65th and Stockton Reviews #4: Long Sandwich

Previously: Huong Lan and Duc Huong Sandwiches, which were much better in that they were open when they said they'd be, and you could buy food from them

In my continuing and very staggered effort to eat at all the restaurants near 65th and Stockton, starting with all the banh mi shops, I went to Long Sandwiches. They DID disappoint.



If you go there, this might be the closest you get to a sandwich. It was 7:33pm when I took this picture ("'OPEN' 7 days a week 7am-8pm") and you can see the closed restaurant behind the sign. Go to Huong Lan instead, which is open when it says it will be (and is where I ended up getting my sandwiches. Excellent as always.) One of my pet peeves: we're all busy, so when we make a point of trying somewhere new, and they're not open when they say they'll be open, that's a cardinal sin. Zero stars.

65th and Stockton Reviews #2 and #3 - Huong Lan and Giò Cha Duc Huong Sandwiches

This is the next installment in my series of reviewing Sac banh mi shops; previous review here, and I'll link to the next one when I pos it. As always, here are my Yelp reviews so you can see what kind of philistine you're dealing with and weight my opinions accordingly.

#2: Huong Lan Sandwiches

I've eaten at Huong Lan several times but haven't blogged it yet. I've gone back several times, because not only is it the best banh mi I've yet found in Sac, it has a huge selection not just of sandwiches but of lots of yummy stuff including boba and desserts. It's my favorite banh mi shop out of all I've tried in Sac. Go there.

RESTAURANT INFORMATION
Rating: Double thumbs up! Best banh mi in Sac so far!
Date: Several from March through June
Wait time: about 10 minutes, even when busy
What I get: sardines, BBQ pork, steamed pork
Price: about $4/sandwich
Ambience/group size: Equally good for eat in or take out, nice open space, good for groups
Parking: busy shared lot



#3: Giò Cha Duc Huong Sandwiches

Not impressed; my least favorite banh mi shop so far. The best thing is they have small banh mi for $2/piece, so if you can't make up your mind you can get a bunch of small ones (regular size $3.50 I think). The sandwiches were just alright but the chicken in the curry chicken soup was cold.

RESTAURANT INFORMATION
Rating: Thumbs down
Date: A Saturday in July
Wait time: 20 minutes (10 to get food, 10 to eat)
What we got: curry chicken soup, small BBQ pork, small steam pork
Price: $11
Ambience/group size: better for take out, about 6 tables for eat-in
Parking: busy shared lot

65th and Stockton #1 - Thanh Huong Sandwiches

You know that are of awesome restaurants in South Sac at 65th and Stockton (mostly Asian, some not)? Okay, probably not. But you should. Because there's a concentration of great-looking unpretentious restaurants there. So far the fiancee and I have eaten at two of them, and we're going to eat at ALL of them dammit, and write about them here, for your convenience. Scroll and zoom the map to see the wealth of culinary opportunities!


View Larger Map

Our qualifications as food critics? Well I'm a white guy who's lived in NorCal for a grand total of 12 years, mostly in Berkeley and San Francisco, which qualifies me to feel like I have an opinion on these things you need to hear. (Also I really like food; here are my Yelp reviews so you can adjust my judgments by my tastes.) The fiancee grew up in China, and if you didn't, then you have to accept whatever she says about Chinese food. And about any other cuisine from a country closer to China than whatever place you were born. Why are we doing this? Partly for fun, please inspired by the original project, the "Convoy Conquest", executed by San Diego bloggers Jenne Bergstrom and Miko Osada, who happen to be our friends from when we lived down there. (If you find yourself in SD and you like to eat food, check out the blog.)

So where's the first one? Drumroll...

Thanh Huong Sandwiches

You want banh mi Vietnamese sandwiches? Go here. Two nights ago I had a sudden banh mi craving and went there all on my own. (Settle down. Sometimes on this little project it'll be just one of us doing the rating.) I didn't take pictures of the samitches. If you don't know what banh mi are, go eat one, my half-assed Android shots will not be what converts you. They have boba too (of course), and a few cans of the weirdest flavors of Pringles I've ever seen (special southeast Asian versions? Maybe. I can't even remember what they are. For Lovecraft fans, if there were non-Euclidean potato chips, these would be them, and I'm now regretting I didn't get some.) I'd say this place is at least as good as Lee's. Only complaint, I'm a cilantro junky and could have used more, but they hit the spot. There's also at least one other Thanh Huong location, in San Jose.

RESTAURANT INFORMATION
Rating: Thumbs up
Date: Wed 2/4/2015
Time in: 7:05 PM
Time out: 7:15 PM (take out, but that's 4 sandwiches)
What I got: BBQ pork, roast pork, fish balls, and sardines.
Final check amount: $11.50, for four sandwiches for crying out loud
Ambience/group size: You can eat in, but more of a take out place, and not great for groups
Parking: shared lot

Next, in 65th and Stockton #2 - Quan Nem Ninh Hoa.