Banh Mi Paradise

My new OffBeat Magazine article: Banh Mi On A Budget is out, and boy do I have some pictures for yall! The captions explain the basics, but the real info is in the article, check it out!

Here we have a gorgeous shot of the No. 1 "French Cold Cut" Banh Mi from Dong Phuong Oriental Restaurant and Bakery.

The rice flour french bread discussed in Banh Mi On A Budget. 

The outrageous Dong Phuong menu, with 17 different types of Banh Mi! 

(Note the Buy 10, Get 1 Free sign!)

House-cured pork cold cuts at Dong Phuong. 

Pate and Aioli, which garnish most authentic Banh Mi po boys. 

The out of this world sweet sauces served on only a select few sandwiches. To find out which read Banh Mi On A Budget!

Instead of dressing these po boys with the usual mayonnaise, tomato, lettuce dressing, banh mi are garnished with traditional Vietnamese ingredients including: cilantro, jalapeno, cucumber and pickled carrots and daikon, Yummmmmmmm!

Chinese Sausage from Dong Phuong.

Vietnamese Sausage from Dong Phuong. It really looked and felt like a raw hunk of meat that was somehow preserved in a seemingly inedible manner. But it tasted really good!

No. 4 Chinese Roasted Pork from Dong Phuong, one of my top two favorites. 

Hong Kong Food Market, another Banh Mi provider that you can read more about in Banh Mi On A Budget.

Change of Scenes! Banh Mi from Eat Well, the convenient store on the corner of Broad and Canal that serves incredible BBQ pork po boys.

Pho Nola's "NOLA Combination" Banh Mi. Spectacular.

So if you want to find out more about these awesome vietnamese po boys check out Banh Mi On A Budget and let me know if I missed your favorite spot! 

Top 10 Po Boys in New Orleans

The results are in, here's our list of our favorite (and least favorite) po boys in New Orleans. Check it out below and let us know what you think. 

1. Parasol's - Roast Beef Po Boy 

This is by far the best roast beef po boy in the city. The meat is amazingly tender, the gravy is thick and savory, and they use garlic bread instead of plain french bread, which adds a nice flavor and crunch to a po boy that would otherwise be quite soggy.

2. Domilise's -Fried Oyster Po Boy

This is the only place you should get a fried oyster po boy. Once you try it, nothing else will compare. 

3. Dong Phuong - Banh Mi (Vietnamese Po Boy)

Everything on the menu is amazing, but I reccomend the No. 1 "French Cold Cut" Banh Mi. This is absolutely worth the drive to the East.

4. Parkway- Surf and Turf Po Boy

The Surf and Turf po boy is one of my absolute favorites in the city. It combines three of my favorite things, fried shrimp, roast beef, and a TON of gravy!

5. Guy's - Fried Shrimp Po Boy

There are tons of spots around the city that serve up a great fried shrimp po boy, but Guy's is consistently delicious, and affordably priced for the quality ingredients used.

 

6. Crabby Jack's - Fried Green Tomato & Shrimp Remoulade Po Boy

This po boy is an amazing combo of boiled shrimp and fried green tomatoes smothered in delicious remoulade sauce. 

7. Crabby Jack's -Cochon de Lait Po Boy

Crabby Jack's cochon de lait po boy is also amazing, but I've found that's delicious anywhere you get it.

8. Ninja - Soft Shell Crab Po Boy

Ninja only makes this po boy a few times a year for festivals but it is fantastic! I have never had a better soft shell crab po boy. The tempura batter and spicy mayo add a nice Japanese twist to this Louisiana classic.

9. Louisiana Discount Market - Hot Sausage Po Boy

If you've never had a Hot Sausage Po Boy you are missing out. Louisiana Discount Market serves up a giant version of this spicy, greasy delicacy for only $4. Beware: this will cause some serious heart burn.

 

10. Mahony's "Peace-Maker" Po Boy 

The "Peace-Maker" is one of the stranger po boys on the market, combining fried chicken liver and coleslaw, but it's delicious if you love chicken livers as much as I do. 

