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Hancos and high rent
Michael and Scottie. Rainbows and unicorns. Swedish meatballs and ligonberry sauce. Vietnamese and Park Slope. That's right SAT guru's, the one that doesn't fit is the last one. I never would have expected to find Vietnamese food in Park Slope, yet that's exactly what I found this past weekend. Right after the discovery, I was reignited with the sensation of eating money. See, whenever I overpay for something, it's automatically impossible for me to enjoy it. It's like if you ever eat Rick Shaw's Dumplings, you automatically think that you're chewing a Susan B. Anthony. At Hanco's, it's kind of the same.
Hanco's opened on the corner that used to be the Tea Lounge (10th st and 7th ave). It was a place for yuppies to get their caffeine fix and mooch wifi for three or four hours. In this kind of economy, it was no surprise that Tea Lounge had to close. And then when we all heard about the vietnamese and bubble tea shop coming soon, we were all excited! Because if a yuppy tea lounge can't sustain a business, how can dirt cheap sandwiches that's usually $3.50 - $4 dollars survive in Park Slope of all places?
Well, Hanco's opened this past Saturday and they found out how to afford the rent and the Ikea furnishings inside the restaurant... They're gonna afford the rent by charging an obscene amount for a banh mi sandwich. How obscene? $7 dollars. Maybe you missed the bruhaha at SE:NY about a $5 dollar classic from Baoguette in Manhattan. So now we have a $7 dollar classic in BROOKLYN?!? Yo WTF?
In terms of a price comparison, I've had a delicious $6 dollar cemita in the city. And a solid Italian hero from Prime Meats here in Park Slope for $8 dollars. Somehow it just feels wrong to pay $7 for for a sandwich that's half the size of the $8 dollar sandwich 10 minutes away.
Now I know what you're going to say... that the price of the sandwich is not purely dictated by cost of production and labor. You also factor in things like location and brand. So I guess the $7 dollar is justified because they have high rent here, and because if you're really craving a banh mi, and you refuse to go into the city and you refuse to go into Brooklyn Chinatown, and you still want the banh mi? Then ok, spend the $7 for a classic.
Taste test? It was a solid banh mi, packing good heat. The bread had a nice crunch factor on the outside, but the roasted ground pork was just meh. The sandwich was average and I just couldn't help but think about how damn pricy it was. I just KNOW if you take a bus towards Brooklyn's Chinatown, you could find something tastier for almost half the price.
Hanco's also offers a grilled pork sandwich and some other options. I would say the grilled pork sandwich is actually better than the classic banh mi, but not by much. It's also $7 dollars and it tastes of regret. I actually went into Hanco's on Saturday morning after their opening, looked at the price, and said "Hell no!" and took the F train into Manhattan. It wasn't until Sunday when I just bit the bullet and bought the sandwich for the good of the blog. I was lucky that my sister also bought a sandwich for me to take pictures because I sure as hell wasn't going to buy two.
Yes, it's great to have the option of a vietnamese sandwich if the craving hits me. If you're just jonesing for a banh mi and you absolutely can't make it to the city... then yea, you might as well. It just makes me feel like an Asian kid living in the Mid-West again... and you're walking through a mall and the only Asian dining option is the place that serves Thai, Japanese, Chinese, and Crazy random rainbow shit all the same time. Well then yea, I guess if I want a tuna roll, there's no other option. That's how I feel about Hanco's. It's a last resort option that has an average banh mi.
Full disclosure. This banh mi could quite possibly be delicious. But the minute I have to spend $7 dollars on a sandwich and there happens to be exactly $7 in my wallet, then... I don't like it. My taste buds are fallible and biased. They have to be really delicious to change my mind. Here's another thought, do the white folks who visit Hanco's in Park Slope know where to get banh mi in Chinatown? Do they know there's a Brooklyn Chinatown? Are they eating because they have to blog? Or because they collect federal bailout money? Or because they like the convenience of Vietnamese delivered to their baby stroller strewn neighborhood? Can someone explain this to me?
