Baguette Box

Having lived in Seattle for nearly eight years I've struggled to find a decent cheap sandwich. The recent opening of Goldberg's Deli in Factorial mall has certainly improved the quality of sandwiches available to those in the Puget sound area. Finally there was an answer for everyone who thought the Boarshead corned beef served up at the Other Coast "is the best in town." While Goldberg's has taken the east coast deli title as one of the best sandwiches around it is anything but cheap. Fortunately a relatively new restaurant, The Baguette Box, provides everything I need in a sandwich - fantastic quality and cheap price.Although the Baguette Box has not been open for too long, they already have have two locations: Capitol Hill and another in Fremont. The restaurant is the "little brother" of the restaurant Monsoon which is, in my opinion, one of the best under-the-radar restaurants in Seattle. As it turns out, this little brother takes its inspiration from big-sister's specialty - Vietnamese Pacific Northwest fusion.

Sandwiches served at Baguette Box are all variations of the traditional Vietnamese Bánh mì sandwich which typically include spiced meat or tofu, a crunchy vegetable (carrots, radish), jalapenos, and cilantro all served in a baguette. While the options for variation are virtually infinite, Baguette Box has crafted a dozen or so fantastic combinations. Crispy drunken chicken , braised pork shoulder with red wine, salumi cured meat (thats what I said, SALUMI!), grilled lemon grass skirt steat, grilled yellow squash and eggplant, and of course tofu. Price varies from $4.75 (tofu) to $7.50 (lamb, salumi) for a generous sandwich. Bánh mì lovers will recognize that this is dramatically higher than the typical Bánh mì found in the ID ($2), but the attention and work put into these sandwiches make the price justified.

A number of salads and french fries as well as truffle fries (fries drizzled with truffle oil) provide the sides.

My first experience was the braised pork in red wine sauce. Delicious. The bread is beautifully baked, crispy with a soft center. The meat was tender and savory. The truffle fries were a highlight offering a novel complex earthy flavor to what was a pretty good fry on its own. Total price for sandwich and fries - $11.05.

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