastrywise. I heard that there's a Dong Phuong on the wb, but I've yet to investigate this for myself. Other than Dong Phuong though, there's nothing that you can get in versailles (N.O. east), that you can't get on the wb. If you like Ba Mien, you can get the same stuff at Tan Dinh on the wb. Kim Son is really awesome, and if you don't have an aversion to MSG, I'd recommend the beef courses at nine roses. Pho Tau Bay's pho is also ten times better than anything you can get in New Orleans east, especially after Pho Quang closed down post-katrina. Pho Bang isn't bad either.
Best Sushi in New Orleans?
Me personally, I like Kyoto. If you want the best deal in town, go to Kyoto during lunch and get the chirashi lunch special. I dare you to finish it in one sitting. The fish has also been very fresh every time I've gone.
Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations New Orleans Episode [Moved from New Orleans board]
My favorite part was actually when Bourdain went to St. Bernard parish and caught oysters with that guy. I realize that St. Bernard and all those Chalmatians are the butt of every joke, but that place really did get hit hard.
Also, I'm really glad that Bourdain talked to Chef Link. That guy has my respect, just as much as Bourdain does.
Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations New Orleans Episode [Moved from New Orleans board]
I'm sure most of you know this already, but in case you don't, next monday will be a new episode of Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations whereby he visits New Orleans. It will air Monday February 4th, at 9 pm on Travel Channel which on Cox is Channel 66. I'm sure it will re-air throughout the week in case you don't have DVR, and can't miss out on Lundi Gras festivities.
Is Crabby's Jacks in city of Jefferson or New Orleans?
If you know where Lowe's is, on Jefferson Highway, it's right across the street from there, just about.
Google Maps Link
The very BEST King Cake?
I heard a story about it on NPR, All Things Considered, I want to say. They touted it as the best, though I've never tried it myself.
Vietnamese poboy?
If any of you get the chance, (and some of you may view this as a travesty, but I swear I love it), you should try dipping Banh Mi in pho. Purists may say, "But no! It makes the bread soggy, etc!" But in all honesty, the taste is pretty good. At least I think so. Again, this is just a matter of convenience, if you happen to order a bowl of pho, and think to yourself, "this simply isn't enough." Try ordering a vietnamese sandwich in addition, and dipping it in your pho.
Breakfast in NOLA
Anyone ever been to Slim Goodies? (http://slimgoodies.com/) It sounds like a good place.
Vietnamese poboy?
Celeste, I'm curious to know if you have a favorite variant of Banh Mi, or if you usually get Dac Biet (special/everything).
Vietnamese poboy?
I hope it can live up to the legacy of it's versailles counterpart.
Vietnamese poboy?
Dong Phuong is absolutely the best. It's also absolutely the most inconvenient place to get one. If you're willing to forgo the trip, the address is:
14207 Chef Menteur Hwy.
If you can't make it out that far, Hong Kong Market in the west bank has a good vietnamese deli. It's located on Behrman Hwy. in Gretna?
Looking back in the older threads, Celeste recommended Pho Tau Bay, which I remembered having good poboys, but I haven't had sandwiches from there since I was a little kid.
Cafe Du Monde Anomaly
My japanese friend turned me onto this, and I didn't believe him at first, but apparently Cafe Du Monde is extremely popular in Japan. In fact, whereas there are only seven cafe du mondes in Louisiana (and subsequently the United States), there are 34 Cafe Du Monde outlets in Japan ( http://www.cafedumonde.jp/shop/index.html ). Tell me you think this is weird.
Best burger in the quarter?
The Clover Grill staff is hilarious. They gave me hell about adding a fried egg to my burger, but you know, in that friendly-I'm-only-joking kind of fashion.
Nice place to watch the BCS?
I realize this is a long shot, but are there any good places to watch the BCS game that's Ohio State friendly? I was thinking Kabby's Sportsbar. Any suggestions?
Fresh Tortillas?
I guess I should try a latin-american market, but does anyone know a good place where I can buy freshly-made tortillas for home use? Corn or flour.
