The Boi restaurants were at one point a God-send for those of us in Midtown East: pretty decent Vietnamese, only slightly overpriced for what it was. Plus, Boi To Go was one of the first places to offer the elusive banh mi in Midtown; granted it wasn’t Chinatown-cheap style banh mi, but we take what we can get here, don’t we? For a while they’ve been going through some changes, beginning with Boi To Go shuttering back in August which wasn’t a huge shock considering that Boi Sandwich is practically identical and one avenue over.  But when we heard yesterday that they had closed Boi Restaurant, their slightly upscale Vietnamese flagship (on 44th btw. 2+3rd), that was kind of surprising.  Even more surprising? The new name. Ladies and gentleman, meet “Foodie”.

Click on images to enlarge

Yes, Foodie. I don’t know either.  The menu seems to be  modeled after Boi Noodles (on 40th btw. 7+8th), with build your own lunch boxes, 9 different soups, dumplings. “small dishes” and (of course) banh mi.  The set up is similar to the former Boi Sandwich, just in a much larger space. Tables in the front, you order in the back, and check out a few food cases in between. For this visit, I went with the classic Banh Mi “Saigon”.

The fresh baguette is literally overflowing with carrot and daikon, leaving little room for the meats (ham, Vietnamese ham, BBQ pork, and Pate). It tastes exactly as before, but I did note that there seemed to be much less pate than the last time I had them. My banh mi experience has increased only slightly since that last time, but this struck me as a good beginner banh mi for those of you out there hesitant to try one. And for a $7 sandwich that’s as big as my forearm, it’s not a bad deal either.

Sandwiches are still made to order, so expect to wait at least a few minutes, and those said food cases were empty when I was there. I plan on stopping back in soon to try out their handmade dumplings, another Chinatown offering sorely lacking in our neck of the woods.

Foodie, 246 E. 44th Street (btw 2nd+3rd), 212-681-6541

With open minds and empty stomach, 7 Midtown lunchers gathered to rate 7 different banh mi-style sandwiches in a head-to-head competition. To ensure nuance and balance in the competition, representative banh mi’s were to include Chinatown (Paris Sandwich, Banh Mi Saigon), East Village (Nicky’s), Gramercy (Baoguette) and, of course, Midtown (Ma Peche, Yushi, and Boi To Go). We rated the sandwiches with 5 points assigned to each of 6 categories: bread, pork, vegetables, overall taste, authenticity and value. To ensure purveyors and/or price-point did not prejudice the taste ratings, we labeled sandwiches A-G and provided price on the flip side of post-its, so that tasters could self-reveal price after eating the sample and thus rate value independently.

The results are after the jump…

Baoguette won hands down with 5 #1 rankings overall and the highest overall points. Banh Mi Saigon and Boi To Go each had one #1 ranking, and Banh Mi Saigon had the second highest overall points. The Ma Peche banh mi maison chicken banh mi rated lowest in all categories, particularly far below others in overall taste, authenticity and value. (Although in fairness, how can chicken ever beat pork?)

THE CAVEAT

In the end Nicky’s could not be included because they are closed for renovation – neither posting the information on their website nor answering the phone when present but not serving provided extra disappointment. Thus, the 7th sandwich was the Ma Peche chicken banh mi, which we rated alongside the others, though calling it banh may be questionable.

OVERALL GROUP COMMENTS

Baoguette was the group favorite with a flavorful variety of pork, nice quality bread, and good balance of flavors and textures. Baoguette earned the highest ranking in all categories, including overall taste. Expectedly, only Chinatown banh mi’s rated higher in value. Baoguette at $5 plus tax (compared to $3.75 lowest price, and $10 plus tax highest price), provided the best value banh mi outside of Chinatown.

Ma Peche’s banh mi maison chicken banh mi rated the lowest. The bread is a nice quality French baguette, but the sandwich struck us as plain, which is different from simple and certainly not descriptive of a well-made banh mi, as well as unappealing. Though asterisking the entrant due to not being pork, we unilaterally liked the flavor of the Ma Peche chicken banh mi, which rated second in the *pork* category, second only to Baoguette. Plus, we gorged ourselves on the gorgeous Ma Peche deserts, so to some that might be reason enough to eat their chicken sandwich. UPDATE: The letters got mixed up.  The banh mi maison was universally liked from a flavor standpoint, and rated 2nd only to Baoguette in porkiness (makes sense).  But it ended up in 5 place, probably because of the price.

