Not your sandwich-next-door!

Ba Le was my first taste of a Vietnamese Sandwich and I fell in love!

Understated places like this are worth the drive!

Ba Le is a small, eat-and-go Vietnamese bakery / deli in uptown Chicago (Broadway and Argyle) selling a variety of sandwiches, from sardine, to roasted pork, to roasted beef, to pate, to vegetarian. They also sell an assortment of Vietnamese desserts, pastries, meats, and salads.

But the star for me is the #9
THE BBQ PORK SANDWICH!

It is uh-may-zingg!!!
First of all, what makes a sandwich a sandwich is THE bread. and Ba Le bakes their own French Baguette, fresh everyday, toasted to perfection with every order. It is the perfect vehicle for what lies in between -- the PORK. Being a Filipino accustomed to the taste of streetside "bbq," this definitely hits home! -- sweet, smokey, salty. Almost like tocino, but uniquely Vietnamese. That hint of lemongrass is subtle yet strong enough to give the pork such great flavor. And then there's the SLAW - fresh carrot and jicama (singkamas) dressed in some sort of vinegar dressing / pickling liquid, sweet, slightly sour and tangy. One can NOT miss the jalapeno, especially for a hothead like me! It adds the perfect amount of heat without numbing your palate. Everything is topped with fresh cilantro - an acquired taste, but a Vietnamese sandwich does not reach self-actualization without cilantro.

Everything just works together in this sandwich! It is the perfect size for a filling lunch. Every corner of your tongue is put to good use - sweet, sour, salty, spicy. The farthest my $3.50 has ever gotten!

By far....the best sandwich I have ever eaten!