ENOUGH WITH THE bahn mi, I say. While food freaks have already moved on to muttering about Neapolitan pizza, the everyday gourmet New Yorker is still in love with the traditional Vietnamese sandwich; and it seems like every time he turns around there’s another spot selling a half-assed version of the dish for way too much money.
I was worried this would be the case with Republic. I’ve always been a fan of the Union Square restaurant. Sure, communal tables can make for an awkward meal, but the food here has always been solid, and the bar provides a surprisingly pleasant place to meet with people on a block packed with intolerable spaces. So, when the restaurant introduced a takeaway bahn mi station, offering a selection of 10 Vietnamese sandwiches—including a traditional sandwich, pulled pork, catfish, beef satay, shrimp and a vegetarian option—in the front of its space, I had faith that there would be something to it besides slapdash pāté and dismal daikon. I was absolutely right.
Of all of the sandwiches offered, the standout is the Asian sausage. Nestled on a baguette with black bean sauce, fried shallots, jalapeño peppers, cilantro and pickled papaya and carrots, the sandwich is a hearty, toothsome foil to the plain, old ham that can come on a classic bahn mi.The spicy Thai sausage (perhaps Vietnamese sausage doesn’t do as well, but we’re not complaining) stands up well to the tart pickled vegetables and is savory enough to absorb the heat of the hot peppers.
The bread, as these things go, was also no slouch: soft enough to tear into with abandon but with a satisfyingly crisp crust. Served, for $10, with a choice of soup or salad (the green papaya gets high marks from us, but there are five options), the sandwich succeeds where many of its brethren fail—most notably for being a satisfying and inexpensive meal that doesn’t sacrifice quality or a decent portion size. So while bahn mi is destined to fade away into the fad food graveyard where paninis, wraps, pita pockets and one day even Neapolitan pizza will also lay their weary heads, Republic’s Asian sausage sandwich should stick around as an example of what makes the restaurant worth visiting, no matter how many strangers you might have to sit with.
> Republic
37 Union Square West (betw. E. 16th & E. 17th Sts.), 212-627-7172