Yushi rated the overall second lowest. Of their 3 pork products, they include “barbequed” pork slathered in hoisin sauce. Though none of us dislike hoisin sauce itself, it masks all the other flavors and makes the sandwich too saucy and mushy. Add to that the soft, untoasted bread, and for the expectation of banh mi sandwich, the experience is not pleasant.

Banh Mi Saigon and Paris Sandwich took the second and third overall ratings and first and second value ratings, in that order, with Banh Mi Saigon edging out Paris Sandwich by a very slim margin. As reviewed before, Paris Sandwich wins on bread and Banh Mi Saigon wins on filling (pork and vegetables), though some may find the Banh Mi Saigon fillings too sweet.

Boi To Go ranked #4 overall, and as Yelp and other reviewers suggest, it is the most controversial. Among the Midtownlunch.com crowd, it had the highest variation in points. The flavor of the pork is very distinctive with a strong flavor (perhaps anise?) – which some intensely like and some intensely dislike. Quite simply, if you don’t mind experimenting with $8, you’d have to try it yourself to decide.

SUMMARY

Overall points ranking:

1 – Baoguette (5), Multiple Locations (link)
2 – Saigon Banh Mi (1), 138 Mott St (btw Grand St & Hester St), 212-941-1541
3 – Paris Sandwich, 213 Grand St.
4 – Boi To Go (1), Two Locations (link)
5 – Ma Peche Chicken Pork (link)
6 – Yushi, 245 Park Avenue (on 47th btw. Lex+Park), 212-687-1900
7 – Ma Peche Pork Chicken (link)

Number of #1 Rankings in (parenthesis)

For more photos, and a complete report from one judges point of view check out Feisty Foodie.

It only took seven weeks, but the Midtown Lunch Sandwich Challenge finally has a banh mi entry courtesy of Boi Sandwich, the take out place on 3rd Ave. btw. 44+45th owned by upscale Vietnamese restaurant Boi.  Midtown Lunch’er “Clues” was on this one early, and filed this report in the comments:

I just had their special “Curried Chicken Meatball” sandwich. It was awesome in two respects: size and taste. First, this thing is big. It’s probably almost 2x the size of a Sophie’s sandwich. The “baguette” is more like a 7″ x 5″ slice of a large loaf. The bread is, however, one of the strongest elements of the sandwich – crisp on the outside and very moist and airy on the inside. The French influence in Vietnam definitely pays off here. The combination of flavors is very good – curried chicken meatballs, cilantro, some sweet pickled veggies… all comes together well. None of the flavors are overwelming (the curry is very mild). I highly recommend it. The $7.50 price is high but you do get a lot of food and they are giving away promotion cards where you get your tenth meal for free – so ten sandwiches works out to $6.75 each plus tax.

Well, after reading that endorsement, how could I wait any longer to try this thing for myself?

So, I feel like I need to address a few issues about this sandwich before I start… because I know it’s going to come up in the comments.

1. While Boi Sandwich is Vietnamese, and they do sell “Banh Mi” (the Vietnamese/French sandwiches that have become incredibly popular over the past few years), their sandwiches are not representative of what most consider to be a good version of banh mi. In other words, if you are going to Boi Sandwich (or Boi to Go, its sister restaurant on 2nd Ave.) expecting a banh mi like what you would get at Saigon in Chinatown, or Ba Xuyen in Sunset Park you are going to be extremely disappointed. Their meats are not as good as any of those places, and their bread is completely wrong. It’s french bread, but at Boi they cut it from a much thicker, and larger loaf- so what you end up with is a giant square sandwich that is way too bread heavy. You probably couldn’t put enough filling in this bread to balance the filling to bread ratio properly. Oh, and they cost $7.50, which while super expensive for banh mi- is pretty standard for Midtown.

2.  While I have enjoyed countless banh mi sandwiches from a number of places around the city, I have never tried a meatball banh mi (pork or chicken)- which I know are pretty popular.  So I have *no idea* what a regular Vietnamese meatball banh mi tastes like, or what kind of meatballs are usually in those sandwiches.