 

Biggest Loser: Mother's "Ferdi Special"

This thing is just plain nasty. It starts off with honey baked ham and roast beef, and then is piled high with debris, and a very watery gravy. The sandwich would have been okay if it hadn't been so incredibly soggy, but it still would not have been good. By far the worst po boy I've ever had.

The Underdogs

It's day 4 of Po Boy week and the heat is on. After much anticipation I will finally share my secret spot for cheap, delicious, ENORMOUS po boys! Get ready for it... Louisiana Discount Market, located on the corner of Louisiana and Carondolet, this joint is only blocks from me and fantabulous. The Hot Sausage po boy pictured below literally was about a foot and a half and cost me $4.45, FOR REAL! These babies are not only super cheap and HUGE, but also really tasty!

New Orleans is one of the few places where you can not only find edible food at Convenient Stores, but also some really spectacular grub sometimes. Stores like Verti Mart are well respected in the quarter as New Orleans staples, serving up all the local authentic cuisine with a tiny price tag attached. However, many of these gems don't get the kind respect they deserve (like Louisiana Discount Market). Their food is fresh and delicious and always made to order. It took almost twenty minutes to get the po boy pictured below because they fried the fresh (raw) catfish right when we ordered it.

One of my favorite po boys to get at my neighborhood market is the shrimp po boy. This baby is under 5 bucks and comes piled high with tons of crispy fried shrimp. Of course, with the lower price comes cheaper, smaller shrimp, but it still makes for a fabulous sandwich (especially when they pour on some Crystal hot sauce, which they always do).

Of course, I must admit that it is not my favorite fried shrimp po boy in the city. I've been hearing a ton of feedback about where to get the best po boy in town, and a bunch of folks have said Guy's (for their fried shrimp/catfish in particular).

I would have to agree with that opinion. Guy's really does make a phenomenal shrimp po boy. You couldn't feed an army with it like the one above, but it can make one lucky person VERY VERY happy.

I do also have to mention another corner store that is truly out of this world. Singleton's Mini Mart located in the Riverbend area is tucked away behind houses and yards, but is truly a diamond in the rough. This corner store serves up po boys and vietnamese food on saturdays, with a lovely selection of messy, asian style pork po boys.
Smothered in delicious sweet asian sauces, this pork is truly heavenly. They have a chinese style pork as well as a vietnamese style, and I honestly don't know which I like better. Definitely one of the best corner stores I have ever been too. Finger lickin good po boys and super friendly service.

Definitely check it out if you haven't already!

Crabby Jacks

Among the many po boy shops in the city my all time favorite is Crabby Jack's. Jack Leonardi, the owner of Jacques-Imo's Cafe, opened this incredible po boy joint back in 2002 and it's been hoppin ever since. This colorful restaurant is always lively and bustling with locals during lunchtime (the only time its' doors are open).

Until today my favorite thing to get at Crabby Jack's was their cochon de lait po boy. For those who don't know what cochon de lait, it is actually French for suckling pig... sad but delicious. Crabby Jack's slow cooks their baby pigs to perfection, smothering the tender morsels of meat with an incredible sweet and smokey sauce. It's basically the best pulled pork sandwich I've ever had.
However, the duck po boy was always a close second in my list of fabulous dishes from this joint, until this afternoon when I tried their Fried Green Tomato with Shrimp Remoulade po boy. OH MY GOD, phenomenal. One of the best things I've had all month, and I eat a lot of good food. Between the tangy delicious remoulade sauce and the hot cold dynamic of the warm fried tomatoes and the cold shrimp, Mmmmm Mmmmm Mmmmm, I was in heaven.
These po boys do run up a pretty high bill for a sandwich but they are totally worth it! It's the type of food that leaves you silent with wonder at how your taste buds are in such a blissful state. Truly a lovely place to get lunch, but be prepared to get messy. Roll up your sleeves, stick a napkin down your shirt like a bib and dig in!

Not everyone is as big of a fan as I am, some people swear by Domilise's and Guy's, not to mention Parkway Bakery. I unfortunately haven't been to any of those in over 6 months so I need some recommendations from my loyal local readers before I enter them into the po boy off! Happy Po Boy Week!