Eat Great Cheap 2016Every bistro, sandwich shop, and food truck seems to be messing around with a bánh mì—also known as a Vietnamese hero, one of the world’s great sandwiches. The results are often less loving homage than desecration of a simple, beautiful thing. Pop by this carryout to see what all those poor bastardizers of bánh mì don’t seem to grasp. You don’t need “quality ingredients” for a great sandwich—what you need is an understanding of balance and proportion. The quick-fingered women behind the counter here get it right every time. Witness the sandwich given the distinction of being called #1, the bánh mì cold cut: The bread is light as cotton, the proportion of daikon/carrot/cilantro to meat is perfect, and there’s enough crunch, tang, and richness to keep you interested right up to the last bite.
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Where you can get it: 3103 Graham Rd., Falls Church; 703-205-9300
Also good: Grilled-pork bánh mì; chicken bánh mì.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
