BROOKLYN: Nha Toi

This tiny hole in the wall spot is a bit intimidating at first. There aren’t that many seats here and they are usually taken so you’re pretty lucky if you get one. The menu is up in front on a clipboard on the wall and you order there as well. The pho is alright; not terrible, but not amazing. The soup wasn’t like what I had expected, but the brisket blew me away with its tenderness. The pulled pork banh mi was flavorful but lacked the carrots, radish, and cilantro I normally associate with Vietnamese sandwiches. The thing you have to get if you decide to try Nha Toi is the shrimp and bacon summer roll– why didn’t anyone think of that before? It’s probably the best summer roll I have ever had. They even give you three sauces for it. Yum.

NEW YORK: Schnipper’s Quality Kitchen

No surprise that this place beat out Bobby Flay on Throwdown for their sloppy joes. Pictured above is their sloppy joe fries– think chili cheese fries, but sweet. The meat is great, but it was too heavy so I couldn’t finish even half of my fries.

The fish fry sandwich was good, but they need to use another type of bread. The ciabatta was overpowering because it was just too thick. Whatever they use to batter the fish was amazing though.

If you are in the area, I would give it a try. I’d probably check out their sloppy joe though or their fish and chips.

NEW YORK: Num Pang

21 E 12th Street, New York, NY 10003
212 255 3271

Price: Pricey for what you get
Rating: Great!
Directions: NQRW456 to Union Square
Reservations: Unnecessary
Must Get: Hoisin Veal Meatball Sandwich

Potentially the best Asian sandwich shop I’ve tried. Potentially just because it’s overpriced for the size ($8 for a tiny sandwich that would not fill me up?? Pft!) and the staff could be a bit more welcoming. Their hoisin veal meatball sandwich which was simply mouth watering. The meat was tender, the sauce was tangy, the bread was perfectly crisp, and it had the right amount of veggies, especially cilantro. Although the sandwiches are made to order, it’s definitely no burger king– you can’t have it your way; so, if you are not a fan of mayo, don’t go to Num Pang. At least everything else you can pick out.

Early warning though– do NOT get the corn. It sounded like a great combination of some of my favorte things: corn, spice, and coconut… Unfortunately, it just did not go well together. Lesson learned.

NEW YORK: Xie Xie

645A 9th Avenue, New York City, NY 10036
212 265 2975

Price: Cheap/Reasonable
Rating: Great
Directions: ACE to 42nd St
Reservations: You don’t need them
Must Get: Fish Chaca La Vong Sandwich with extra Sriracha sauce

I was a bit hesitant at first to try this place, just because of the name… Who names a place thank you??? (Xie xie means thank you in Mandarin Chinese for all you non-Mandarin folks out there.) But I’m glad I finally decided to give this place a shot. The midtown lunch blog said this place had too much mayo, but so far, my two sandwiches have been just right and I am not a huge fan of sauce. Maybe I went in on off days or maybe I’m just lucky? Their chicken and fish sandwiches are good; I prefer the latter, but I guess it really depends what you are in the mood for. The fish could use a lot more hot sauce though. One thing I would change about this place is the side dishes– lay’s potato chips should not be offered as a side dish when a restaurant does not serve burgers and/or has been opened for almost one year. That just doesn’t cut it for me. People have been raving about their ice cream sandwich, but that’s not a side dish to me! And for someone who isn’t a huge sweets person, that doesn’t sound all that appealing. Oh well, guess I’ll just have to keep getting just their sandwiches.