Baoguette’s Out of Bounds Banh Mi is Worth the Extra Walk
I may be in the minority, but I happen to like the banh mi at Boi to Go (on 2nd Ave. btw. 42+43rd), and their newly opened Boi Sandwich (on 3rd Ave. btw. 44+45th). But even I’ll admit, it’s only good for Midtown. Put their $8 Vietnamese sandwich in Chinatown and I probably wouldn’t even give it a second look. So dreaming of something a little better, I decided earlier in the week to venture just outside the Midtown Lunch boundaries to try Baoguette, Chef Michale Huynh’s new take-out Banh Mi counter on Lexington btw 25+26th Street. It replaced a closed down Blimpie (unlike our three closed Blimpies which remain empty) and I have to say, if you work in the southern part of Midtown- the choice between waking 8 blocks north to Boi Sandwich, or 10 blocks south to Baoguette is no choice at all.
First of all, the standard “baoguette” is a still-expensive-compared-to-Chinatown but completely reasonable $5. It comes with everything you would want from a classic Vietnamese sandwich: pork, pate, julienned carrots and cucumber, and cilantro. Ask for it spicy and they add sliced jalapenos, and sweet and spicy siracha (I’m only guessing here) based sauce. The pork is super flavorful, the sauce is great, the french baguette is fresh, and it’s got a real nice kick (if you ask for it spicy.) It may not replace your weekend trip to Sunset Park or Chinatown, but it’s a damn fine sandwich.
In addition to the standard baoguette, they also offer a $5 chicken version, and a $7 “sloppy bao” curry beef version (hello!), both of which also sound delicious. But the real star appears to be the $7 catfish sandwich… which I fully intend to try on my next visit. Yes, that’s right. There will most definitely be another visit. After all, boundaries don’t really stand a chance when amazing banh mi is involved.
Baoguette, 61 Lexington Avenue (btw. 25+26th), 212-518-4089
Posted by Zach Brooks at 11:45 am, January 8th, 2009 under Out of Bounds, Sandwiches, Vietnamese.
18 Comments | RSS comments feed for this post
18 Comments
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Man, this, Udon West, that new japanese grocery/take-out place. Everything is by Lexington Ave! gah! I need a segway.
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Hi-ho 6 train! Away!
It’s not a long trip, and it sounds worth it…
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as a viet, i have to say that sandwich looks and sounds MUCH better than boi-to-go (which opened literally right next door to me and i haven’t stepped in once). did they have the option for the regular viet coldcuts (as opposed to grilled pork)?
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Def. doable in under an hour if nearby the 6 train from Grand Central.
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I just tried this today. The Catfish sandwich is worth the visit. The baguette is slightly toasted giving a very crunchy bite and it goes well with all the ingredients.
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I am so addicted to this place. Catfish is the bomb, and the fish noodles (which I am eating right now) is good too.
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I’m too far uptown for Baogette, but I went looking for the Boi shops to give them a try, and found you listed the addresses wrong – To Go is on 2nd between 42 & 43rd, and the Sandwich Shop is on 3rd between 44th & 45th.
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Z-Man, I just went to Baoguette and it rules something fierce. I agree with Ed Levine that it is currently the best VS in NYC. Special Note: I was the guy who put An Dong and Thanh Da on the map way back when …. when chowhound was cool…
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/257055#1360287
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/248078 -
I absolutely love banh mi so when i heard baogette opened, I paid them a visit last week and first off, the place was a mess. i know it just opened up so they don’t have the operational kinks worked out yet, but it was an absolute mess. I had to order a few times and even then, they still somehow mixed up the “eat here” vs “to-go” option. Not a huge deal, but it made the eat in experience extremely hectic. Second, the bagette sucks. I like Nicki’s and Bao Noodle’s banh mi bread where it’s nice and fresh baked. Baogette’s was hard and crusty. When I bit into it, it scratched the roof of my mouth. I got the standard $5 pate sandwich and the meat was also just a tad salty for my taste. I drank all of my Snapple and wasn’t half way done with my sandwich yet. If you’re already in the area, I’d recommend going to Bao Noodles many many times over.
The one surprising ray of sunshine out of the experience was the delicious and fresh summer rolls!! Totally delicious!
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wayne, you suck and chowhound too.
I had a banh mi list of the entire NYC back then, but that list was reposted verbatim sans credit by this chowclown guy named “the rogue” . when i protested, chowhound banned me from posting there.
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…and jim leff sucks quadruple balls.
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The Baoguette on 120 Christopher st. is better than the one on Lexington. Don’t get me wrong, this one is okay too but the other one has “Pho Sure” a little pho restaurant int he back.
I’m Vietnamese. I’ve grown up eating pho & banh mi and I’ve been to Vietnam and had both there. This place has, in my opinion, the best pho in NY. It’s hearty and comforting. The ingredients are fresh. the chef gives Vietnamese food a tiny modern twist while still remaining completely authentic. It reminds me of how my grandma used to make it but probably even better because of the superior ingredients (Sorry ba noi!). The beef tongue is also exceptional. The sandwhiches are good. I prefer the original the most. The others I could live without. The pho- I could not!! I can not stop raving about this place! -
closed by DOH.
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I finally got around to trying this today. The banh mi and the iced coffee doesn’t quite taste like the ones I had in Nam, but it will have to do. I was disappointed that it didn’t seem to have the pate on it, and only bit and pieces of pork and a cold cut on it. Putting all the comparisons aside, it was a tasty sandwich in its own right.
I tried the BBQ chicken bahn mi there a couple of weeks ago and was impressed. Great flavor, good bread, all the components of a solid bahn mi. Just a shade under the quality bahn mi you’d find in Chinatown, but a much shorter walk if you’re located in Midtown or the surrounding area.
I am really looking forward to the catfish and “Sloppy Bao”!