Catfish sandwich from Baoguette
Last month I read about Baoguette on Serious Eats, I was hooked. It wasn't the classic banh mi that caught my eye, but rather the $7 dollar catfish sandwich. Sure, you say that you could find a good banh mi for just $4 dollars. And I say, how many sandwiches out there are made with catfish? And of those, how many are just $7 dollars? You could probably find a fried catfish po-boy somewhere in the city, but there's no telling the quality and the price. At Baoguette, the catfish sandwich really is a tasty treat.
As far as a size comparison, the Baoguette catfish sandwich is slightly shorter than the banh mi at Saigon Vietnamese sandwich on Broome street. It's slightly shorter than three sticks of gum versus the three and a quarter at Saigon. With either sandwich, you can count on a good meal.
The catfish sandwich comes with big chunks of catfish, pickled red onions, cilantro, and some honey mustard sauce. If you ask for it spicy, they add some Sriracha hot sauce and jalapenos. I would ask for it mild though. When it's too spicy, it drowns out the sweet honey mustard sauce which goes really well with the catfish.
As with all tasty sandwiches, the bread has to be good, and Baoguette serves up a good one. It seems to be softer than most banh mi's baguettes and that's about all I can say on it. This sandwich is definitely a tasty one and ranks up there with other great sandwiches in the city.
For the next couple of weeks, it's going to be difficult to focus on food when March Madness is taking place. My beloved Ohio State Buckeyes have a tough draw. If they make it into round two, they have to play the top ranked Louisville Cardinals. It's almost a guaranteed loss. Booo. Oh but, Happy St. Patrick's Day to everyone tomorrow! Drink up!
Baoguette
61 Lexington Ave.
New York, NY 10010
212-518-4089
Hang on, are you recommending it? At seven bucks?
Can't be....
Someone has broken into your account, I think....
FN
March 16, 2009 12:00 pm
hahaha, funny :P
Well I think that you can't look at this sandwich as a catfish banh mi. If you do, then it's not worth it. If you look at it as a catfish sandwich, then I ask... where else are you getting a catfish sandwich?
I guess in midtown there is the fried fish sandwich from Aunt Kim's cart, so that might be next on the list. Plus, I still have to refresh my mind with the filet o fish thing. Mmm...
Danny
March 16, 2009 12:55 pm
You sure it wasn't a tilapia with a fake mustache?
Just saying....
FN
March 16, 2009 3:21 pm
That is a loooot of herbage happening on that there sammie.
Rochelle
March 16, 2009 6:36 pm
The cheapest catfish sammy I've ever had was like $9 in Forest Hills and it was awful (it even had the nerve to claim to be a po'boy, which made it even worse). That looks pretty damn tasty. And you know, perspective, I guess $7 eel sandwich isn't that bad then.
I think I'll get the sardine banh mi today :)
Yvo
March 20, 2009 1:42 pm
Worse banh mi I ever had! The mustard and muddy tasting catfish flavors do NOT go well at all!
NowhereTiger
June 2, 2009 2:43 pm