It’s a familiar story at this point: Another year, another Choice Eats that sadly neglects the restaurants of midtown. This was my first year attending and I was honestly surprised at how few Midtown offerings there were. In past years, Margon flew the flag for the underrepresented, but this year, the only restaurant to fall within Midtown Lunch boundaries was Toloache, with just out of bounds Xie Xie and Mantou Chinese Sandwiches rounding out the Midtown selections.

It was disappointing from a Midtown Lunch’ing standpoint, but there was plenty of other deliciousness to stuff my face with. After the jump, some of my favorites.

If the point of participating in an event like this for the restaurant is to pique interest in potential new customers, I have to declare this a success all around. Xie Xie’s braised pork with tart shallots certainly has my interest. Once I figure out a good excuse to head to 9th Avenue during my lunch break, I’ll be up there to give them a try.

Choice Eats also reminded me which places I need to go back to after a long absence. One bite of Fette Sau’s smoked pork belly left me wondering why it’s been out of my life for so long. Thrown in for good measure, a smoked ham better than any you’ll find on the Easter table next month.

Sara Jenkins’ Porchetta sparked an obsession in me that still makes me salivate when smelling fennel and rosemary together. That juicy, herb-scented pork is one of my favorite foods in the world.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that table after table of readily available beer made a good reward after standing outside in the damp weather for an hour waiting to get in.

For more coverage of Choice Eats, check out Robert Sietsema’s live blogging and Blondie and Brownie’s report (which will probably be up later today or tomorrow).

Related:
Xie Xie Redux
Midtown Happy Hour: Xie Xie is the Perfect Snack to Kick Off a 9th Ave. Pub Crawl
Xie Xie Would Be Amazing With a Little Less Mayo

Related:
Xie Xie Would Be Amazing With a Little Less Mayo
Midtown Happy Hour: Xie Xie is the Perfect Snack to Kick Off a 9th Ave. Pub Crawl

Zach did a full review of Xie Xie when it first opened, but it was only recently that they added a happy hour special to their menu. For $5 dollars, from 3 to 7pm, you get a bottle of “33” Export Vietnamese beer with a choice of one bun: Shredded Braised Chicken, BBQ Beef, or Sweet Glazed Pork. I’ve wanted to check out Xie and this was the perfect opportunity to try the food without having to committing to ordering a full sandwich. Plus it’s right next to Rudy’s, our favorite dive bar, so if one hot bun doesn’t do it for you, you can always wrap your lips around a free wiener later.

At first glance Xie Xie wasn’t what I expected. It was tiny and looked like a European café and a hip deli all in one. The service is remarkably friendly. I showed up at 6pm and there were only a few people eating so the chef made small talk with us while we waited for a friend to show up. Once ready, we started off with 3 beers and 3 buns (one pork, one chicken and one beef.) Our buns came out in a cute wooden box that was lined with the Xie Xie graphic waxed paper. On each table was a bottle of hot sauce that tasted just like Sriracha —which I love and it made for the perfect spicy match to the sweet and salty meat.

The beef was the winner of the trio. It was falling apart tender and not sickly sweet like the pork. I have to say though; those buns went down faster then the fall of Saigon in ‘75. Three swallows and that beef one was done. With my friends appetites piqued, we ordered another round of beers and buns. Surprisingly, the second BBQ beef bun I ordered came with a dollop of pesto mayo. Now you all know I hate mayo, but this was pesto infused and I actually liked it. Quite nice in small doses, but I wonder if pesto-mayo usually comes with the buns or if it was a random addition to snazzy up our second order?

Now, I like big buns and I cannot lie, so I think most Midtown Luncher’s like me are going to leave Xie Xie hungry if they only do the happy hour special. The best approach is to think of this as a snack before heading home or a starting point to an evening out on the town. Enjoy!

Xie Xie, 645A 9th Ave. (btw. 45+46th), 212-265-2975

You know how much I love the Asian sandwiches (I can’t get enough!) so there was no question I was going to travel the extra avenue outside the Midtown Lunch boundaries to check out Xie Xie- the newly opened sandwich shop from Angelo Sosa (formerly a chef at Jean Georges.)  You’ve already seen the menu, and heard the reports from the ML early adopters.  But the question still remains… for Midtown Lunch’ing purposes, are these freakin’ sandwiches worth the $8+ price tag.