Hanco's
350 7th Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11215
718-499-8081
Map
Like what you've read today? Subscribe to my RSS and never miss a post!Posted by Danny on February 23 2009 at 11:37 pm
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I gotta agree with you on this one. Especially since the Hancos in Boerum Hill charges $4.75 per Banh Mi. At least, that was the price, say, like 3 weeks ago when I went....
Don't tell me they have raised their prices too....
FN on February 24 2009 at 2:37 am
"do the white folks who visit Hanco's in Park Slope know where to get banh mi in Chinatown?"
no, this white folk doesn't. TELL ME!
I ignored the price just to try it. I wasn't impressed with the classic, but the tofu sandwich was very good! Perfectly lightly fried before being sliced and it was spicy. I might go back for it someday when I'm walking by on my way home from the train.
Janice on February 24 2009 at 10:19 am
"tastes of regret"; that is hilarious!
avisualperson on February 24 2009 at 12:01 pm
@FN,
Hmm... go check those prices, I wonder if they're still the same these days.
@White Folk,
I have much to share then! Well, I'll go blog about the cheapie places and report back. They will be yum.
@avisualperson,
It seriously did! I promise! Now I bet if they were handing out free sandwiches, it would taste a whole lot different!
Danny on February 24 2009 at 1:13 pm
Next time you come to LA, I'll take you to Lee's...$2 for sandwiches. But I heard they upped it to $2.50 or so.
Jack on February 24 2009 at 7:11 pm
I like Nicky's on Atlantic, which is $5 for the classic.
Tonight I got a $5 footlong sandwhich from Subway. I think I like Hanco's sandwhich for $7 more than Subway's footlong for $5.
Ang on February 25 2009 at 12:52 am
how disappointing. I was looking forward to this. I'll probably still try it, but if I was hesitant to embrace Baoguette at $5-7 a sandwich I can see this being a problem. Good to know we are neighbors of some sort too!
Always Eating on February 25 2009 at 2:25 pm
Hanco's in Boerum Hill still charges a reasonable price (less then $5). I can't imagine paying more - it's not earth-shattering food. How upsetting to see such high prices at the Park Slope location. Do you really have to pay $3 more for the large space? Do they still offer free Wifi??
Eat It Brooklyn on February 25 2009 at 11:37 pm
@Jack,
OMG, $2 sandwiches!!! What's their score from the sanitation dept?
@Ang,
I need to show you were the cheap shit is at. Once, I paid for a banh mi with quarters... it was like, 12 quarters but still.
@Always Eating,
Yea it's just not the same when a cheap style of sandwich gets bastardized into this expensive crap.
@Eat it Brooklyn,
It really is kind of unimaginable that they would be so expensive. I'm not sure about the free wi-fi... They do have a bright red couch in the back that would be good for chilling out with a laptop but no word on the internet connection.
Danny on February 27 2009 at 1:29 am
What a rip off!! Hancos is a dam rip off.. He isn't even Vietnamese!!! I ordered in Vietnamese and he didn't even understood me! What a cheap imitation of a vietnamese sandwich. Nicky's in manhatten and Brooklyn, both owners spoke Vietnamese so does Saigon. I've own a Vietnamese restaurant in Cali and charged only $ 2.75 for a sandwich. Would never eat at hancos cause of the price alone!! Let's everyone boycot the prices and hopefully he charges a respecful $5.00. My morgage is high enough, don't want to take out another morgage for just sandwiches 3 times a week.. Gonna stick with nicky's Vietnamese sandwiches on Atlantic ave. Atleast they speak Vietnamese and has a personality!!! "verdict" - regret paying $10.00 for a sandwich and a drink. Never will eat at hancos again and recommend everyone to stop these ridiculous inflation!!
Jason on April 15 2009 at 5:29 am