bánh mì - update

wrapped sammy

side view of bánh mì

like a vietnamese subway!

before the tv show: the great food truck race on food network, bánh mì was a foreign phrase. oh? it's a foreign phrase for you? let me explain. a bánh mì is a vietnamese sub sandwich with a sweet and salty taste. sweet from the pickled daikon & pickled carrots and salty from the fish sauce. there are several meat choices and a good crunch from green bell peppers & cucumbers. super fresh from the cilantro and super cheap at $2.75 for an 8". find one anywhere there is a vietnamese population. i picked mine up at a far out new orleans vietnamese bakery.
 

Dong Phuong

14207 Chef Menteur Hwy

New Orleans, LA‎

(504) 254-0296‎)

update note: read the ny times piece on bánh mì here.

café au lait at café du monde

café du monde. i always figured this was a tourist trap and stayed away during my new orleans visits. this trip, i figured i’d be a tourist and hit it. i went twice and had two totally different experiences. my first visit was a late morning thursday. perfecto. my café au lait was perfect, served in a heavy cup with a saucer and beignets that were a melt in your mouth delight. each bite i tried not to let any of the piled on powdered sugar fall off. a sublime experience through and through. my next visit was not so grand. the staff was different, almost totally vietnamese and some with little knowledge of english. here’s the 411; if you want a café au lait in a real cup, & you do want your café au lait in a real cup, then you gotta order a café au lait. that's it. not a large café au lait. if you order a large café au lait, you’ll get it in a styrofoam cup. ick, no thanks. that’s your new orleans travel tip. and here’s a short history lesson on café du monde. you’re welcome.

Café Du Monde French Market 

800 Decatur Street, New Orleans

504-525-4544

open 24 hours a day

closed 6pm December 24, opens 6am December 26

LÜKE

lüke. one of the 6 louisiana restaurants owned by john besh. you may know john besh from the 2007 food network reality show The Next Iron Chef. besh played too nice to win that title but has continued to lead the louisiana local food movement and write a cookbook titled My New Orleans - The Cookbook, which are signed and stacked high near the front door of lüke. lüke is billed as an authentic brasserie and besh nailed that. dark wood accents the restaurant. the bar, seats diners and proudly displays an arrangement of fresh seafood on ice. the restaurant is cozy and the food is spectacular. raw oysters, a cup of gumbo and shrimp & grits filled my tummy. the meal was so yummy, we entertained the idea of going back for breakfast or for the fresh house-made sausage and sauerkraut. but, i resisted, as my move-on mentality kicked in, but, lüke is, for sure, on the return restaurant list. you gotta go.

LÜKE
333 St. Charles Avenue
New Orleans, LA
504.378.2840

Breakfast  7am – 11am M-F  •  BREAKFAST BUFFET  7am – 10am M-F,  7am-11am Sat – Sun
BRUNCH  7am – 4pm Sat-Sun  •  LUNCH  11am – 4pm  •  DiNNER  4pm – 11pm  •  TAKE OUT  7am – 11pm