In short, yes…. if you love Asian sandwiches as much as I do.  And provided that the chef makes one small change.

You shouldn’t be too surprised to hear that for the most part all the sandwich fillings at Xie Xie are delicious.  The guy is a world class chef, and every component, on every sandwich was awesome- from protein, to topping, to sauce.

Fish Cha Ca La Vong – Onion Jam, Sriracha Mayonnaise, Dill – $8.75.  I love tilapia, especially when it’s simmered in a coconut milk based curry- so I was all about this sandwich.  It was not easy to eat, and a complete mess but I loved it.  There was a bit too much of the mayo (a common theme, you’ll see) and also too much dill (even for somebody who likes dill like me), but the flavors blended really well together. (And the extra dill is easily removed.)

Vietnamese BBQ Beef – Basil Mayo, Carrot Kimchee – $9.00.  Looks kind of like a hamburger at first, or maybe even a steak sandwich- until you take a bite and discover melt in your mouth tender stewed beef. There was a bit too much of the creamy pesto like may0, but the cool heat from the pickled carrots did a good job of cutting it.  So good.

Shredded Braised Chicken – Smoked Egg Salad, Cilantro – $8.50.  The biggest surprise of this sandwich was how good the chicken was.  Made from dark meat (at least partially) the shredded chicken was really moist and flavorful, and the smokiness of the mayo filled egg salad added a nice contrast.  As somebody who doesn’t love chicken salad, this is probably one of the best versions I’ve ever had (provided there was a tad bit less mayo.)

Sweet Glazed Pork – Chinese Bun, Sweet & Sour Condiment – $8.50. This was the only miss, not because it didn’t taste good (it did) but because it’s probably the worst value.  I don’t mind paying $8+ for a nice size sandwich but this struck me as more like a fancy appetizer than a “sandwich.”  The just sweet enough pulled pork was really tasty, and I don’t doubt that the ingredients are expensive, or that it’s a comparable price to other “fancy” pork buns around the city- but there is something about the three small buns that struck me as just not enough for the price.  Also, be aware that if you order it to go, they give it to you like this:

Daisy May’s BBQ Cart style, with all the elements separate- so you can put it together once you get to where you’re going. That way the bread (or buns in this case) don’t get ruined. Even though I like this at Daisy May’s, something about it at Xie Xie bothered me.  It’s probably the fact that you are supposed to be paying extra for this expertly crafted concoction.  With Daisy May’s you’re just putting meat on a bun.  But these have 4 different elements (meat, parsley, fleur de sel, and a sweet and sour sauce with shallots (?). If you’re going to get these, I’d recommend staying to eat it.

Finally, I couldn’t resist trying the “1000 Year Egg Ice Cream Sandwich”.  I’ve never had 1000 year old eggs before, and I’m pretty sure they don’t go into this concoction as an ingredient. The name probably comes from the secret surprise in the middle of the ice cream:

A thick black pool of greenish caramel, oozing out from what I believe was caramel ice cream (although I couldn’t quite place the flavor.)  Either way, it was delicious!

Didn’t try the lobster roll because its price tag ($14) takes it out of the Midtown Lunch price range (and I’m guessing it has too much mayo.)

If you are a chef stalker Sosa is there pretty much every day.  He doesn’t usually make the sandwiches, but oversees the general operation.  On my visit he even came up to the tables and asked us how the sandwiches were.  I told a half truth, and replied “Awesome!”  I just couldn’t bring myself to add the caveat: “Awesome… but can you tone down the mayo.”  You probably wouldn’t expect that to come out of this fat guy’s mouth, but moderation is not always a bad thing.  Especially when it comes to creamy condiments.

Since it’s a small menu, the place is going to be dependent on heavy volume. And if they plan on expanding, reducing the mayo will go a long way to make these sandwiches something that people could eat every day.