Object Appears Much Smaller in Photo Than it Actually Is

I can only say if this curry chicken meatball sandwich tasted good… and it does taste good. Which I guess is all we should care about right? Granted there were things to complain about. For example you have to eat through a lot of bread before you get to the filling… but once you do, the meatballs do a good job of balancing with the French bread. They have really good flavor too, reminiscent of sate lilit- these ground meat skewers I had in Bali. Heavy on the cumin, corriander, coconut milk and palm sugar (or brown sugar.) I’m not normally good at picking out flavors, and I could be wrong about these… I just know that it tasted really similar, and those are the ingredients that go into sate lilit, so I’m guessing it’s the same stuff that went into these.

The meatballs also didn’t really resemble meat, but they tasted so good it didn’t really matter. And at least they weren’t dry! The rest of the toppings were fine, although once again not nearly as good as you get at a top notch banh mi shop. Even so the lettuce, cilantro, and shredded+pickled daikon and carrots added a nice coolness to the sandwich. I asked for it spicy, but couldn’t detect any spiciness. They do have hot sauce in small containers in the front… if you want your sandwich spicy, I’d recommend asking for some on the side when you pay.

So, if you are looking for a great banh mi- I don’t know if Boi Sandwich is the place for you. But if you’d be happy with a good sandwich, stuffed with something that resembles a chicken meatball, and tastes like Asian curry… you will not be disappointed by this entry! ($7.50 for the sandwich, $8.75 for a sandwich and drink.)

Boi Sandwich, 708 3rd Ave (btw. 44+45th St), 212-681-6541

Related:
At Lunch Now: Boi Sandwich is Now Open on 3rd Ave.
Boi to Go (aka How I Learned to Love the $7.50 Banh Mi)

The long awaited Vietnamese take out place Boi Sandwich has finally opened on 3rd Ave btw 44+45th. Unlike its sister restaurant Boi to Go, which has some seating, the new sandwich place is take out only (and cash only for the time being.) I know a lot of you refuse to pay $7.50 for a banh mi, but it’s all we’ve got (and now one ave closer to Midtown proper!)

In addition to the banh mi, which appear to be the same as Boi to Go, they are also offering noodle bowls, rice bowls, Asian burritos (hello!), and salads ($7 to $8). It may take awhile, but I think I may
have to eat through the entire menu.

Oh what a difference an avenue makes!  When Boi to Go, the fast food Vietnamese offshoot of the restaurant Boi, opened in May of last year, it caused me to walk one avenue farther than I think any Midtown Lunch’er should have to walk (it’s on 2nd Ave btw. 42+43rd.) But for the only banh mi (Vietnamese sandwich) in Midtown, a man will do crazy things.  That is also why I didn’t complain too much about the price tag ($7.50).  Compared to Chinatown or Sunset Park, what Boi to Go serves is a not entirely authentic (what’s with the avocado?), overpriced sandwich. However, you put it next to most Midtown deli sandwiches, it is competitively priced- and freakin’ delicious.  And now, it’s going to be one avenue closer- in proper Midtown Lunch’ing range.

In about month, Boi to Go will open a second offshoot on 3rd Ave. btw. 44+45th called “Boi Sandwich”.  I haven’t heard exactly what the menu will be, or if it will effect what is going on at the original Boi to Go, but if they serve the same sandwiches I’ll be pretty damn excited.  (Even though I could probably use the extra walking…)

Related: Boi to Go (aka How I Learned to Love the $7.50 Banh Mi)

If you don’t know what banh mi is, but have still managed to get this far (confusion and all), let me try to break it down for you.  Banh mi is a Vietnamese sandwich, served on a crusty french bread style baguette.  In its most basic form, it comes with some sort of meat (pork, vietnamese “salami”, chicken and/or pate), covered in any combination of shredded carrots, daikon radish, cucumber, cilantro and some sort of sauce (sweet, spicy or both.)  There are tons of variations- with many different ingredients, including vegetarian versions for people who don’t want meat.

But that description leaves out one key quality of the increasingly popular banh mi.  In the most popular banh mi shops, these large vietnamese style “hoagies” sell for an unbelievably cheap $3-4.  Understanding this part of the banh mi experience is key to understanding why Boi to Go was not welcomed with opened arms by the clammoring Midtown lunching public.

It may also be proof that the huge popularity of banh mi has just as much to do with price, as taste.  If Saigon charged $8 for their sandwiches, I don’t think as many people would trek to Chinatown, and if Boi to Go cut their price in half, than this place might be your new favorite Midtown Lunch.  Is it the banh mi we wanted?  Maybe not.  But it is a good freakin sandwich?  You bet.

