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There is also an Asia Direct in Richfield but again, YMMV on the freshness of those sandwiches since they might be reselling another bakery’s sandwich. However, they do have excellent sesame balls there (banh cam) but I always call ahead and make sure they’re fresh, I haven’t asked if they make them or if they outsource them.

The problem with banh mi is if a restaurant or bakery is going to sell it, they’ll bake the bread themselves so that the entire product is fresh, makes no sense to order the bread from a bakery and have it delivered and then prepare the sandwiches. So unless they sell a ton of banh mi, there’s no incentive for them to invest the resources to make their own baguettes for the sandwiches.

That’s why places like Quang’s and Saigon Restaurant often run out of banh mi by dinner time, they can’t afford to bake too much bread and throw the excess away at the end of the night. The bread loses its freshness after a day or two.

I just remembered a couple of places and upon checking their sites (not sure on how accurate they are) they do serve banh mi:

Saigon Palace in Burnsville of Burnsville Pkwy: http://saigonpalacemn.com/friedrice.html

Pho 83 in Prior Lake: http://www.pho83.com/Pho_83_Inc/Menu.html#0

I’ve eaten at Saigon Palace, never had their banh mi though. Not sure if they sell it anymore or if they’re even open anymore (pretty sure they are).

My dad says the pho at Pho 83 is decent but I’ve never eaten there.

If you try those places out, please report back.

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I feel like I saw some out at Rearn Thai Market a few weeks ago when I was helping a guy I know find a mortar and pestle. You might want to pop in there and give it a try. Rearn is generally a good little market.

Sorry I can’t help more.

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To be clear, it wasn’t the basil itself that was significant, it was just one of many things that, like I said, made the meal more like an “experience” (analogy of a garden) vs. just a bowl of one-dimensional soup. All of that AND it tasted great.

In fact, I thought the garnishes were a little less impressive than the pho I had at the Hmong Marketplace (the one off Como) last week. Photo below. That one had an enormous plate of Thai basil, lemongrass, cilantro, bean sprouts, lime and jalapenos (hidden a bit in the photo by the bowl). There was also a tray of condiments with more than 15 different things on it (including the sriracha and hoisin). I dumped a ton of vegetables in there and only managed to use about half.

But the broth and beef were better at Palace’s.

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It’s not that I haven’t seen it before elsewhere with pho, it’s just that when you go to any other regular restaurant and order a bowl of soup for $7 you’re lucky if you get some mass produced crackers wrapped in plastic wrap.

While a good number of people on this site are familiar with pho, it’s likely there are thousands of others who are not. I need to cover all the bases for everyone :)

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Here’s a bowl my dad made for me, it looks like there isn’t enough broth but it’s because I overloaded the bowl with all the garnishes: http://desmond.yfrog.com/Himg644/scaled.php?tn=0&server=644&filename=va3ju.jpg&xsize=640&ysize=640

I do wonder how restaurants that serve garnishes that generously make any money on their Pho. I often add more than I usually do just because I feel leaving a plate with tons of garnishes still remaining is wasteful.

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The first bites of the lab required more patience than I had. I took a bite and it was like lighting the fuse of a stick of dynamite but watching in slow motion. “Ooo…look at the pretty sparkler!”. Another bite as the spark traveled up into the tube. For a split second, there was silence and I thought maybe nothing was going to happen. Then, the gastronomic equivalent of my upper body and everything within a 20-yard radius being blown to smithereens. Shrapnel, assorted tissue, fire, heat…utter devastation.

OK, so it wasn’t quite that bad. I’m not one of those people that finds novelty in ultra-spicy foods. I think heat can enhance the experience of food, but I don’t necessarily want an endorphin rush from my lunch. This was just the right amount of heat to my palate. It balanced out the bitterness, the textures and the abundant herbs in the dish. It didn’t destroy my mouth to the extent that I couldn’t taste the meal.

Bill stole the thunder of the main themes of my impression of Palace’s and the kind of food they offer. Much of our conversation focused around the joy of eating dishes that have complex flavors, something lacking in the restaurants so prevalent in our culture. Olive Garden was brought up and how, even with 50+ dishes on the menu, they all taste essentially the same, and that the kitchen is seemingly restricted to around 10 ingredients – dried pasta, water, salt, garlic, butter, olive oil, bread sticks, tomatoes, lettuce, and frozen generic proteins.

Bill hit it on the head. When he tore the basil and put it on his soup, the aroma wafted across the table. Every bite wasn’t just stuffing my face, it was a little trip through a Thai garden.

The next time you have a meal, slow down and think about the different flavors in the dish. Find the different textures. Is it like a symphony, or a brass trio with a tuba (aka salt) blasting out the other two instruments?

Interestingly, the owner (who divulged that his wife was doing the cooking that day since she was on Winter break from her job as a teacher in the St. Paul Schools) was chatting with us about how important food is to him, and was when he was growing up in Thailand. Even with humble surroundings, care is taken and the food is nourishing. He alluded to how you can feel healthier after a single meal like the foods of his heritage. I mentioned I feel the same way about Japanese cuisine….I’ve said the same thing a million times, that when I’m done eating I feel like I just extended my life a few days.

If you want to know what the difference is in my mind between a “great” restaurant and one that sucks, eat meals that look like the photos Bill posted above. Whether it’s 5-star or a dive or somewhere in between like Palace’s, clearly, it’s more about sharing nourishment with patrons and the community than it is about turning tables, ensuring profit margins, and “running a business”. There’s someone actually cooking in the kitchen instead of opening packages and heating them up in one of 3-4 ways.

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