Is this for everybody?  Of course not.  If you complained that Baoguette was too expensive (at $7), these sandwiches will infuriate you.  I found them to be a decent size (slightly larger than Union Square’s Num Pang, and maybe the same size or slightly smaller than the sandwiches at Baoguette), and when you consider the quality of the ingredients, and the skill needed to make fillings taste this good, and my inherent love of Asian sandwiches, I think the price is fair.  But if you’re already against this trend, Xie Xie is probably not going to change your mind.

THE + (What somebody who likes this place would say)

• Deliciously crafted Asian sandwiches, made by a top class chef
• The individual ingredients are all super delicious
• I LOVE FANCY MAYO! (And lots of it…)
• I really like Baoguette, and Num Pang- this place is a great addition to Midtown West

THE – (What somebody who hates this place would say)

• Too much mayo!
• Every sandwich turns into a complete mess (partially because of the mayo issue)
• I will never pay that much money for a sandwich, I don’t care how good it is
• Sandwiches are too small
• There’s no vegetarian option
• I can’t wait for this trendy Asian sandwich thing to die…

Xie Xie, 645A 9th Ave. (btw. 45+46), 212-265-2975

Lunch’er Chris6Sigma descended on the two day old Xie Xie yesterday (on 9th Ave. and 45th), uploaded some photos to the ML Flickr Photo Pool, and had this to say in the comments:

Just got back – chicken and cilantro sandwich was tasty, nice fresh, balanced flavors. The baguette was a little tough to chew, and was stiff enough to have that annoying trait where all the innards of the sandwich squish out when you take a bite.

At $8.50, it is on the pricey side, esp for the size of the sandwich, though it is more filling than it looks. Maybe knock off a dollar off of each sandwich and it’s worth a visit.

I should also note that this particular sandwich was VERY messy. I wouldn’t order it if you don’t want to walk around the office with sandwich shrapnel on your Brooks Brothers shirt.

Check it out, after the jump…

For a look at the chi chi (pun intended) interior, check out the slideshow posted by Grub Street.

Related:
Xie Xie is Finally Opening Today

And now a Public Service Announcement from Captain Obvious:  “Asian sandwiches are blowing up people!”  And it seems like they’re all attracted to the outskirts of Midtown Lunch’ing. First, Baoguette brought the almighty banh mi to Lexington btw. 25+26th.  Then last week Mantao hit us with the mantou Chinese sandwich on 53rd btw. 2+3rd.  And now welcome the latest upscale Asian sandwich joint to (almost) land in Midtown: Xie Xie (pronounced Shay Shay), which will open on 9th Ave. btw. 45+46th today. Last night they had some sort of “let us know what you think by filling out these comment cards” soft opening that was by invite only, and “unless the place blows away overnight” it should be open to the public today at 11:30am.  So if you’re one of those “I want to be the very first ones to eat this thing that everyone will be writing about in a week”, and don’t mind the hefty price tag for a sandwich, today is the day.  (I’ll probably stop by… I’m sorry, I can’t help myself when Asian sandwich are involved!)

The 5 sandwich menu, which they were handing out on the sidewalk last night (and appears to be unchanged since Grub Street posted it last month, minus the wine)- can be seen after the jump…

Fish Cha Ca La Vong – Onion Jam, Sriracha Mayonnaise, Dill – $8.75
Sweet Glazed Pork – Chinese Bun, Sweet & Sour Condiment – $8.50
Vietnamese BBQ Beef – Basil Mayo, Carrot Kimchee – $9.00
Shredded Braised Chicken – Smoked Egg Salad, Cilantro – $8.50
Asian Lobster Roll – Kewpie Mayo, Tarragon, Crispy Shallots – $14.00

“1000 Year Old” Ice Cream Sandwich – Chocolate Cookie, Black Caramel – $4.00
Xie Xie Fortune Cookie – Yuzu cream – $3.00

Boylan Soda – $2.25
Mash Soda – $2.00
Fiji Water – $1.75
Red Jacket Orchards Juice – $2.25

Pop Chips – $1

Xie Xie, 645A 9th Ave. (btw. 45+46), 212-265-2975