May 1st, 2011 BEST BAGUETTE

Best Baguette

8303 SE Powell Blvd

Portland, OR 97253

(503) 788-3098 

Open Daily 7AM - 9PM

http://www.bestbaguettesandwiches.com/index.html

May 1^st, 2011: 

I trekked out on this beautiful Sunday afternoon for my first Sando endeavor.  I’d been told this was one of the best places for Bah Mi in Portland so I figured it had to be worth a look and I had been fiending for a Bah Mi fix for quite some time.  The parking lot was full and the Drive-thru (Yes they have a Drive-thru) was lined almost around the building. I went inside this time however.  

I was greeted by a large print menu just above the counter along with a great view of their open kitchen operation.  There was a lot of hustle & bustle going on in the kitchen. Orders being called back between the cooks, customer numbers shouted out, and then seeing the grin on each diner as they sat down to devour their Sando.  I like seeing large numbers of happy costumers enjoying a meal.  Gives you a sense of knowing that good food makes people happy and its nice to be a part of that in one way or another.  As the restaurant was pretty full, I opted to take my lunch home to enjoy it in the backyard with the dog to soak up some sun. Not a bad Sunday at all.

Rating:

Bread:

The bread was the traditional kind of rice flour Baguette. It had a crunchy almost stale Crust with a soft crumb.  It was almost too stale of a texture though.

3/5

Filling:

The first Sando was the combination Bah mi with Pate, Headcheese, Ham, and Pork Roll.  The second was the BBQ Pork. They both had the traditional mix of cilantro, Jalapeno, pickled Diakon & Carrot, and Mayonnaise.  The pickles were nice and crunchy but the jalapeno, as much as I like heat, nearly melted my face off and there was quite a bit. I picked some off just not to overwhelm myself and be able to taste everything else going on. As I enjoyed both kind of Sandos, I’d go with the BBQ Pork over the Combination as the combo became really rich and almost too much by the end. 

4/5

Price:

$6.40 for two sandwiches.  This is a great deal and pretty normal for Bah Mi.

5/5

Customer Service, Sides, and Drink Selection:

The customer service was fast and efficient. They run through this procedure enough each day to really nail it down flat and still come off as courteous. There were plenty of drinks available like Soda, Juice, Water, and Boba. If you haven’t had Boba before I’d recommend it at least once, just to experience it. There were side items as well such as chips but nothing to extravagant. 

5/5

Over all rating   17/20 points

 

Repeat Visit?

 Yes. There are plenty of other delicious options to look into here and with the prices being what they are I can easily say this worth going in again.