More on this, pictures and a +/- after the jump…

Whether or not you enjoy Boi to Go will depend on whether or not you put yourself into one of two categories.  #1.  You are looking for an authentic Banh Mi experience, with typical Banh Mi prices.  Or, #2.  You are looking for a unique sandwich option in Midtown, with Vietnamese flavors, to add to your repertoire.

Boi to Go offers many different ingredients, and will allow you to create your own sandwich from scratch, but for these purposes- let’s just look at their version of the Banh Mi.

Interactive Photo – Click on it for an ingredient break-down

They start with a crusty baguette, and smear the bottom half with pate (made from Duck, Turkey, Chicken and Mushrooms).  Over the pate they layer slices of Cha-lua, which they call Vietnamese Ham.  You’ll also see it referred to as sausage or salami, but all of these terms will conjure images that are not exactly accurate.  It’s made from mixing minced pork with fish sauce and potato starch, then forming it into a ball, wrapped in banana leaf and steamed.  It is then sliced to be used in the sandwich.  It almost looks like very large slices of fish cake (if you’ve ever had that before).

After layering the cha-lua over the pate, they put the sandwich into a press to warm it up.  When it comes out they add the cold ingredients.  Shredded daikon radish and carrots, cilantro, avocado (not a typical Banh Mi ingredient), and sliced cucumber.  Cover the top with what looked like nuac cham (sweet fish sauce based condiment), and hot sauce (if you want)- and you’re done.

The result is a delicious sandwich, that I would probably choose over any other sandwich I’ve ever had in Midtown.  The pate adds a nice liver’ish flavor to the sandwich without being overpowering (i.e. you don’t need to love pate to like the sandwich), there is a generous portion of the Cha-lua (it ended up coming out the back of the sandwich by the time I was done), and it’s complemented by the sweet/spicy combo of the nuoc cham and red hot pepper sauce.  Add some cool crunch from the cucumber, daikon and carrots and you’ve got a great sandwich.

(Disclaimer:  I didn’t try the chicken, pork, or beef so I don’t know how they taste, or whether they are as good as Boi to Go’s standard Banh Mi.  If you try one of those, feel free to comment below.)

Is it better than the $4 sandwiches in Chinatown, maybe- maybe not.  It depends on what you are looking for.  Put them next to each other, and give them to someone who has never had Banh Mi before, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they picked the one from Boi to Go more often than not.  Is avocado a traditional Banh Mi ingredient?  No.  Would I rather them leave it out and charge $1 less? Absolutely.  Does it make the sandwich taste worse?  Definitely not.  Did they add it because it’s in Midtown and they thought it would be trendy? Of course.

In the end, we all wish we worked somewhere else for lunch purposes.  Everybody has a dream lunch location that serves something cheap and delicious that you can’t get anywhere else.  And with some exceptions, we have to settle for a less authentic, more expensive version of something we love because of where we are.  But in fairness to Boi to Go- I don’t think this is one of those cases.  They make delicious sandwiches, at a price that is in line with their ingredients and location.  We work in Midtown people.  Gotta dumb it down a little for the suits.

Does it suck to pay $8 for a sandwich?  Of course it does.  But I’d rather spend that money for Boi to Go’s fancy pants Banh Mi, than just another turkey and swiss at Europametroaubonmcsucksalot.

The +

• You asked for it, you got it.  Banh Mi in Midtown.
• Everything is made from quality ingredients
• The only thing resembling Vietnamese food in Midtown
• Close your eyes.  Forget about what it’s called or how much it costs.  If you like Vietnamese flavors (nuoc cham, cilantro & sriracha)- the sandwich tastes freakin’ good.

The -  (What people who don’t like this place would say)

• I could never bring myself to pay $7.50 for Banh Mi
• I want an “authentic” $3.50 Banh Mi, like the kind you get in Chinatown
• Avocado has no place in a Banh Mi sandwich
• I don’t like the ingredients they use in the sandwich (it probably shouldn’t have to be said, but if you don’t like Pate, or feel weird about eating cha lua, you might not like the sandwich.  No point in forcing it.)

Boi to Go, 800 2nd Ave. (btw. 42+43rd). 212-681-1122

They offer delivery 5 blocks north or south in any direction, and as far West as Park Ave. For large orders, they may deliver farther.